Amazon launches new ‘shopping assistant’ in time for Prime Day – customers scoff that it’s ‘inconvenient’ and gets in the way

AMAZON’s new feature has drawn some backlash from frustrated customers amid Prime Day deals.

They called out the e-commerce giant for the addition, used as a tool to help shoppers search for items.

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Billed as a “conversational shopping assistant,” AI-powered chatbot Rufus was launched for testing in February, according to a Press release.

Rufus appears as customers use the Amazon Shopping app to answer any questions they may have about products.

The company made Rufus available for all customers in the United States using the Amazon Shopping app ahead of Prime Day on July 16 and 17, but several customers criticized the AI ​​assistant.

They claimed that Rufus was more of a disruption to the shopping experience than a useful tool for learning more about the items.

“Dear Amazon… who the hell is Rufus!?” a buyer, Bree, posted on Facebook last month.

“And why is IT bothering my shopping experience!?!?”

Someone responded that they couldn’t “figure out how to turn this stupid thing off.”

Others expressed similar sentiments.

“Dear Amazon. Rufus is ON THE WAY,” wrote another customer in a separate publish.

PAYING ATTENTION

Rufus was designed by developers to provide product recommendations, compare options, access order history, and even answer questions not necessarily related to purchases.

Amazon also emphasized that it received customer feedback during testing earlier this year and improved the AI ​​shopping assistant.

“Since introducing Rufus, we’ve been thrilled to hear directly from customers how Rufus has helped them with specific and broad purchasing questions, and everything in between,” the company wrote in a recent statement.

“Customers have already asked Rufus tens of millions of questions and we appreciate their feedback so far.”

It’s unclear whether feedback from some shoppers who seem to want Rufus to take more of a backseat will be noticed by Amazon in the future.

Best Prime Big Deals of the Day 2024

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We’ve gathered more offers and important information here:

MONEY MOVEMENTS

Rufus appears to all customers in the Amazon Shopping app as they browse Prime Day deals this week.

There are several items on sale quickly as shoppers rush to take advantage before the sale ends.

A Crock-Pot kitchen essential is going fast after its price dropped 53% to just $27.99.

Dyson’s Cool Tower fan is also getting significant attention after its price was reduced from $270 to $250 for Prime Day.

Oura’s smart ring also got a significant price cut to $281 in the company’s first Prime Day deal.

Amazon’s Echo Pop has also been discounted by 55% and is a perfect kitchen essential for summer.