Shopping for holiday gifts for family, friends and other loved ones can be challenging. You not only need to find the perfect gift, but you also want to take advantage of any bargains or sales and make sure the items arrive on time. Many people use Amazon for their shopping, the retail site offers an assistant called Rufus. This AI-powered tool can locate and research products, highlight the best deals, and provide answers to your questions about a specific item.
Also: How to Shop with AI: 6 Ways I Find Deals, Track Prices, and Let Agents Do the Shopping for Me
Rufus is accessible here amazon website Also for Amazon mobile apps iOS And AndroidOn the website, click the Rufus button on the top toolbar to access it from any page, With mobile apps, tap the chat bubble icon in the bottom right, You can then start your chat with Rufus,
For this year’s holiday season, I called on Rufus to be my Amazonian shopping assistant. Here are seven methods I used to tackle the challenges of holiday shopping.
I wanted to find a Doctor Who related gift for my wife. (Shhh, don’t tell him). On cue, I asked Rufus to recommend Doctor Who-related gifts for my wife. In response, the assistant showcased a variety of products, including a bracelet, earrings, a TARDIS plush blanket, a teacup, a travel bag, and more. I chose the plush blanket and asked Rufus to tell me more about it. Rufus then gave me all the key details including its size and weight, a summary of customer feedback, and the current price. From there, I could easily add it to my cart.
show more
Another way to use Rufus is to compare different products in the same category. I was looking for a travel jewelry case for my wife. I asked AI to find such cases. After Rufus showcased several of them, I asked him to compare them all and recommend the best based on size, design, and quality. In return, the assistant cited certain products and offered recommendations specifically for cases of international travel, business trips and leisure travel.
show more
Also: I’m a shopping editor, and this is the No. 1 reason I prefer Best Buy over Amazon for tech purchases
Next, I was searching for a retro-style electric can opener that not only worked well but looked good too. Of the results, one in particular caught my attention because it was easy to operate and had a retro design. With that selected, I asked Rufus a few follow-up questions: 1) How does it work; 2) Describe the color; And 3) What do customers say about it? Every answer was clear, concise and informative. Customer feedback was especially helpful as Rufus outlined the pros and cons of the item.
show more
I wanted to find a bluetooth speaker for a friend but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I asked Rufus to find the best deals on such speakers. In response, AI came up with several budget-friendly options, including from JBL, Sony, and Bose. It offered products ranging in price from $40 to $279 and gave me recommendations for speakers in each price range.
show more
Also: Should you trust AI agents with your holiday shopping? Here’s what the experts want you to know
In some cases, I was torn between ideas about what to buy for someone. This is another area where Rufus can help. In this case, I told her I was having trouble finding a gift for a friend and I wanted to spend between $25 and $50. The AI made some suggestions, but then asked me to describe the person to refine the options. When I told Rufus that my friend liked history, art, and theater, he narrowed down the list and recommended some interesting and unique products in each of those categories.
show more
Rufus can alert you if the price of an item drops and even buy it for you so you don’t miss out on the deal. Here, I wanted to buy AirPods Pro 3 as a gift for a family member but I wanted to see if the price would be lower. I told Rufus to alert me if the price dropped below the current level. It asked me to choose a percentage for the price. I can also tell it to automatically buy at that amount. Then I chose to create a price alert.
show more
Also: Attention, buyers: Visa has a plan to tell real agents from bad bots
Ultimately, I wanted to make sure the products I ordered arrived before Christmas. To do this, I asked Rufus. After providing the status of my recent order, the AI provided delivery dates for each item. I was then able to drill down on a specific item to see more details and get a link to track it.
show more
