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Amazon’s ‘shopping assistant’ blasted by Prime Day customers as ‘inconvenient’

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6 months ago

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Amazon’s ‘shopping assistant’ blasted by Prime Day customers as ‘inconvenient’

AMAZON’S new feature has caught 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 as they search for items.

Amazon’s AI feature has come under fire from some fansCredit: Getty
The chatbot known as Rufus is helping shoppers make Prime Day purchases this weekCredit: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
Rufus is an AI-powered tool for Amazon customersCredit: Getty

Defined as a “conversational shopping assistant,” the AI-powered chatbot Rufus was launched for testing in February, per a press release.

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

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

They claimed Rufus got more in the way of the shopping experience than it was a helpful tool to learn more about items.

Read More on Amazon Prime Day

“Dear Amazon…who the h*ll is Rufus!?” a shopper, Bree, posted on Facebook last month.

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

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

Others echoed similar sentiments.

“Dear Amazon. Rufus is in the WAY,” another customer wrote in a separate post.

PAYING ATTENTION

Rufus was designed by developers to give product recommendations, compare options, access order history, and even address questions not necessarily related to shopping.

Amazon Alexa speaker now $17.99 as Prime Day deal brings it to ‘lowest price ever’ – add ‘best’ accessory for $2 more

Amazon also stressed that it took in feedback from customers during the tests earlier this year and improved on the AI shopping assistant.

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

“Customers have already asked Rufus tens of millions of questions, and we’ve appreciated their feedback so far.”

It’s unclear if the feedback from some shoppers who seem to want Rufus to be more in the background will be noted by Amazon moving forward.

Best Prime Big Deals Day Offers 2024

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Here are some of our top picks from the Amazon event so far:

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If you haven’t signed up already, make sure you sign up here for the 30-day free trial – otherwise, you won’t be able to access the deals.

We’ve rounded up more top offers and information here:

MONEY MOVES

Rufus is appearing for all customers in the Amazon Shopping app as they search for Prime Day deals this week.

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

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

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

Oura’s smart ring also saw a significant price cut to $281 in the company’s first-ever Prime Day offering.

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

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