Amazon’s AI chatbot, Rufus, demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in driving sales on Black Friday, as reported by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. In the U.S., sessions resulting in a purchase surged by 100% when Rufus was utilized, compared to a mere 20% increase without its assistance. Moreover, sessions with Rufus that led to purchases saw a 75% day-over-day rise, outperforming the 35% increase for sessions without Rufus.
The widespread adoption of Rufus is evident in the data, with total website sessions involving the AI chatbot surpassing overall website sessions during the shopping event. Rufus, initially introduced in beta in early 2024 and later made available to all U.S. customers, aids Amazon shoppers in product discovery, recommendations, and comparisons.
Black Friday witnessed a surge in AI usage for holiday shopping, with Adobe Analytics reporting an 805% year-over-year increase in AI traffic to U.S. retail sites. This surge reflects consumers’ growing reliance on generative AI chatbots for deal hunting and product research, particularly in popular Black Friday categories like electronics, video games, appliances, toys, personal care items, and baby products.
Source: TechCrunch