Amazon merges Rufus chatbot into Alexa for Shopping, adds price tracking and automated purchasing

Amazon has launched Alexa for Shopping, integrating its Rufus chatbot into the main shopping experience across its app, website, and Echo Show devices. The assistant is free for all signed-in US customers and does not require a Prime membership, Echo device, or Alexa app.

According to Amazon, Rufus served more than 300 million customers in 2025. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said Rufus monthly active users rose more than 115%, while engagement increased nearly 400% year over year.

The Rufus name is being retired from the shopping interface, though the technology continues to power parts of the experience behind the scenes, according to GeekWire.

Main search bar replaces separate chatbot

Alexa for Shopping allows customers to ask shopping questions through Amazon's main search bar instead of using a separate chatbot window. Users can ask product questions, request purchase history, or get recommendations for specific needs.

The assistant uses information from a customer's Amazon activity and Alexa interactions, including shopping history, browsing, purchases, and conversations. Amazon said this data is used to recommend products and support shopping actions.

Features include side-by-side product comparisons, AI-generated summaries on product pages, and AI-generated overviews in search results with category information.

Price tracking and automated actions

Alexa for Shopping can monitor price drops for selected items for up to one year. Customers can view a full year of price history on product detail pages or by asking the assistant.

The assistant supports scheduled shopping actions, including restocking household items, birthday reminders, and gift suggestions. Scheduled actions can be tied to conditions—for example, adding an item to the cart if it reaches a target price and has not been purchased within a set period.

For eligible products, Amazon's Buy for Me agentic AI feature can complete purchases using a customer's primary address and payment method. The assistant can also surface products from other online stores through Shop Direct.

Echo Show integration

Amazon is adding full-store shopping access to Echo Show devices. Users can browse, search, and shop using voice, touch, or both. The experience is currently available for Alexa+ customers on Echo Show 15 and Echo Show 21, with support for other devices to follow.

Rajiv Mehta, Amazon's vice president of conversational shopping, said the assistant carries customer preferences, past purchases, and conversations across phones, laptops, and Echo devices.

Business context

Amazon reported US$426.3 billion in North America net sales and US$161.9 billion in international net sales in 2025. In its first-quarter 2026 results, the company said free cash flow fell to US$1.2 billion for the trailing 12 months, attributed mainly to a US$59.3 billion increase in property and equipment purchases, primarily reflecting AI investments.

Users can access the assistant by updating the Amazon Shopping app and selecting the Alexa icon in the bottom navigation bar. On desktop, the feature appears at the top of the screen.

What this means

Amazon is consolidating its shopping AI under a single interface, betting that embedding conversational AI directly into the main search bar will drive higher engagement than a separate chatbot. The 400% year-over-year engagement increase for Rufus suggests customers are receptive to AI-assisted shopping when it's integrated into existing workflows. The automated purchasing features represent Amazon's push toward agentic AI that can execute transactions autonomously, a capability that could significantly reduce friction in repeat purchases but also raises questions about how customers will control and audit these automated actions.