Amazon is shutting down its Rufus chatbot as it shifts focus to making Alexa the core of its AI-driven shopping strategy.

On Wednesday, the company introduced Alexa for Shopping, an e-commerce assistant designed to answer questions and complete tasks on users’ behalf.

Amazon said the new tool combines features from Rufus and Alexa+, while drawing on customers’ shopping history and other data to deliver what it described as the world’s most personalized AI shopping assistant.

As part of the rollout, Alexa will now be integrated into search results on Amazon’s store.

When users browse specific products, a chat window will appear, offering details and curated recommendations.

Just over two years ago, Amazon introduced Rufus as a central feature on its website and app, aiming to capitalize on the generative AI surge sweeping through the tech industry and broader economy. At the time, Rufus was described as an “expert shopping assistant,” and although Amazon continued to enhance its features, the tool remained in beta.
The standalone Rufus chatbot will now be retired.

However, Amazon said its recommendation capabilities and use of customers’ shopping history will be integrated into certain Alexa for Shopping responses.

Users can access Alexa for Shopping by clicking the cursive “A” icon on Amazon’s website or app, or through Echo Show devices.

Amazon is adjusting its strategy as the e-commerce sector contends with the growing influence of AI-powered shopping bots. Over the past year, companies like OpenAI, Google and Perplexity AI have introduced research tools and AI agents that could reshape how consumers shop online. While some of these initiatives have faced setbacks, it remains uncertain whether shoppers are ready to entrust bots with completing purchases on their behalf.

Amazon’s head of Alexa, Daniel Rausch, said the new Alexa for Shopping service stands out because it draws on extensive data, including customer reviews and Amazon’s vast product catalog.

He added that the assistant can also accurately inform users about product availability and estimated delivery times.

“As I’m using it, I’m just realizing why other AI efforts have struggled with shopping because it’s not just scraping web results and then putting things in a conversation,” Rausch said.