Amazon‘s AI-powered shopping assistant Rufus saw a major surge on Black Friday, with U.S. shopping sessions that used Rufus and resulted in a purchase doubling compared with the previous 30 days — a 100% increase — while purchase sessions without the bot grew by just 20%. Sessions involving Rufus rose 35% day-over-day, outpacing the 20% increase in total site sessions, and converted at a significantly higher rate. The adoption of Rufus is part of a broader surge in generative-AI shopping tools this holiday season, which has helped drive higher engagement and sales across e-commerce.
Sources: Gadgets360, Yahoo Finance
Key Takeaways
– Sessions on Amazon involving Rufus were far more likely to end in a sale compared with sessions without, pointing to AI chatbots boosting conversion significantly.
– Rufus-assisted sessions increased faster than overall site traffic, indicating shoppers are increasingly turning to AI help rather than navigating product listings manually.
– The rise in Rufus usage mirrors a wider trend toward generative-AI shopping assistants during the 2025 holiday season, reshaping how consumers search, compare, and buy online.
In-Depth
This year’s Black Friday has underscored how deeply AI is embedding itself into online shopping — and at the front of that transformation is Amazon’s generative-AI assistant, Rufus. Officially introduced in early 2024, Rufus began as a beta feature and rolled out broadly later that year. Built on the company’s Bedrock AI infrastructure and powered by large-language models, Rufus is designed to help shoppers navigate Amazon’s vast catalog: answering questions, comparing products, and offering tailored recommendations based on conversational context and past browsing history.
On Black Friday 2025, behavior data from market-intelligence firm Sensor Tower revealed a sharp divide between shoppers using Rufus and those who weren’t. Sessions involving the AI assistant that resulted in purchases jumped 100% compared to the trailing 30-day average. By contrast, sessions without Rufus only saw a 20% increase. Day-over-day growth also lagged much more sharply: while total Amazon site sessions grew 20%, Rufus sessions rose 35%, and those sessions drove even higher conversion rates.
So why the spike? For one, Rufus reduces friction. Instead of scrolling endlessly through listings, shoppers could ask questions like “Which gaming laptop has the best graphics for under $1,000?” or “What blender is best for smoothies and under $50?” — then get instant, tailored answers. That sort of on-demand guidance makes it easier to decide and more tempting to click “buy.”
Second, it reflects broader consumer fatigue with traditional e-commerce browsing. With hundreds of thousands of options, choosing items — especially giftable electronics, toys, or appliances — can feel overwhelming. An AI assistant simplifies the decision-making process, especially during high-stakes sale events when timing and deal comparison matter.
Finally, the broader rise of AI assistants across retail — not just Rufus, but also tools from competitors — suggests this Black Friday is less about gimmicky chatbots and more about a structural shift: the classic Amazon product page may no longer be the default entry point for many shoppers. Instead, conversational, AI-guided shopping could become the new norm.
In short: Rufus didn’t just help Amazon manage more traffic — it helped turn new traffic into purchases. For retailers jockeying for consumer attention this holiday season, that’s a powerful lever.