Rufus is Amazon's generative AI shopping assistant. In India it is available to all customers in the Amazon Shopping app and on desktop, and Amazon says it is used by over 1 crore customers. Amazon describes it as an expert shopping assistant trained on Amazon's product catalogue and information from across the web. For sellers, the point is that Rufus answers questions about your product from what is on your listing.
What can shoppers ask Rufus?
Amazon lists these uses:
- Research a category, such as what to consider before buying headphones.
- Find products by occasion or purpose, such as gift ideas.
- Compare product types, such as OLED and LED TVs.
- Ask questions on a product detail page. Rufus draws on listing details, customer reviews and community Q&As, and a "What do customers say?" option gives a review overview.
Shoppers can rate answers with a thumbs up or down, or leave free-form feedback.
What this means for your listing
Because Rufus reads listing details, reviews and Q&As on a product page, the basics matter: accurate attributes, clear use-case copy, complete A+ Content and a healthy listing quality score on each ASIN. Amazon has not published a ranking formula for Rufus or a seller guide, so any specific "Rufus optimisation" rule is an informed guess. For a practical checklist with the evidence flagged, see optimising listings for Rufus.
How did it launch in India?
Inc42 reported that Amazon launched Rufus in beta for customers in India on 27 August 2024, first to a limited number of users on the mobile app, with a progressive rollout planned. Amazon described it as built on an in-house, shopping-focused large language model, trained on Amazon's product catalogue and information from across the web. Amazon's India page now says it is available to all India customers.
What should a seller do this week?
Open the Amazon app, ask Rufus about three of your own products, and tap "What do customers say?". Note wrong claims, missing attributes and review themes that you did not expect. Fix the listing fields behind each, then ask again after the catalogue update goes live. This costs nothing and shows what a shopper sees.
What is not confirmed
- Languages supported. Amazon's page does not list them.
- The date the 1 crore figure refers to.
- Whether the India assistant has been renamed. Our related guide notes that Amazon renamed Rufus in the US; we found no India rename announced. Check the app for the name your customers see.
Blooprint, a Bengaluru Amazon SPN partner, audits listings for the details Rufus draws on, through Amazon account management.