Weekly Prompt: Amazon’s Rufus Ads and more news

Amazon is trialling ads in its AI shopping assistant Rufus

Amazon is running trials to incorporate advertisements within its AI-powered shopping assistant, Rufus. The US-only test will see sponsored ads, a format familiar to users of Amazon's main search platform, appearing within the Rufus interface.

Launched seven months ago, Rufus is designed to help shoppers find suitable products within Amazon's mobile app. Utilising generative AI, it can answer questions about product features, offer purchase guidance based on desired qualities or ingredients, and provide relevant product links. For example, a user asking Rufus about travel essentials might see links to leakproof bottles, travel adaptors or portable chargers.

Amazon has confirmed that the ads will be contextually relevant to the user's conversation with Rufus and based on search terms used. The company has stated that in some instances, Rufus may also generate unique text to accompany existing ad copy. Amazon has not, however, shared any information on the visual format of the ads within the chatbot interface.

This move mirrors similar trials by Microsoft, which has experimented with integrating ads into its Bing chatbot, Copilot. Amazon has stated that Rufus campaigns will be treated separately in advertiser metrics, meaning data from these ads will not be included in reporting for standard Amazon search campaigns.

Sources: Adweek, Mashable, TechCrunch

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