How Amazon’s AI Chatbot Rufus Transformed Black Friday Shopping

Posted on December 02, 2025 at 08:16 PM

How Amazon’s AI Chatbot “Rufus” Transformed Black Friday Shopping

On Black Friday 2025, Rufus — the AI-powered shopping assistant from Amazon — played a starring role in a surge of e-commerce conversions, underscoring the rising influence of AI in holiday retail. According to data from Sensor Tower, sessions on Amazon that involved Rufus and ended in a purchase doubled compared to the past 30 days, while sessions without Rufus saw only a modest 20% lift. (TechCrunch)


🚀 Rufus drove a disproportionate share of Black Friday sales

  • On Black Friday, overall Amazon website sessions rose by 20% day-over-day, but sessions involving Rufus surged by 35%. (TechCrunch)
  • Purchase sessions with Rufus saw a 75% day-over-day increase, while non-Rufus purchase sessions increased by just 35%. (TechCrunch)
  • Most strikingly: compared to the trailing 30 days, Rufus-assisted sessions leading to purchase spiked 100% — compared with only 20% for sessions without Rufus. (TechCrunch)

What this suggests: shoppers leaning on AI assistance were far more likely to convert — making Rufus more than a novelty, but a conversion engine.


Why Rufus resonated — and what it reveals about modern shopping

Rufus isn’t just another chatbot. Since launching in beta in early 2024 and rolling out broadly later that year, it’s become a full-featured shopping aide — helping shoppers: (TechCrunch)

  • Find products quickly — the shortcut shoppers seek during busy sale events.
  • Compare products and get tailored recommendations, reducing decision fatigue.
  • Navigate deals and stock-outs, streamlining purchases under time pressure.

Its success on Black Friday reflects a broader trend: AI is increasingly becoming a go-to shopping assistant. Data from Adobe Analytics shows that AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites grew by a whopping 805% year-over-year on Black Friday 2025. (TechCrunch)

These AI-powered tools are particularly useful during high-volume sales periods, when shoppers are comparing many items, trying to spot deals, and often deciding under pressure.


Bigger Picture: AI Isn’t Optional — It’s Starting to Shape Commerce

The Black Friday results from Amazon and Rufus aren’t just about good timing; they represent a structural shift in how consumers shop. With AI assistants becoming more effective at guiding decisions and streamlining checkout, retailers who ignore AI risk falling behind.

For shoppers, that means more personalized, efficient, and targeted shopping journeys. For retailers, it means AI is becoming a core part of sales strategy — a tool for increasing conversion rates, average order value, and overall engagement.

Several industry watchers now view this as a “watershed moment” in e-commerce: one where AI is no longer optional add-on tech, but central infrastructure. (LinkedIn)


Glossary

  • Conversion rate: The percentage of website visits (or “sessions”) that result in a purchase. A higher conversion rate means more shoppers who visit buy something.
  • Session (in e-commerce context): A user’s single visit to a website (or app), potentially encompassing browsing, adding items to cart, and checkout.
  • AI-powered chatbot / shopping assistant: Software that uses artificial intelligence — especially natural language understanding — to help shoppers find products, get recommendations, compare items, and potentially assist checkout.

As Rufus demonstrated on Black Friday 2025, the future of retail is conversational, personalized, and powered by AI. For retailers, this means doubling down on AI strategies — and for shoppers, expecting smarter, smoother, more guided shopping experiences.

Source: TechCrunch — “Amazon’s AI chatbot Rufus drove sales on Black Friday”