amazon’s ai chatbot rufus drove sales on black friday

Rufus Drives Black Friday Sales Surge for Amazon

Recent data released by Sensor Tower, a market intelligence company, reveals a significant increase in the utilization of Amazon’s AI chatbot, Rufus, during Black Friday. The adoption rate experienced a notable jump, impacting purchasing behavior on the platform.

Increased Purchase Conversions with Rufus

In the United States, Amazon sessions culminating in a purchase witnessed a 100% increase on Black Friday when contrasted with the preceding 30-day period. Conversely, sessions leading to a purchase without Rufus assistance only grew by 20%.

Furthermore, Amazon observed a 75% day-over-day rise in sessions incorporating Rufus and resulting in a purchase. This contrasts with a 35% day-over-day increase for sessions without Rufus that concluded in a purchase.

Rufus Outpaces Overall Website Traffic

Sensor Tower’s analysis also indicated that Amazon sessions leveraging the AI chatbot exceeded the total volume of website sessions.

Specifically, total website sessions on Amazon increased by 20% day-over-day on Black Friday. However, sessions involving Rufus saw a more substantial increase of 35% during the same timeframe.

Rufus: A Recent Addition to Amazon’s Services

Amazon initially launched its AI chat feature in beta during early 2024. A wider rollout to all U.S. customers followed later in the year. Currently, Rufus assists Amazon customers in product discovery, provides personalized recommendations, and facilitates product comparisons.

The increased adoption of Rufus to boost Black Friday sales is indicative of a larger trend: a growing number of consumers are turning to AI for assistance with their holiday shopping, as demonstrated by available data.

Broader Trend: AI Traffic to Retail Sites Soars

Data from Adobe Analytics, which monitors over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail websites, shows that AI traffic to U.S. retail sites increased by an impressive 805% year-over-year on Black Friday. This highlights a greater consumer embrace of generative AI chatbots for deal-finding and product research this year.

These AI tools were particularly utilized for popular Black Friday categories, including electronics, video games, appliances, toys, personal care products, and items for babies and toddlers.

AI and Conversion Rates

Adobe Analytics also observed that the use of AI positively impacted conversion rates. U.S. shoppers arriving at a retail site via an AI service were 38% more likely to make a purchase compared to those arriving through non-AI sources.

Spending and Economic Factors

The extent to which AI directly contributed to the record Black Friday spending of $11.8 billion remains uncertain. Instead, the substantial figure may be attributable to increased prices rather than a surge in online shopping volume.

As reported by TechCrunch, Salesforce data indicated an average price increase of 7%, while order volumes decreased by 1%.

Cautious Consumer Spending

Sensor Tower’s data suggests consumers may have been more conservative with their spending this year, potentially due to prevailing economic pressures. Despite increases in mobile app and website usage on Black Friday compared to the previous 30 days, the growth in overall visits and downloads slowed compared to 2024.

App Download and Website Visit Growth

For example, Amazon’s and Walmart’s mobile app downloads increased by 24% and 20%, respectively, on Black Friday compared to the prior 30 days. However, this growth was less pronounced than in 2024, when Amazon downloads surged by 50% and Walmart’s by 75% during the same period.

Website visits to Amazon and Walmart on Black Friday rose by 90% and 100%, respectively, compared to the preceding 30 days. These figures were also lower than those recorded in 2024, which were 95% and 130%, respectively.

Consumer Intent to Use AI for Holiday Shopping

A related Adobe survey revealed that 48% of respondents reported having used or intending to use AI specifically for holiday shopping.