How to use Alexa for Shopping, Amazon's AI shopping assistant (formerly Rufus)

I know how annoying it can be to see AI tools popping up in all of your favorite apps. But Amazon’s AI shopping assistant, Alexa for Shopping (formerly Rufus), recently saved me $60 for asking one simple question.

Did you know that the little Alexa logo on the top (desktop) or bottom (mobile) of your Amazon screen can give you product recommendations, answer complicated questions, compare products, and send you price drop alerts? Once you know how to use it, it becomes addictive.

In this article:

• What is Alexa for Shopping
• How to access Alexa for Shopping
• 9 Alexa for Shopping prompts that actually work
• New features worth knowing about
• Where Alexa for Shopping falls short
• Behind-the-scenes of Alexa for Shopping

What is Alexa for Shopping? (formerly Amazon Rufus)

If “Alexa for Shopping” doesn't ring a bell, “Rufus” may sound more familiar. That’s because, in May 2026, Amazon folded its shopping chatbot into the new and improved Alexa+.

Now, Alexa for Shopping can remember your shopping history and past conversations across the Amazon Shopping app, Amazon desktop, and your Echo devices, so you can pick up a conversation on your phone that you started on a smart speaker. It’s the same helpful assistant, just with more context and better results.

How to access Alexa for Shopping

You don't need a Prime subscription, an Echo device, or an Alexa app subscription to use it—just an Amazon account.

• In the Amazon Shopping app: tap the Alexa icon (the cursive "A" or chat bubble) in the bottom right corner of the navigation bar. (You may need to update your app if you aren’t seeing this feature.)
• On desktop: click the Alexa icon in the top-left corner of Amazon.com, or just type a natural-language question directly into the search bar—you'll often get routed into a conversation automatically.

9 Alexa for Shopping prompts that actually work

You can think of this tool as a real shopping assistant. Unlike many other apps’ AI features, this one knows things and has saved me a lot of time. Based on my recent usage, I wouldn’t rely on it 100% of the time. Still, I feel secure with its answers, especially knowing that Amazon has an incredible return policy as a safety net for any user errors on my part.

Here are some prompts I’ve tried to get you started:

1. Checking compatibility:

Prompt: Does this product work with my [insert item]?

I purchased a Litter Genie on Amazon (a must-have if you have a cat, by the way), but the refill options confuse the heck out of me. (They look the same, but they’re somehow not??)

Plus, the name-brand ones are super expensive. So, I was looking at Litter Genie refill dupes, though still unsure if they fit the exact model I had. While I was on the listing, I asked Alexa for Shopping the prompt above to confirm they were compatible with the Litter Genie in my previous orders, and it said yes! They’ll save me nearly $60 when you do the math per foot, which is a lifesaver since I have four kitties.

2. Product research:

Prompt: What kind of regular maintenance does this product need after purchase?

Before purchasing an air purifier, I was curious whether it had a washable inner filter. Now that I knew Alexa for Shopping existed, it was way easier to ask instead of digging through all the specs to figure it out for myself.

It laid out the specifics of a Govee model I was looking at: Yes, it would need a filter replacement every 3 to 6 months. And I also could’ve asked it to find me the exact filter or find me a cheaper alternative right then and there.

3. Price alerts:

Prompt: Notify me when [product] goes down to [price]

Price history prompt: Has [product] ever been discounted?

Because I have four cats, I’ve considered buying a Litter Robot, but they’re quite expensive. Instead of watching the product page myself or checking whether the price actually moves on the next Prime Day, I asked Alexa for Shopping to notify me via email and push notification when the price hits its lowest of the year.

I also asked Alexa if Litter Robots ever go on sale, because occasionally some products simply don't. The chatbot let me know that the black variant has been discounted, and the last time was in May, so I know it is possible. Great. A buyer forewarned is a buyer forearmed.

4. Side-by-side comparisons:

Prompt: Can you describe the difference between these products?

Alexa for Shopping brought up two different Litter Robot models for me to look at. At first glance, they seem identical, but I don’t know much about them. That’s why I asked how they’re different and which would be best for someone with multiple cats. The AI replied that they’re the same, aside from the color, which is great news. Now I know that only one of them tends to go on sale.

You might also ask about the difference between two products from competing brands, like the difference between the $700+ Litter Robot and one of the more affordable options in the same category, to see what’s actually different.

5. Troubleshooting a product:

Prompt: Why is [insert product from orders] doing [describe problem]?

After buying this TENS machine for some pain relief, I found that only one of the two pads was functioning properly. My mind immediately jumped to the hassle of returning it and waiting for a refund or replacement.

After coming up short using traditional web research, I gave Alexa for Shopping a shot. It immediately told me I needed to use all four pads, not just two, to get a full circuit. Now that's pain relief I can really use.

6. Finding the best price:

Prompt: What’s the current best deal for a [product]?

During Prime Day, I asked Alexa for Shopping to surface the best deals on cat tower trees and got a filtered list of what was actually discounted, without having to scroll through pages of listings myself.

(This is the one I got, by the way.)

7. Gift research

Prompt: Show me unique gift ideas for [describe person]

Every time I search Amazon for gift ideas, I get corny options (well, in my opinion). For example, my aunt and I are equestrians, so if I gave her a water bottle that said “horses keep me stable” for her birthday, I’d feel kind of silly. But those are the options I see when I use the regular search bar.

When I ask Alexa for Shopping, I get better recommendations, as shown in the picture above. I still probably wouldn’t go with the socks…But I love the more practical items, like the jewelry and grooming items she’d actually use.

8. Custom shopping guides:

Prompt: What do I need to get started with [activity/hobby]?

This is something I wish I had when I was a true beginner equestrian: I could’ve asked for a complete list of what I needed for my first riding lesson. Or laid out a beginner grooming set or healthy treat recommendations for my first horse.

Sure, an AI algorithm may not get everything perfect, but it can save you a lot of time on research, budgeting, reading reviews, comparing sizing from what has fit you in the past, etc.

9. Checking fit or space:

Prompt for shoes or clothing: Will this product fit me based on my previous purchases?

Prompt for furniture: Will this product fit in my space based on the dimensions I give…

I recently moved, so I’ve been buying new furniture nonstop. One of the biggest questions I have before hitting order is: Will this fit where I want it?

The niftiest trick I have now is giving Alexa for Shopping the dimensions of my space and asking if the thing I’m looking at will fit, based on the product’s specifications. Yes, I know I can do the math myself, but that’s a lot more work. Plus, sometimes those product specifications can be uploaded incorrectly depending on the seller, and Alexa may cross-reference reviews to give me a better answer.

New features worth knowing about

Beyond answering questions, Alexa for Shopping has gotten more powerful since the merger. In addition to everything above, you can use these features to get the absolute most out of the Amazon experience:

• Scheduled Actions: set up recurring shopping tasks so you don't have to manually reorder the same items every month.
• Photo upload: tap the "+" in the chat window to snap or upload a photo, then ask questions about it, such as identifying a style or finding similar options.
• Shared memory across devices: your preferences and past conversations carry over between the Shopping app, Amazon.com, and Echo devices, so context isn't lost when you switch surfaces.

Where Alexa for Shopping falls short

While I think this AI is surprisingly useful for factual, spec-driven questions and even product recommendations, it’s never going to replace your own judgment. If you’re ever trying to decide between two different styles or which product is just “better” for you, artificial intelligence won’t be able to read your mind.

Also, as always, AI makes mistakes. It may tell you one thing—like this product is compatible with something you own—just for it not to actually be true. Though, if that’s the case, you can always rely on Amazon’s excellent return policy.

In my head, Alexa for Shopping is like a research assistant that I can take advice from, but I still need to use my brain and common sense before hitting order.

Behind the scenes of Alexa for Shopping

Alexa for Shopping runs on Amazon Bedrock, Amazon's platform for building AI tools, which gives it access to a mix of different models instead of relying on just one. Depending on what you ask, it might route your question to Anthropic's Claude Sonnet, Amazon's own Nova models, or a custom model trained specifically on Amazon's product catalog, reviews, and Q&As.

So, a price-history question and a nuanced product comparison may be handled by completely different models behind the scenes, all without you ever noticing the handoff. That's part of why it can feel fast and specific at the same time—it's not one model trying to do everything; it's several working together behind a single chat window. That’s also why using this AI tool may feel more helpful than just taking your question to ChatGPT.

A quick note on privacy

Anyone who’s privacy-conscious should be aware that Alexa for Shopping is using your shopping history, browsing activity, and past conversations to personalize its answers. If you don’t like that, you can review and manage everything through the Review Alexa History page, accessible from your account settings in the Shopping app or Amazon.com, and you can choose what not to share if there’s anything you’d rather keep out of it.

The best thing to do if you’re against the use of your shopping and browsing activity is to not use Alexa for Shopping.

Give it a try, you may love it

You don't have to fully trust AI to get value out of Alexa for Shopping; just try it on something small and see what happens. Ask it about a product sitting in your cart right now, or a purchase you've been putting off because you're not sure it's the right fit.

Worst case, you get an answer you already could've found yourself. Best case, it saves you money you didn't know you were about to spend, or tells you something your printed instructions left out entirely.