Amazon’s AI Chatbot Rufus Boosted Sales During Black Friday

Amazon’s AI chatbot Rufus boosted sales during Black Friday in a big way, according to fresh data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower that dropped over the weekend. In the U.S., sessions on Amazon that ended up with a purchase jumped 100% on Black Friday compared to the previous 30 days, but the ones without Rufus only went up by 20%. Meanwhile, Rufus boosted sales during Black Friday even more dramatically, with a 75% day-over-day spike in sessions using the AI chatbot that led to buys, versus just 35% for those that skipped it.

Sessions involving the AI chatbot Rufus boosted sales during Black Friday by outrunning Amazon’s overall website traffic too. Total site sessions rose 20% day over day on Black Friday, but Rufus-involved ones climbed 35%. Amazon first rolled out its AI chat in beta early 2024, then made it available to all U.S. customers later that year, and now it helps folks hunt for products, snag recommendations, and compare options.

This push from Rufus fits into a huge trend where shoppers are leaning on AI for holiday deals. Adobe Analytics, which tracks over a trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, saw AI traffic to those sites explode 805% year over year on Black Friday. People used these tools a ton for hot categories like electronics, video games, appliances, toys, personal care stuff, and baby or toddler gear. Adobe also found that visitors arriving from AI services were 38% more likely to actually buy something than those from regular traffic.

It’s not totally clear if AI like Amazon’s AI chatbot Rufus boosted sales during Black Friday enough to explain the record $11.8 billion in spending that day. Salesforce data showing average prices up 7% while order volumes dipped 1%, so higher costs might be the real driver rather than more shoppers. Sensor Tower’s numbers hint folks were playing it safe amid economic pressures, mobile app and site use spiked versus the prior 30 days, but growth slowed compared to 2024.

For example, Amazon and Walmart app downloads grew 24% and 20% on Black Friday over the last month, but that’s way less than the 50% and 75% surges they saw in 2024. Website visits for Amazon and Walmart were up 90% and 100% from the prior 30 days this year, versus 95% and 130% last year. Still, an Adobe survey showed 48% of people saying they’ve used or plan to use AI just for holiday shopping.

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