Amazon’s AI chatbot Rufus saw a spike in adoption on Black Friday, according to new data released over the weekend by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. In the US, Amazon sessions that led to purchases jumped 100% on Black Friday compared to the following 30 days, but sessions that led to purchases that did not include Rufus only increased by 20%.
Additionally, Amazon saw a 75% daily increase in sessions that included Rufus and resulted in a purchase, compared to only a 35% daily increase in sessions that resulted in a purchase without Rufus.
The company also noted that Amazon sessions involving its AI chatbot exceeded overall website sessions.
On Black Friday, total sessions on Amazon’s website increased by 20% per day, and sessions involving Rufus increased by 35%.
Amazon’s AI Chat launched in beta in early 2024 and then rolled out to all U.S. customers later that year. Today, Rufus helps Amazon shoppers find products, get recommendations, and perform product comparisons.
The hiring of Rufus to drive Black Friday sales is part of a broader surge in consumers turning to AI to help with their holiday shopping, according to data.
According to e-commerce data from Adobe Analytics, which tracks more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail websites, AI traffic to U.S. retail sites increased 805% year-over-year on Black Friday. This shows that consumers have been more willing to embrace generative AI chatbots this year to find deals and research products. AI tools were primarily used for popular Black Friday sale categories such as electronics, video games, electronics, toys, personal care products, and baby and toddler products.
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Adobe Analytics also notes that the use of AI has increased conversions. They found that U.S. shoppers who accessed a retail site from an AI service were 38% more likely to make a purchase compared to non-AI traffic sources.
It’s less clear whether AI directly contributed to Black Friday’s record spending of $11.8 billion. In fact, this year’s significant numbers may be due to higher prices rather than increased online shopping. As TechCrunch reported on Saturday, prices rose by an average of 7%, but order volume fell by 1%, according to Salesforce data.
Sensor Tower data similarly suggests that consumers have been more cautious with their spending this year, perhaps due to economic strains. While mobile app and website adoption spiked on Black Friday compared to the previous 30 days, growth in total visits and downloads slowed from 2024, data showed.
For example, on Black Friday, mobile app downloads for Amazon and Walmart increased by 24% and 20%, respectively, compared to the previous 30 days. But that growth pales in comparison to 2024, the company noted, with Amazon downloads up 50% and Walmart downloads up 75% over the same period.
Amazon and Walmart website visits on Black Friday this year increased by 90% and 100%, respectively, compared to the previous 30 days. However, the same numbers for 2024 were 95% and 130%, respectively.
In a related Adobe survey, 48% of respondents said they have used or plan to use AI, especially for holiday shopping.
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