"I love how Sparky perfectly fits within our omnichannel strategy; it connects digital intent to fulfillment through forward-deployed inventory and 1.5 million associates here in the U.S.," Furner said. "When Sparky builds a basket, we execute it through fast delivery, pickup or in-store, turning AI engagement into immediate physical outcomes."
Shopping for holiday gifts for family, friends, and other loved ones can be challenging. You not only need to find the right presents, but you also want to take advantage of any bargains or sales and ensure the items arrive in time. With so many people using Amazon for their shopping sprees, the retail site offers an assistant called Rufus. This AI-powered tool can locate and research products, uncover the best deals, and provide answers to your questions about a specific item.
"Rufus is expected to generate over $10 billion in annual incremental sales for us," Jassy said on the call. According to Jassy, 250 million shoppers have used Rufus this year, with monthly active users growing 140% year over year and interactions increasing 210%. Customers who engage with Rufus during their shopping journey are 60% more likely to complete a purchase compared to those who don't use the assistant.
The new feature builds upon Amazon's existing Lens tool by adding instant product recognition as users point their cameras at items in the physical world. "Lens Live instantly scans products and shows real-time matches in a swipeable carousel to make finding the right item easier," said Trishul Chilimbi, Vice President and Distinguished Scientist, Stores Foundational AI at Amazon. The tool operates through AWS-managed Amazon OpenSearch and Amazon SageMaker services, deploying machine learning models at scale for immediate product identification.
