Amazon launches new AI tool to assist hesitant shoppers

Amazon has introduced a new artificial intelligence tool designed to guide hesitant shoppers toward making purchases.

The move comes as more e-commerce companies continue to add more AI solutions on their platforms to assist buyers and drive sales, driving up the competition between rivals in the industry.

Amazon’s new feature is called Help Me Decide

The feature, called Help Me Decide, appears at the top of a product detail page when Amazon’s system detects that a shopper has browsed multiple similar items without making a choice.

Those who tap the button will receive a single product recommendation, complete with an explanation of why it’s the best fit. The tool is initially available on Amazon’s smartphone app and mobile browser for a limited group of millions of US users, with a larger rollout expected in the coming months.

The feature uses large language models to match a shopper’s purchase and browsing history with product descriptions and reviews. It can also present alternative options at higher and lower price points.

For instance, if a user has previously bought cold-weather sleeping bags and hiking boots while browsing tents, the AI might recommend a four-person, all-season tent as the ideal choice.

AI enters recommendation conversations

Amazon has long used algorithms to recommend products based on browsing and buying patterns, but Help Me Decide goes a step further by distilling a sea of options into a single, decisive suggestion.

The company says the tool is aimed at addressing decision fatigue, which is a common challenge for consumers overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available online.

“Personalized recommendations include clear explanations of why a product is right for you based on your specific needs and preferences,” Amazon said on its official blog.

Amazon also has Rufus, its chatbot assistant, which powers AI-driven shopping experiences and was launched to all US customers in 2024. Rufus differs from Help Me Decide in that the former enables conversational product searches, while the latter is designed to step in when users appear stuck at the final stage, the decision to buy.

Questions of transparency grow

A September survey of 5,000 people by Adobe found that more than a third of shoppers had used AI tools for product research or recommendations, evidence of growing comfort with AI-driven decision-making.

Walmart, Amazon’s biggest rival in US retail, recently announced a partnership with OpenAI that lets users browse and purchase products directly from ChatGPT. The partnership, as expected, threatens Amazon’s dominance of the e-commerce scene, and it also intensifies the competition for digital retail mindshare.

The launch of Help Me Decide by Amazon may be part of a preemptive strike to ensure that it remains the default destination for product discovery and purchase decisions.

Critics are concerned that the AI recommendations may be influenced by advertising or product margins, steering shoppers towards higher-profit items or Amazon’s own private-label goods.

Also, there are concerns about the possible impact this new AI update will have on third-party sellers. While the impact is yet to be known, if Amazon’s AI disproportionately recommends certain listings, it could limit visibility for smaller merchants who rely on organic search placement.

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