If Amazon’s test of sharing price history through Rufus expands and survives, it could be a big reason for users to try the chatbot. Trishul Chilimbi, Amazon vice president overseeing the investigation, wrote last week that its teams trained Rufus on all products, reviews, and Q&A submissions on the company’s website, as well as public information elsewhere on the web. In other words, Rufus provides easier access to information that a user could collect on their own.
But subtle or behind-the-scenes data, such as price changes, are harder to come by. In the case of the LifeStraw filter, the popular price tracking tools CamelCamelCamel and Glass did not have any data when WIRED tested them. Other service, KeepaIt had data going back to 2017 and showing a record price of $8 in 2022.
Keepa and Glass It executives told WIRED they are not worried about competition from Rufus. They say their data is more complete and supports a variety of tools, including price alerts. “Amazon’s move to provide price history data directly to users is good for all of us as consumers looking to make informed purchasing decisions,” says Amor Avhad, founder of Glass It.
Amazon has been criticized for a lack of transparency in some parts of its business. In a pair of ongoing lawsuits, the US Federal Trade Commission separately accused Amazon of misleading and anti-competitive practices that have kept buyers and sellers in the dark about subscription renewals and sales algorithms. But when it comes to product pricing, Amazon has somewhat been honest with buyers.
Amazon informs users to let an item marinate in their cart for a while if the item’s price has changed in any direction, even by a cent since they first added it. If Amazon deems an item’s price to be uncompetitive compared to other stores, it may hide the Buy button and require users to click through additional screens to complete the purchase.
It remains to be seen how access to price history could affect traders caught in the middle. Tristan Månsson-Perrone of Radius Outfitters, an Amazon seller whose tool roll was among the featured deals this week, says he doesn’t adjust prices often. Therefore, clients may not be able to gain much insight from consulting Rufus, he says.
Overall, Amazon has emphasized that it wants Rufus, named after a corgi that adorned the company’s first office—be a trusted companion. Ask him to summarize the reviews and highlight the pros and cons. It suggests non-Amazon products and doesn’t seem too commercial.
But WIRED couldn’t get Rufus to help with so-called ethical purchasing inquiries, including which brands supported certain sides in wars or elections. Uncertainty also remains over whether tools like Rufus will weaken the revenue of the professional review industry, including WIRED. Those limitations and concerns were left to the last minute when Rufus felt like an unpopular imitator. With exclusive pricing data, you can start becoming a shopper’s best friend.
