Amazon is folding Rufus into Alexa+ to make voice the front door for agentic shopping, citing 2x more conversation and 3x more purchases from Alexa+ users. With 48% of consumers open to AI grocery agents and 44% to AI gift buying, Walmart is countering by cutting 1,000 corporate tech roles to refocus AI on forecasting and fulfillment.

PYMNTS Retail · 5/15/2026, 2:17:51 AM

Graber's Spring 2026 refresh broadens Somfy-powered Zigbee motorization to more shade types, introduces USB-C charging, and deepens integrations with Alexa, Google Home and Apple Home. The update also adds linen Romans, patterned sheers, velvet colorways and new wood blind finishes across its custom window treatment lineup.

TWICE · Consumer Electronics · 5/15/2026, 1:44:55 AM

Amazon has discontinued its standalone Rufus chatbot, migrating capabilities into 'Alexa for Shopping.' The unified agent lets customers query products, compare items, track prices and automate purchases via natural language, drawing on shopping history and Alexa conversations.

Modern Retail · 5/15/2026, 1:32:51 AM