DTC1047: Amazon Rufus, AI Consumer Trends, and more

Good morning,

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:

1️⃣ Learn how Amazon’s AI shopping assistant Rufus has become a critical part of the buyer’s journey
2️⃣ Why you need to constantly be A/B testing in the age of AI

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Branch Furniture, REP Fitness, and ARTA. 👋

‍📊 AI Hype Is Everywhere. But The Real Data Is Here.

AI is changing how people shop, but not everyone is adopting it the same way.

Klaviyo’s latest global survey of 8,000+ consumers reveals an important truth: your customers aren’t all on the same page when it comes to AI.

Some are all-in. Others are cautious. Many are still figuring it out.

That means one-size-fits-all strategies are already failing.

The data reveals 4 key personas every brand should understand:

• 👏 AI Enthusiasts: “AI makes life easier.”
• 🤔 AI Evaluators: “It has potential, in the right moments.”
• 🤨 AI Skeptics: “Helpful, but I double-check.”
• 😬 AI Holdouts: “Not for me (yet).”

Each group responds to different messaging, experiences, and levels of automation.

The opportunity? Meet your customers where they are, and build smarter strategies from there.

👉 Want to know which tactics convert (and which quietly kill trust)?

‍👀 Is Your Brand Invisible to Most High-Intent Shoppers?

Amazon has shifted from a product-oriented search platform to a problem-oriented one through Rufus, its AI shopping assistant.

How do we know this?

Because shoppers interacting with Rufus are 60% more likely to buy.

What Amazon sellers need to know:

Rufus doesn’t just scan keywords.

It interprets intent, compares brands, and even "reads" your visual assets to validate customer searches.

So if your creative isn't optimized for AI discovery, you risk being bypassed for a competitor who is.

How Rufus "Sees" Your Brand

Rufus pulls real-time data from your entire listing to build a confidence score based on how well you operate.

It’s looking at your Order Defect Rate (ODR), refund frequency, tone of customer messages, and pricing consistency.

Rufus is analyzing:

• Technical Legibility: If your USPs are trapped in tiny fonts or cluttered graphics, the AI assumes they don’t exist.
• The Fact-Check: Rufus cross-references your claims in images against backend attributes and customer reviews. If they don’t align, your ranking tanks.
• Reviews: It checks customer feedback, which provides context about use cases, features, and quality.
• Contextual Visuals: Rufus "tags" products based on lifestyle imagery, showing a product in a compact kitchen, and identifies it for "small space" queries.

Take a look at this example below. The traditional product shot provides no context, which impacts its confidence score negatively.

But the lifestyle image on the right?

Now Rufus can interpret how the appliance is used and make a connection between the blender and how it’s perfect for those looking for a ‘quick healthy breakfast.’

And it pays off to help Rufus connect the dots.

If Amazon’s Rufus determines you have a high internal trust score, you will be granted trust badges on your pages, such as "Amazon's Choice." 🏆

The Strategy: Beyond the Basics

Optimizing for 2026 requires moving past pretty pictures toward a comprehensive, AI-legible presence.

• Full-Funnel Content: The biggest shift is that brands need to provide distinct content for each stage of the customer journey.

This ensures you show up when prompted, whether the customer is just becoming problem aware or is ready to buy.

• Text Optimization: We shift from keyword stuffing to descriptive modifiers (e.g., material, function, intent) to help Rufus understand the true context of your product.
• Competitor Analysis: Rufus doesn't just recommend products. It summarizes customer and product details into questions.

This is a powerful way to understand exactly what customers and the AI are looking for in your category.

The takeaway?

Rufus is a moving target. It is constantly learning, and customer intent shifts with every season and trend.

At Pilothouse, we don’t just launch and leave.

We strategically engineer creative for both human emotion and AI legibility.

‍💥 Here’s 75+ New Ways to Boost Your Marketing

Klaviyo just dropped 75+ new product updates, and they’re all about helping you move faster, connect deeper, and drive better results across every channel. 📈

Key updates include:

• 🎨 Composer (now in private beta) turns your idea into a complete, ready-to-send campaign
• 🛍️ New Customer Agent skills built for retail to handle order edits, returns, subscription changes, loyalty lookups, and more
• 🤖 Agent Guidance lets you define exactly how your AI agent communicates, makes decisions, and represents your brand
• 💬 RCS for Business gives texting a major upgrade, with verified sender profiles, suggested replies, and rich visuals

Together, these updates help brands deliver more relevant marketing and customer experiences at scale.

‍A 1,000 Foot View of Amazon in 2026

Amazon isn’t just a marketplace. It’s a high-intent conversion engine.

In this episode, Aves breaks down how DTC brands should rethink Amazon in 2026, especially with the rollout of Rufus, Amazon’s AI shopping assistant.

If you’ve been treating Amazon like a static storefront, you’re leaving serious revenue on the table.

Learn how to approach Amazon like a performance channel and why creative, testing, and intent matter more than ever.

What we cover:

• Why Amazon content needs constant A/B testing (just like Meta ads)
• How listing images actually drive conversion in a crowded marketplace
• What makes a product “Amazon-native” (hint: price and clarity wins)
• How Rufus changes search from keywords → intent and context
• Why your images and reviews now influence AI-driven discovery

▶️ Watch on YouTube | 🎧 Listen on Spotify

‍🤖 One-size-fits-all AI service is falling flat. What do your customers actually want? Get insights from 8,000 global consumers to reveal which support tactics actually pay off. Grab your free copy of the AI Customer Service Playbook. *

🧰 Shopify’s AI Toolkit. Merchants can now manage stores with their favorite agents, using tools like Claude Code to update product listings. Read more →

👀 OpenAI tests self-serve ads. The tool is currently available to a handful of advertisers and minimum ad spend has dropped from 250K to 50K. Read more →

💰 Amazon’s $200B AI investment. CEO Andy Jassy defends major spending on data centers and chips as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’. Read more →

‍📥 Got a B2B Biz?

Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 150k brand leaders and founders this year. Talk to our team to learn more.

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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.

Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content.