How to Rank in Amazon’s AI Search (Rufus) Before Your Competitors Do

Andri Sadlak is a serial entrepreneur and Founding Head of Product & Strategy at Azoma, building AI-first commerce software for the age of agentic shopping. He's been an Amazon seller since 2017, exited his own brand, and co-founded ProductPinion. Today he's part of the team behind Amazon growth and AI visibility strategies for 8 and 9-figure brands like Mars, L'Oréal, and HP. He's one of the sharpest voices on Agentic Commerce, taking the world stage to break down how brands need to show up in the age of AI shopping assistants like Amazon Rufus, Walmart Sparky, and LLM search.

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> Here’s a glimpse of what you would learn…. 

• The evolution of e-commerce from traditional search engines to AI-powered answer and action engines.
• The rise of AI shopping assistants and their impact on consumer purchasing behavior.
• The integration of AI technologies by major companies like Amazon and OpenAI to enhance shopping experiences.
• The concept of generative commerce and how AI can autonomously complete purchases for consumers.
• The rapid adoption of AI tools and their influence on product research and decision-making.
• The importance of optimizing for AI algorithms in e-commerce, particularly on platforms like Amazon.
• The role of multi-modal understanding in AI, allowing it to interpret both text and images for better product recommendations.
• Strategies for sellers to optimize their listings for AI-driven systems, including managing Q&A sections and enhancing product images.
• The significance of external citations and media presence in building trust and credibility for AI recommendations.
• The future of e-commerce and the necessity for brands to adapt to AI-driven changes to maintain competitiveness.

In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley interviews AI-driven e-commerce expert Andri Sadlak. They explore how AI is revolutionizing online shopping, focusing on Amazon’s shift from traditional search to AI-powered answer and action engines like Rufus. Andri shares actionable strategies for brands to optimize product listings for AI, discusses the importance of image and Q&A optimization, and highlights the growing role of external citations. The episode offers practical tips for sellers to thrive in the new era of agent commerce, emphasizing the urgency of adapting to AI-driven changes in e-commerce.

Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:

1. Optimize for BOTH Amazon algorithms
   Don’t rely on just traditional keyword SEO—start optimizing for both Rufus/Cosmo (AI-driven discovery) and legacy search to stay competitive.
2. Fix your existing listings first (quick wins)
   Update product images, backend fields, alt text, and listing details—these are fully within your control and can drive immediate impact.
3. Focus on one high-impact priority: Cosmo optimization
   Ensure your product answers key customer questions clearly (front + backend). Nail the fundamentals first—everything else builds on this.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Josh Hadley on LinkedIn
• eComm Breakthrough Consulting
• eComm Breakthrough Podcast
• Email Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.com

Tools and Technologies

• "Rufus": "00:02:02"
• "ChatGPT": "00:06:01"
• "Gemini": "00:09:33"
• "Perplexity": "00:09:33"
• "ProductPinion": "00:02:02"
• "Cosmo": "00:21:04"
• "Claude": "00:28:05"
• "Amazon Rekognition": "00:36:30"
• "AWS (Amazon Web Services)": "00:36:30"
• "Azoma": "00:54:36"

Studies and Reports

• "Accenture Study on AI Trust": "00:13:13"
• "Bain and Company Research on AI Usage": "00:16:05"
• "Amazon's Cosmo Paper": "00:30:32"

Skills and Features

• "Skills for Claude": "00:28:41"
• "A+ Content": "00:39:55"

Websites

• "Amazon Seller Central": "00:38:14"
• "Affiliates Media": "00:44:19"
• "ecommbreakthrough.com": "00:54:58"

Books

• "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-Custom