Standwell Resource

Can customers use images to discover products through Amazon's AI shopping tools?

Amazon says customers can use images to discover products through Amazon Lens and Lens Live. Amazon says shoppers can take a picture, upload an image, or scan products in real time, and Lens Live now layers in Rufus to provide summaries, suggested questions, and answers as part of that visual discovery flow.

Published April 11, 2026 Last reviewed April 11, 2026

Amazon says yes. In its Lens Live announcement, Amazon says customers can use Amazon Lens to find similar items and can use Lens Live for real-time visual scanning, product matches, and shopping insights. Amazon also says customers can still take a picture, upload an image, or scan a barcode if they prefer those more traditional visual-search options.

What image-based discovery methods does Amazon mention?

Amazon says on the Lens Live page that customers can:

  • scan products in real time with Lens Live
  • take a picture
  • upload an image
  • scan a barcode

That is enough to say that Amazon clearly supports image-led product discovery inside its shopping experience.

What does Rufus add to that image flow?

Amazon says in the same announcement that Lens Live now integrates Rufus so customers can see summaries, suggested questions, and follow-up answers while viewing visually matched products.

Amazon also says in its Rufus update that Rufus now has advanced text and visual search features.

What is the careful conclusion from Amazon’s language?

The careful conclusion is that Amazon officially supports image-based discovery in its AI shopping stack.

That does not mean Amazon has publicly said that product images act as a ranking factor inside Rufus. It does mean Amazon has clearly said that customers can use images and live camera input to discover products, and that Rufus now participates in that visual discovery workflow.

Sources

  1. Amazon: Introducing Amazon Lens Live
  2. Amazon: Amazon's next-gen AI assistant for shopping is now even smarter, more capable, and more helpful