Perplexity Unveils Its Unique AI Shopping Assistant

Perplexity Announces Its Own Take on an AI Shopping Assistant

Perplexity is rolling out a new shopping feature designed to make purchasing products via its AI assistant easier and more personalized. This innovative feature is available for free to all Perplexity users in the U.S. and leverages the existing collaboration between Perplexity and payment provider PayPal to enhance the shopping experience.

The AI shopping assistant allows users to conduct personalized product searches by asking specific questions, such as, “What’s the best winter jacket if I live in San Francisco and take a ferry to work?” The assistant intelligently retains chat context, adapting its responses based on individual preferences and previous interactions. Once the assistant identifies suitable products, it presents them in neatly formatted cards, highlighting pros and cons and relevant details based on reviews.

If a product catches your interest, you can purchase it directly through the assistant, using payment details linked to your PayPal account. This “Instant Buy” feature extends to all merchants accepting PayPal, ensuring a seamless shopping experience. Despite the streamlined process that often bypasses merchant websites, Perplexity maintains that these businesses still control essential aspects of the customer relationship, such as returns and loyalty programs.

Perplexity’s move mirrors other tech giants entering the AI shopping landscape, including OpenAI’s recent addition of a shopping assistant to ChatGPT and Google’s new product recommendations in AI Mode. While these tools aim to offer a more personalized alternative to traditional shopping guides, they share a common goal: driving transactions that benefit the AI companies financially.

Ultimately, Perplexity is focused on delivering an end-to-end shopping solution, handling both product discovery and purchasing without user intervention. The company recently faced legal challenges from Amazon, highlighting the competitive landscape of AI shopping.

As AI technologies evolve, Perplexity’s shopping assistant aims to redefine how consumers interact with online shopping. Users are encouraged to explore this new feature and share their experiences. What are your thoughts on AI-driven shopping assistants?