AI search engine Perplexity has launched a shopping assistant that allows its users in the United States to not only search and compare products, but also immediately order them. This will make the startup a competitor to Amazon and Google Shopping.
New rules
Perplexity has opened the tool to subscribers in the US, allowing them to look up product information and reviews, compare products and order them directly via a built-in “one-click checkout”. The engine will present product sheets summarising features, prices and reviews. Moreover, the visual search engine “Snap to Shop” will search for products based on an image, making it easier for shoppers to find products whose names they do not know.
Observers expect AI search engines to dramatically change the rules of e-commerce in the near future, as people will start searching the internet in a completely different way. Traditional SEO and SEA marketing will soon be a thing of the past, they believe.
As a smart search engine, Perplexity was already competing with engines like Google Gemini and SearchGPT, but this new shopping functionality will allow the company to compete with Amazon and Google Shopping. After the US launch, the company hopes to implement its AI shopping application to additional markets, without yet giving a concrete timing.
