The AI company Perplexity has launched a new, free shopping feature for all its users in the United States. The tool uses a conversational AI assistant to help people discover products based on their personal needs and preferences.
In a post on the company’s official blog, Perplexity explains that the feature aims to improve the product discovery process. The company claims that traditional search bars are poor at exploration, while editorial recommendations often prioritize affiliate revenue. The new AI assistant is designed to understand conversational context, remember a user’s search history, and learn their stylistic preferences over time.
Instead of presenting users with endlessly scrollable grids, the tool creates focused product cards with relevant specifications and reviews. According to Perplexity, users can ask natural language questions, such as asking for a winter jacket suitable for a specific commute. The assistant maintains context for follow-up questions.
Through a partnership with PayPal, users can complete their purchase directly within the Perplexity interface. The company states this model also benefits merchants, who remain the direct seller and receive customers with a significantly higher intent to purchase. The new shopping experience is currently available on desktop and web, with a mobile launch planned for the coming weeks.
