Perplexity introduces conversational AI shopping assistant: What it does, how it works, and more

Perplexity has rolled out a new conversational shopping assistant soon after OpenAI introduced its own research-focused shopping tool. The feature uses natural language prompts to offer personalised product recommendations and adapts as users continue to search. According to the company, the assistant is designed to understand intent, remember preferences and scale the user’s abilities rather than replace them. It forms part of Perplexity’s broader vision of building helpful AI tools across browsing, email management and background task handling.

The new conversational shopping experience is already live on desktop and the web, with access coming soon to the Perplexity apps on iOS and Android. For now, the service is limited to users in the United States. Perplexity says its approach offers more nuance than keyword-driven shopping engines, as the AI draws on each user’s history to tailor results, specifications and relevant reviews.

Users can ask questions in natural language without worrying about search-specific phrasing. For example, if someone asks, “What’s the best winter jacket if I live in San Francisco and take a ferry to work?”, the assistant will consider the user’s past searches and typical commute route to suggest suitable options. When the user follows up with queries such as “What about boots?”, the AI keeps the context and refines its suggestions accordingly. Perplexity says the assistant remembers past patterns, so recommendations align with the user’s personal taste rather than prioritising sponsored results.

Payments for purchases will be handled through a partnership with PayPal. Perplexity says this arrangement ensures retailers remain the merchant of record while retaining complete visibility into their customers. The company added that users who interact with the personalised conversational workflow tend to show a stronger intention to complete a purchase.