AI Search Era is Coming

Hey 👋 

TikTok, Google, and Microsoft have been shipping AI features non-stop, but they’re all just tech giants with a bit of AI..

Now, an AI-first company is stepping into the eCom scene with a shopping tool 🤖 

In this post, we’ll talk about Perplexity, it’s new “Shop Like A Pro” feature — and how it’ll impact both your customers & your brand.

Let’s get into it 🔥

1. What Even Is Perplexity? 🤔 

While the company & it’s main product have been popping in the AI scene, we can’t blame any eCom folk that haven’t heard of it.

Here’s the gist — Perplexity is an AI search engine, with enhanced search based on specific sites & platforms (like searching for ideas on Reddit only, for example).

Here’s a visual of a normal query:

They’ve got a Pro subscription available at $20/mo, which lets you upload files, get more in-depth research, generate images, the whole shebang.

But recently, they’ve added “Shop Like A Pro”, which kind of forced them into the big eCom space..

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2. Shop Like A Pro — eCom Search 🔎 

This feature promises speed & accuracy, with specific user queries in mind. You can search for anything, like “Find the best hiking shoes for a long uphill hike” or “Which eco-friendly shampoo is the best for thinning hair”.

Here’s a preview of how it looks:

It looks a lot better than searching for products with ChatGPT (which requires much more prompting), doesn’t differ too much from Google’s recently revamped AI Shopping, but this is where it actually gets interesting in terms of features.

Perplexity’s shopping tool has:

1️⃣ Real-Time Comparisons — pulls prices, specs and reviews into one place

2️⃣ Visual Search — shows images of each product, giving an experience like a curated online store

3️⃣ Sentiment Analysis — summarizes real pros and cons from customer reviews, not being biased (or as biased from what we’ve seen) and giving honest insights

4️⃣ Very Specific Search — give it super specific searches, like “Eco-friendly sunscreen with SPF 50 or higher with the best moisturizing properties”, and it’ll actually deliver results

5️⃣ Checkout In Search — yup, this tool also lets you instantly checkout, just by entering shipping & payment details.

The tool is available only to Pro subscribers in the United States at the moment, and we don’t have an ETA for a global release. Regardless, if you sell within the U.S, this is pretty marginal.

Shop Like A Pro also has a special program called “Perplexity Merchant Program” that can help you share the specs of your products, so that they can appear more frequently in the searches — the program itself is free, and you can add your own payment integrations so that shoppers can buy in one click.

Let’s talk about how this tool appearing can actually be big for eCom (we’ll also note how it impacts your brand and customers in particular) 🛍️ 

P.S. — Perplexity is backed by Jeff Bezos, CEO of Shopify Tobi Lütke, and many other investors 😮 

3. What Does This Mean for eCom? 🛒 

AI won’t ever stop — and while this tool is a currently paid, in the coming months many companies will try replicate Shop Like A Pro, and offer freemium versions of AI product searching, even bigger companies can start integrating it at a deeper level, just like Perplexity.

And that here’s what that means:

1️⃣ Fewer Impulse Buys — with smarter, comparison-heavy tools people will be less likely to buy the first option they see, and rather compare products for the right fit

2️⃣ Shift To Value-Driven Purchases — AI highlights value through price, quality, and customer sentiment, so brands that focus on gimmicks and products that lack in specs could suffer

3️⃣ Small Fish — smaller brands are more likely to stand out if they have the right sentiment, price and features on their products

AI will act like a middleman between you and your shoppers, so what can you do to work with it, rather than fight it?

P.S — One new marketing channel won’t change the go-to practices in eCom. UGC & Ads matter just as much, and if you haven’t already, check out our full UGC Guide for Merchants.

4. What This Means for Your Brand 👀 

Let’s say your products are a part of a big carousel in some AI search tool, with the pros and cons clearly available, just like this:

In this kind of marketing channel, things work a tad differently. You’ll have to:

1️⃣ Stand Out In Listings — your product & brand’s USP will matter more than ever, and each product listing with it’s SEO should be updated and improved upon

2️⃣ Value > Price — if you’re not offering cheap options, show off perks like free shipping and extended returns,

3️⃣ Visuals Matter — and they matter more than ever now. Make sure your product’s images are high quality and are eye-candy for the shoppers

4️⃣ Honesty & Transparency — AI comparisons are honest (for now), so if your brand isn’t delivering on promises or has weak reviews, it’ll show. Focus on building trust by improving quality, meeting expectations and being honest

That’s it! We covered Perplexity’s new AI shopping tool, how it impacts eCom, and, finally, how it impacts your bottom line 🔥

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Thanks for reading and supporting E&U (Ecommerce & Unicorns)

Daniil from ECORN