As millions of Americans gear up for the holiday season, a familiar habit unfolds: opening their laptops, searching for the perfect gifts, and purchasing them on e-commerce websites. However, tech companies are quietly revolutionizing this process by developing AI assistants capable of automating the entire online shopping journey.
The First Steps in the AI Shopping Revolution
Recently, Perplexity introduced an AI shopping assistant for its premium users in the U.S. This tool can access retail websites, search for products, place orders, and even complete the checkout process on behalf of users.
Perplexity is among the first AI startups to roll out such a feature, but it’s far from alone in this race. OpenAI and Google are also working on AI assistants capable of handling more complex transactions, such as booking flights and hotels. Amazon, with its AI chatbot Rufus, has the potential to elevate online shopping and payment experiences.
How AI Navigates Retail Websites’ Barriers
E-commerce platforms often implement measures to prevent automated bots from accessing and utilizing their services. However, tech companies are finding innovative ways to overcome these barriers by combining new and traditional techniques.
- Rabbit and Anthropic: These companies are leveraging AI to navigate and interact with website interfaces as if they were human users, making the bots virtually undetectable.
- Perplexity’s Partnership with Stripe: They use one-time debit card features to enable AI to make transactions without directly accessing users’ bank accounts. This reduces the risk of financial damage in case of AI errors.
For example, if Perplexity’s AI mistakenly buys the wrong type of socks, users only face a small financial loss instead of jeopardizing their entire budget.
A Hands-On Experience with Perplexity: Far from Perfect
Currently, the shopping experience with Perplexity’s AI assistant still has significant limitations. During a test to purchase a tube of Crest toothpaste on Walmart, TechCrunch found that completing the transaction took hours, with some cases failing entirely due to out-of-stock items.
Notably, when using Perplexity’s “Buy with Pro” feature, users don’t pay the retailer directly, such as Walmart. Instead, they pay Perplexity, which then completes the purchase on their behalf. This approach leads to delays, inconsistencies in inventory status, and challenges in handling issues like returns.
Additionally, Perplexity’s AI still requires human oversight to ensure tasks are carried out correctly. However, the company does not provide clear details on the extent of human intervention, raising concerns about privacy.
The Future of Online Shopping: Opportunities and Challenges
If AI assistants advance significantly, they could transform how we shop online. Some potential benefits include:
- Time Savings: AI can find the best products, lowest prices, or special deals that users might overlook.
- Reduced Stress: Users no longer have to sift through countless websites and advertisements.
- Cost Optimization: AI could help secure cheaper flights or find suitable gifts in minutes.
However, this transformation also brings major challenges:
- Resistance from Retailers: AI shopping could reduce revenue from upselling or impulsive purchases.
- Privacy and Security: Sharing credit card and address details with AI raises concerns, especially when companies like Google require direct access to users’ financial data.
- Potential Blocking: Retailers may deploy new technologies to detect and block bots, similar to CAPTCHA systems today.
The Race Continues
Despite its shortcomings, Perplexity’s AI assistant offers a glimpse into the future of online shopping. By 2025, similar tools from OpenAI, Google, and others are expected to launch, featuring significant improvements in speed and accuracy.
However, will AI truly become the perfect “personal shopper” or remain just a supportive tool? This depends on how companies address technical challenges and build trust with users.
One thing is certain: the race to develop AI in e-commerce has only just begun, and the future promises significant disruptions in how we shop online.
