Perplexity Shopping Tests Ecommerce SMBs
Search and chat provider Perplexity AI has launched a new shopping assistant with the potential to disrupt ecommerce marketing, advertising, and search engine optimization.
Perplexity’s “Buy with Pro” feature combines product research with one-click checkout and free shipping, making online shopping easy for American consumers who never have to leave that website or app to complete the purchase.
The feature also includes “Snap to Shop,” a visual shopping tool not unlike Google Lens. A Pro subscriber can take a picture of a product and have Perplexity source it.
Perplexity’s AI will also customize recommendations and guide shoppers to specific products.
“When you ask Perplexity a shopping question, you’ll still get the precise, objective answers you expect, plus easy-to-read product cards showing the most relevant items, along with key details presented in a simple, visual format. These cards aren’t sponsored — they’re unbiased recommendations, tailored to your search by our AI,” the company wrote in its announcement.
Perplexity Pro subscribers can ask buying questions and receive research results and product recommendations.
Merchant Program
Perplexity’s shopping assistant is integrated with Shopify, giving it “access to the most recent and relevant information on products across Shopify-powered businesses globally that sell and ship to the U.S.”
Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke has invested in Perplexity, as has Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
In addition to the Shopify connection, Perplexity has invited “large” retailers to join its merchant program. Selected retail partners will have relatively more visibility in Perplexity’s product recommendations and access to a dashboard for this new channel. There is no cost to apply or participate — only a five-question Typeform requesting contact info and the merchant’s URL.
Perplexity’s five-question merchant application did not request sales details.
Perplexity’s shopping assistant will likely make buying online easier for consumers, but it and the inevitable assortment of similar AI-driven tools could complicate existing ecommerce businesses.
I see seven concerns small-to-midsize ecommerce businesses should consider if tools like Perplexity’s shopping assistant become widespread.
Seller Concerns
Customer relationships. With Perplexity’s shopping AI, the consumer never leaves the search environment and doesn’t visit the merchant’s online store. Without direct engagement, building and maintaining brand loyalty becomes more difficult.
Product visibility. Ecommerce shops are accustomed to familiar channels such as advertising, SEO, and social media to attract shoppers. Each of these has challenges, but they are known. With Perplexity and any similar AI assistant, products from large retailers or shops with robust data integrations will be favored over small to midsize ecommerce businesses.
Price pressure. One would hope that AI shopping assistants would consider a merchant’s reviews and reputation, but the assistants will likely focus on the price, pressuring SMBs to compete. Many sellers make similar complaints about online marketplaces — AI could be much worse.
Dependency. If one-click shopping becomes a common feature in AI search, online sellers, especially SMBs, could become dependent on AI platforms for sales, risking significant impacts if platform policies or algorithms change.
Promotion. Sellers frequently use marketing and advertising to drive ecommerce sales, but with the addition of various AI shopping assistants, reaching customers could become far more complex. Marketing teams may need to optimize data feeds for several AI platforms or advertise in dozens of new AI channels to remain competitive.
Fluctuating demand. AI recommendations could create sudden spikes in demand that are hard, if not impossible, to predict. Stores could suddenly sell out. Once inventory is gone, the shop might fall out of consideration, meaning sales might be slow to return.
Technical barriers. Perplexity has stated it wants to make it easier for stores to provide product data. However, as AI shopping assistants become more common, stores, especially small ones, will likely face challenges around data optimization and integration.
Opportunities
Assuming its shopping assistant represents a trend, Perplexity may be similar to Amazon, Temu, Mercari, and similar marketplaces and offer opportunities.
Product visibility. Perplexity’s Shopify integration could level the field, allowing small and mid-sized stores to compete with massive retailers. Any improved visibility might lead to increased sales without additional advertising costs.
No fees. Perplexity shopping assistant is free for sellers. Compared to other marketplaces (with fees), integrating with Perplexity and similar tools might improve seller margins.
Next Steps
AI shopping assistants such as Perplexity present challenges and opportunities for sellers. To participate:
- Apply for Perplexity’s merchant program, and be on the lookout for similar providers.
- Start optimizing and differentiating product data, ensuring it is complete, accurate, and unique.
- Add product feeds to existing marketplaces. AI assistants will likely partner with existing product data tools.
- Pay attention to AI shopping news.
