Highlights:
- Bing has unveiled its latest AI shopping feature, aimed at helping online shoppers who want to explore multiple products rather than a specific one.
- The suggestions provided by Bing are presented on a dedicated webpage, which is divided into multiple sections, each focusing on a distinct category of products.
Microsoft Corp. is enhancing Bing and Edge with innovative artificial intelligence capabilities to enhance the online shopping experience for consumers. These features are designed to increase speed and efficiency while assisting users in finding the best deals and maximizing savings.
The newly introduced features in Edge, launched recently, enhance the existing shopping functionalities within the browser. These capabilities significantly accelerate tasks such as discovering coupon codes on e-commerce websites. According to Microsoft, users have benefited from a substantial USD 3.7 billion worth of savings opportunities surfaced by Edge in the previous year.
Bing has unveiled its latest AI shopping feature, aimed at helping online shoppers who want to explore multiple products rather than a specific one. By simply typing in a descriptor like “computer accessories” into Bing, this innovative feature generates a comprehensive list of relevant items, streamlining the search process and assisting users in finding what they need.
The suggestions provided by Bing are presented on a dedicated webpage, which is divided into multiple sections, each focusing on a distinct category of products. For instance, if a user searches for writing supplies, the Bing webpage may include dedicated sections for pencils, pens, erasers, and notebooks.
Users can click on each product category to view shopping recommendations when browsing the Bing-generated writing supplies page. For instance, if users select the pencil section, they will be presented with various products from various manufacturers. As a bonus, Bing provides a comprehensive buying guide highlighting the crucial product features users should consider when purchasing.
Bing’s second AI shopping feature, launched recently, is designed exclusively for its Edge browser. With this new feature, when a user visits an e-commerce website and navigates to a specific product listing, Edge can provide a condensed summary of online reviews for that product. This summary is displayed on the browser’s Bing Chat sidebar, allowing users to connect with Bing’s AI chatbot of the same name.
Another new Edge browser feature, Price Match, is being rolled out. However, unlike the AI shopping feature, Price Match is intended to be utilized after customers have purchased rather than during shopping.
Certain retailers allow customers to request partial refunds if they purchase a product and discover another store offering the same product at a lower price. Microsoft states that Edge’s newly introduced Price Match feature can automatically identify when a user qualifies for such partial refunds. Additionally, it utilizes generative AI to assist shoppers in submitting refund requests more efficiently.
According to Microsoft, Price Match will be made accessible to users in the United States “soon.” Initially, the feature will support prominent e-commerce websites with price match policies, enabling users to request partial refunds for products sold at lower prices elsewhere. Microsoft has also revealed its intentions to gradually expand the support to include additional e-commerce websites as time goes on.
Google LLC is currently developing its AI-powered shopping features. The company recently began granting access to SGE, a trial version of its search engine incorporating generative AI tools. SGE can automatically produce product comparisons and highlight key factors that users should consider before making a final purchase decision.