Reddit announced on Thursday that it’s testing a brand new AI search software that takes group suggestions and matches them with merchandise from among the firm’s procuring and promoting companions.
A small group of customers within the U.S. will begin to see search outcomes that embrace interactive product carousels with pricing, photographs, and direct where-to-buy hyperlinks.
The announcement displays Reddit’s broader push to mix its community-driven platform with e-commerce capabilities. The transfer comes as Reddit launched its first shoppable ad product final 12 months, known as Dynamic Product Adverts (DPA), which show customized product suggestions to customers primarily based on their pursuits.
Now, when customers who’re a part of the check seek for one thing like “greatest noise-canceling headphones” or “digital reward concepts for a school pupil,” they are going to see a carousel of associated merchandise on the backside of the outcomes.
This carousel will function merchandise immediately talked about by customers from conversations on associated posts and feedback. If customers faucet on the product, they will view extra particulars after which be directed to the retailer to buy the merchandise.
“This function surfaces top-recommended merchandise immediately from discussions, giving redditors immediate details about any product,” the corporate wrote in a blog post. “This check is designed to make Reddit simpler to navigate whereas preserving group views on the middle of the expertise. We’ll proceed studying from how individuals use this new function and refine the expertise over time.”
Whereas platforms like TikTok and Instagram have lengthy built-in procuring options, Reddit is now trying to observe go well with. In fact, Reddit isn’t the one tech platform that just lately began exploring AI-driven procuring, as OpenAI’s ChatGPT rolled out an “Instantaneous Checkout” function final September that lets customers make Etsy and Shopify purchases inside conversations.
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Thursday’s announcement comes after Reddit CEO Steve Huffman mentioned in the course of the firm’s earnings launch final week that the platforms’s AI search engine could possibly be the subsequent large alternative for its enterprise, not simply when it comes to product, but additionally as a income driver.
Huffman additionally famous that weekly lively customers for search grew 30% over the previous 12 months, rising from 60 million to 80 million, whereas weekly lively customers for the AI-powered Reddit Solutions function rose from 1 million within the first quarter of 2025 to fifteen million by the fourth quarter.
