# AI-Powered Shopping Assistants Mercari Debuts a Conversational ChatGPT-Powered Shopping Assistant By Grace Mahas | Published 2023-04-19 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chatgptpowered-shopping-assistant References: [mercari](https://www.mercari.com/merchat/)  As ChatGPT continues to change the way we live, a new conversational shopping assistant is coming to market that will empower consumers to easily shop for [second-hand items](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-garage-sale). Merchat AI is a new conversational shopping assistant, powered by ChatGPT. Through real-time conversation, similar to interactions between a customer and a store associate, shoppers can share requests with Merchat AI and the shopping assistant will prompt customers to answer questions to help understand their particular needs – like brand, color and style. Once Merchat AI has collected enough information, it will scan the millions of listings on [Mercari’s](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mercari-japan) marketplace and populate tailored product recommendations within seconds. Some of the questions that can be answered include "What should I buy my mom for Mother's Day?" and "What should I wear to a summer wedding." Merchat AI is currently available as a beta experience on web. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.0/10 - Popularity: 77% | Activity: 87% | Freshness: 15% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Conversational Shopping Assistants:** The rise of conversational shopping assistants like Mercari's Merchat AI presents opportunities for AI-powered shopping experiences that offer tailored product recommendations and proactive customer assistance. - **Real-time Customer Interactions:** Real-time customer interactions facilitated by conversational AI platforms provide opportunities for businesses to offer personalized assistance, product discovery, and tailored recommendations at scale. - **Second-hand Shopping:** The increasing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly shopping options presents opportunities for retailers to integrate AI-powered second-hand shopping assistants like Merchat AI into their platforms and explore new revenue streams. ### Who This Affects Most - **Retail:** Conversational shopping assistants are changing the way retailers engage with customers, providing opportunities for personalized assistance, enhanced shopping experiences, and increased customer loyalty. - **E-commerce:** The integration of conversational shopping assistants powered by AI into e-commerce platforms presents opportunities for retailers to improve sales, reduce cart abandonment rates, and increase customer engagement and loyalty. - **Artificial Intelligence:** The rise of conversational shopping assistants like Merchat AI presents opportunities for AI-powered customer service and assistance, real-time feedback, and proactive product recommendations in a variety of industries beyond retail and e-commerce. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [AI-Assisted Shoppable Searches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aipowered-shopping-experience.md) - [Deal-Finding Chatbot Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chatgpt-shopping-assistant.md) - [AI-Powered Shopping Plugins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plugin-for-chatgpt.md) - [AI-Powered Shopping Companions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-powered-shopping-companions.md) - [AI-Powered Shopping Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/target-7.md) - [AI-Powered Personal Shoppers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/perplexity-shopping-experience.md) - [AI Grocery Assistants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ask-instacart.md) - [AI Thrifting Assistants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/thredup-2.md) - [Conversational Grocery Shopping](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instacart-and-chatgpt.md)