Microsoft Corp. is adding new artificial intelligence features to Bing and Edge that are designed to speed up the online shopping experience for consumers, as well as help them save money. 

The features, which debuted today, complement a number of existing shopping features in Edge. Those features speed up tasks such as finding coupon codes in e-commerce websites. According to Microsoft, Edge surfaced $3.7 billion worth of savings opportunities for users in the past year.

The first AI shopping feature that debuted today is rolling out to Bing. The feature is designed for situations where online shoppers are not seeking to buy one specific product but rather several. If a user types in a phrase such as “computer accessories” into Bing, the search engine can automatically create a list of relevant items.

The items Bing suggests appear in a dedicated webpage. It comprises several sections that are each dedicated to a different type of product. The Bing webpage generated in response to a search query about writing supplies, for example, might include sections dedicated to pencils, pens, erasers and notebooks. 

Users can click on each product category to bring up shopping recommendations. For example, selecting the pencil section of a Bing-generated writing supplies page might bring up products from several different manufacturers. Bing also generates a buying guide that lists the product features users should consider when making a purchase. 

The second AI shopping feature that debuted today is rolling out for its Edge browser. When users navigate to a product listing in an e-commerce website, Edge can now provide a summary of online reviews about that product. The summary appears in the browser’s Bing Chat sidebar, which provides access to the AI chatbot of the same name. 

The capability is rolling out alongside another new Edge feature dubbed Price Match. It’s designed to be used not during the shopping process, but rather after consumers complete a purchase. 

Some retailers allow customers to request partial refunds if they buy a product and then find a competing store that offers the same product for a lower price. According to Microsoft, Edge’s new Price Match feature automatically detects when a user is eligible to ask for such partial refunds. Moreover, it uses generative AI to help shoppers more quickly submit the request. 

Microsoft said Price Match will become available to users in the U.S. “soon.” On launch, the feature is set to support multiple major e-commerce websites with price match policies, or policies that allow users to request partial refunds for products sold at a lower price elsewhere. Microsoft plans to add support for additional e-commerce websites over time.

Google LLC is also working on AI-powered shopping features. Last month, the company began opening access to SGE, an experimental version of its search engine with embedded generative AI tools. SGE can automatically generate product comparisons as well as highlight factors that users should consider before making a purchase. 

Image: Microsoft