Reddit is testing a new AI search feature for shopping

Source: TechCrunch

Overview

Reddit announced on Thursday that it is testing a new AI‑powered search tool that pulls community recommendations and matches them with products from some of the company’s shopping and advertising partners. A small group of users in the United States will begin to see search results that include interactive product carousels with pricing, images, and direct “where‑to‑buy” links.

How the feature works

When users in the test search for queries such as “best noise‑canceling headphones” or “electronic gift ideas for a college student,” a carousel of related products appears at the bottom of the results. The carousel features products directly mentioned by redditors in conversations on related posts and comments. Tapping a product opens a detail view and then directs the user to the retailer to complete the purchase.

“This feature surfaces top‑recommended products directly from discussions, giving redditors instant information about any product,” Reddit wrote in its blog post. “This test is designed to make Reddit easier to navigate while keeping community perspectives at the center of the experience. We’ll continue learning from how people use this new feature and refine the experience over time.”

Context within Reddit’s e‑commerce push

The announcement follows Reddit’s launch of its first shoppable ad product last year—Dynamic Product Ads (DPA)—which display personalized product recommendations based on user interests. The new AI search integration represents a broader effort to blend Reddit’s community‑driven platform with e‑commerce capabilities.

Industry landscape

Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have long integrated shopping features, and Reddit is now moving in a similar direction. It is not the only tech platform exploring AI‑driven shopping; OpenAI’s ChatGPT introduced an “Instant Checkout” feature that lets users make Etsy and Shopify purchases within conversations — see the coverage on TechCrunch.

Executive comments

During the company’s earnings release last week, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said the platform’s AI search engine could become “the next big opportunity” for Reddit, both as a product and as a revenue driver. He noted that weekly active users for search grew 30 % over the past year, rising from 60 million to 80 million, while weekly active users for the AI‑powered Reddit Answers feature increased from 1 million in Q1 2025 to 15 million by Q4 2025.

Source: Huffman’s remarks reported by TechCrunch.