Microsoft has officially stepped into the AI shopping war, joining Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity by launching a fresh suite of AI-driven shopping tools integrated into the Copilot experience on Microsoft Edge, these features aim to enhance online shopping by identifying the best prices, highlighting cashback offers, tracking price changes, and assisting shoppers more intelligently than ever before. Currently available in the US, these capabilities align with a broader market trend where AI-led commerce is becoming a major driver of user engagement, especially during the holiday shopping season.
According to a blog post by Roger Capriotti, General Manager for Microsoft Edge, Search, and Mobile, Edge users can now access both existing and newly launched shopping features within Copilot Mode. With AI shopping emerging as a competitive category among companies—after similar global launches by Google Shopping, Perplexity’s AI Search, and OpenAI’s Shopping Research—Microsoft’s feature rollout positions Edge strongly in the e-commerce experience space. While OpenAI’s tool is globally available, Microsoft, Google, and Perplexity have limited their services to the US for now.
All AI Shopping Features Now Available on Copilot in Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge now includes several powerful AI shopping tools, helping users compare products, save money, and make better purchase decisions. These features include:
- Cashback Insights – Detects available cashback on the product you’re viewing.
- Price Comparison – Finds other retailers selling the same product at a lower price.
- Price History – Shows how the product’s price has changed over time.
- Product Insights – Provides reviews, summary details, and relevant buying factors.
- Price Tracking – Alerts you when the price of tracked products drops.
These tools can be accessed by clicking the Copilot icon in the Edge browser and interacting through natural language prompts.
New “Smart Tab Shopping Comparison” Feature Launched
Microsoft is also rolling out an innovative capability exclusive to Edge users:
- When a user has multiple e-commerce tabs open and attempts to buy from one website, Copilot automatically checks other tabs and alerts the user if the product is available at a lower price or with added cashback elsewhere.
- This proactive notification system helps users avoid overpaying and ensures they always get the best deal.
- The feature is currently US-exclusive but expected to expand with future updates.
How This AI Shopping System Works
Users can trigger shopping capabilities through conversational prompts like:
- “Compare prices for this product.”
- “Show me cashback offers for this item.”
- “Tell me if another retailer has this cheaper.”
- “Track this product’s price and notify me of drops.”
Copilot then retrieves relevant data, reviews, and smart insights from across the web.
Why All AI Companies Are Targeting the Holiday Season
Google, OpenAI, Perplexity, and now Microsoft all aim to dominate AI-led commerce, which includes product discovery, comparison, personalised recommendations, and checkout assistance. Key reasons include:
- High user activity during festival and holiday sales
- Increased advertising and affiliate revenue potential
- Opportunity to learn user shopping behaviour for better personalisation
- Building long-term engagement on AI platforms
In essence, AI shopping tools enable tech companies to collect rich behavioural data that can fuel more personalised and profitable AI experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
| What new AI shopping features has Microsoft added to Edge? |
| Copilot now offers price comparison, cashback insights, price history, product insights, and price tracking. |
| Is the new AI shopping feature available globally? |
| No, the features are currently available only in the US. |
| How does Copilot help with price comparison? |
| It checks other retailers and informs you if the same product is available at a lower price. |
| What is the new smart tab shopping feature in Edge? |
| Copilot notifies users about better deals in other open tabs when attempting to purchase. |
| Can Copilot analyse product prices across websites? |
| Yes, it automatically compares prices, checks offers, and provides detailed insights. |
| Can users interact with these features using natural language? |
| Yes, Copilot supports conversational prompts for shopping assistance. |
| Does Microsoft compete with Google and OpenAI in AI shopping? |
| Yes, Microsoft joins Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity in launching AI-powered shopping tools. |
| Why are companies launching AI shopping tools now? |
| To leverage holiday season traffic and develop personalised commerce-based AI revenue streams. |
Microsoft’s new AI shopping features in the Edge browser highlight a major leap toward AI-driven commerce. With broader rollouts expected soon, users can look forward to smarter, more cost-effective online shopping powered by Copilot. For the latest updates, always check the official Microsoft Edge blog, and bookmark this page for quick future reference.
