Reddit introduced on Thursday that it’s testing a brand new AI search instrument 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, photos, 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 advert product final 12 months, known as Dynamic Product Advertisements (DPA), which show personalised product suggestions to customers based mostly on their pursuits.
Now, when customers who’re a part of the take a look at seek for one thing like “greatest noise-canceling headphones” or “digital present concepts for a school scholar,” they’ll see a carousel of associated merchandise on the backside of the outcomes.
This carousel will characteristic merchandise immediately talked about by customers from conversations on associated posts and feedback. If customers faucet on the product, they’ll view extra particulars after which be directed to the retailer to buy the merchandise.
“This characteristic surfaces top-recommended merchandise immediately from discussions, giving redditors on the spot details about any product,” the corporate wrote in a weblog put up. “This take a look at is designed to make Reddit simpler to navigate whereas maintaining group views on the heart of the expertise. We’ll proceed studying from how folks use this new characteristic and refine the expertise over time.”
Whereas platforms like TikTok and Instagram have lengthy built-in procuring options, Reddit is now seeking to comply with swimsuit. In fact, Reddit isn’t the one tech platform that lately began exploring AI-driven procuring, as OpenAI’s ChatGPT rolled out an “Prompt Checkout” characteristic 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 may very well 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 energetic customers for search grew 30% over the previous 12 months, rising from 60 million to 80 million, whereas weekly energetic customers for the AI-powered Reddit Solutions characteristic rose from 1 million within the first quarter of 2025 to fifteen million by the fourth quarter.





