With the new Merchat AI by Mercari, customers can engage in real-time conversations with the virtual ChatGPT-powered?shopping assistant and receive product recommendations

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Mercari marketplace platform for secondhand items has launched its ChatGPT-powered shopping assistant Merchat AI.

The new feature, now available in beta mode across the United States, helps customers receive personalized product recommendations based on their chat prompts. To avail the service, potential buyers should log in to the marketplace and engage the virtual shopping assistant in natural conversation. The AI would ask specific questions about customers’ needs to give them a series of purchase suggestions.

Customers’ advice requests?may include clues for a gift to a certain holiday/occasion, search for an accessory that’s part of a specific trend, need of a certain item, attire for a particular occasion, home décor items that reflect a particular style, etc.

Mercari U.S. CEO John Lagerling expects the implementation of the new technology to become “an exciting turning point in the evolution of secondhand shopping.” It would unlock additional customer experience opportunities and make the resale process more appealing to both buyers and sellers.

ChatGPT is the most popular example of generative AI, which?allows users to interact with the ever-growing and constantly trained language model. The tool is increasingly employed in retail. For instance, the leading travel booking platform Expedia has recently added the?ChatGPT function to its bot for clients to get AI-enabled recommendations on destinations, hotels, transportation, and leisure activities.