Reddit is testing a new AI search feature for shopping
Summary
Reddit is testing an AI search tool that shows product carousels based on user recommendations, linking directly to retailers. This blends community discussions with e-commerce.
Reddit tests AI shopping search
Reddit is testing a new AI search tool that matches community recommendations with products from its shopping and advertising partners. The company announced the test on Thursday.
A small group of users in the U.S. will see interactive product carousels in their search results. These carousels will include pricing, images, and direct links to retailers.
How the new feature works
When test users search for queries like "best noise-canceling headphones," a product carousel will appear at the bottom of the results. The products are sourced directly from user mentions in related posts and comments.
Tapping on a product shows more details and then directs the user to a retailer to complete a purchase. Reddit says the feature is designed to surface top-recommended products from discussions to make the platform easier to navigate.
"This test is designed to make Reddit easier to navigate while keeping community perspectives at the center of the experience," the company wrote in a blog post.
Part of a broader commerce push
The test reflects Reddit's ongoing effort to blend its community platform with e-commerce. It follows the launch of the company's first shoppable ad product, Dynamic Product Ads (DPA), last year.
Reddit is joining other platforms that have long integrated shopping, like TikTok and Instagram. It also follows similar AI-commerce experiments from other tech firms.
- OpenAI's ChatGPT rolled out an "Instant Checkout" feature last September for purchases within Etsy and Shopify.
- Reddit CEO Steve Huffman recently called the platform's AI search engine a major future business opportunity.
Search and AI are growing fast
The announcement follows Reddit's earnings last week, where Huffman highlighted search growth. Weekly active users for search grew 30% over the past year, from 60 million to 80 million.
Usage of the AI-powered "Reddit Answers" feature saw even more dramatic growth. Its weekly active users rose from 1 million in Q1 2025 to 15 million by Q4 2025.
Reddit says it will continue to learn from how people use the new shopping search feature and refine the experience over time.
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