Google’s nightmare: Perplexity becomes a shopping machine

Date: November 28, 2025 Category: Tech News / E-Commerce

In November 2025, Perplexity AI took what was arguably the most aggressive step in its corporate history, sending a clear message to Silicon Valley giant Google. With the launch of its new platform, “Perplexity Shopping,” the company is transforming itself from a simple answer engine into a fully-fledged e-commerce solution. The core of this strategy: a seamless shopping experience that no longer redirects users to third-party websites, but instead allows them to complete their purchase directly within the chat.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the latest developments at Perplexity.

The transition to the “Action Engine”

For a long time, search engines operated on the principle of redirecting traffic (links). Perplexity is now radically breaking with this paradigm. The goal is to reduce friction in online commerce to zero. Instead of scrolling through SEO-optimized blogs or clicking through various checkout processes, AI takes over this task. Users no longer just ask for information; they let AI do the work.

The core feature: “Buy with Pro”

The most important innovation is the “Buy with Pro” feature (already rolled out in the US, currently being rolled out internationally). Through a deep technical partnership with PayPal and integrations with shop systems like Shopify, Perplexity enables one-click checkout directly within the search interface.

The core feature: “Buy with Pro”

The process is radically simplified:

Research: The user asks, for example, “What’s the best espresso machine for small kitchens under €500?”
Visualization: Instead of blocks of text, Perplexity generates interactive product cards with images, prices, and aggregated reviews.
Purchase: The “Buy with Pro” button appears at participating retailers.
Processing: Since payment details and delivery address are stored in the Perplexity profile, the order is placed in the background by the AI. The user never leaves the Perplexity interface.

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“Snap to Shop” and visual search

In addition to text search, Perplexity has significantly expanded its visual capabilities. With the “Snap to Shop” feature, users can take a photo of a product in the real world. The AI not only identifies the object but also immediately searches the network for the best available offer and suggests an instant purchase.

Why this is dangerous for Google

Perplexity is positioning itself precisely in the most lucrative niche on the internet: product-specific search (commercial intent queries).

Why this is dangerous for Google

Loss of Ad Revenue: When users buy directly within the AI, clicks on Google Shopping Ads and sponsored links—Google’s main source of revenue—are eliminated.
Neutral Advice: Unlike Amazon, which often prioritizes its own brands and sponsored products, Perplexity offers a more neutral “pros & cons” analysis based on real user reviews (e.g., from Reddit).

Sources

The information is based on the official announcements and reporting from November 2025:

Perplexity Official Blog: “Introducing Perplexity Shopping” (Nov 2025)
TechCrunch: “Perplexity partners with PayPal to launch one-click checkout”
The Verge: “Perplexity is becoming a store: What the new AI shopping features mean for the web.”
Image material: Google Banana Pro

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