Reddit Tests AI Shopping Search Built on Community Recommendations

Reddit wants to turn your search queries into shopping decisions.

Reddit is testing a new AI-powered search feature that pulls product recommendations directly from community discussions — and pairs them with shoppable links.

A small group of U.S. users will begin seeing interactive product carousels in search results. These carousels include:

• Product images

• Pricing

• Direct “where to buy” links

Search for something like “best noise-canceling headphones” or “electronic gifts for a college student,” and Reddit’s AI will surface products that users have actually recommended in posts and comments.

Tap a product, view details, and you’re sent straight to the retailer to complete the purchase.

Why This Matters

Reddit isn’t just adding shopping — it’s monetizing trust.

Unlike traditional ads, these recommendations are pulled from real conversations. That gives them credibility most platforms struggle to replicate.

This builds on Reddit’s earlier launch of Dynamic Product Ads (DPA), its first shoppable ad format. Now, the company is blending:

Community insight + AI search + Commerce infrastructure.

It’s Reddit’s version of “intent-driven shopping.”

The Bigger E-Commerce AI Wave

Reddit is entering a competitive space.

• TikTok and Instagram have deeply integrated shopping into feeds.

• OpenAI recently rolled out “Instant Checkout” inside ChatGPT, allowing in-chat purchases from Etsy and Shopify.

The shift is clear:
Search is becoming transactional.

Platforms no longer just want to answer your question. They want to complete the sale.

The Strategic Play

Reddit’s edge is authenticity. If AI can accurately extract genuine recommendations — not just sponsored placements — it could become a high-intent commerce engine.

But there’s tension here.

Once shopping becomes embedded in search, the line between organic recommendations and monetized placements can blur. Reddit will have to balance revenue with the trust that makes its platform valuable in the first place.

Because if users feel manipulated, the entire model collapses.

AI-powered shopping is accelerating.
And Reddit is betting its community can become a checkout funnel.