What happened
Shipt, owned by Target, unveiled its new AI assistant “Ask Shipt” on Wednesday, which turns user prompts into customized carts for same-day delivery.
Why it matters
Shipt now competes with Instacart, which launched its own AI assistant Clementine this morning, and with Uber Eats and DoorDash, which introduced similar features this year.
What to watch
The assistant’s usefulness hinges on how accurately it can handle diverse requests like photo-based ingredient identification and budget-sensitive shopping prompts.
WHO IT HITSConsumers who use Shipt or Shipt.com can now plan their grocery shopping using AI, potentially saving time on meal preparation and list creation. Retailers on the Shipt platform may see customers placing more frequent or larger orders due to the convenience of pre-made carts.
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Shipt’s launch of Ask Shipt marks its entry into the broader trend of delivery platforms incorporating AI into their shopping experiences. The company says the tool will help customers shop more intuitively by turning prompts into customized carts, which follows Instacart’s introduction of its own AI assistant, Clementine, on the same day. Uber Eats and DoorDash have also added similar AI features this year, indicating that AI assistants are becoming a standard feature in the delivery app space.
The feature allows users to generate carts based on specific scenarios, such as a tailgate for 25 people, request meals under a budget, or upload a photo of a dish to have its ingredients automatically added. This launch also comes after Target.com, Shipt’s parent company, introduced other AI features like photo search and review summaries. The success of Ask Shipt may hinge on how well it can interpret a wide range of user requests and deliver accurate, useful cart suggestions, which could influence customer satisfaction and app engagement.
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