Buried in a puff piece about using Edge to shop online, Microsoft said it is now rolling out Copilot in Microsoft Shopping to Bing on desktop along with a related AI-based review summaries feature.
“Edge and Bing are here to help put the joy back into shopping, by making it easier for you to discover or find what you need in less time, all while experiencing the thrill of scoring great deals,” Roger Capriotti writes in a new post to the Microsoft Edge Blog. “I’m pleased to share that Copilot in Microsoft Shopping is now rolling out and will be widely available soon, just in time to make your holiday shopping easier.”
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Microsoft announced Copilot in Microsoft Shopping at its September special event, noting that this experience would be available in Microsoft Edge and on the Bing website. That’s not quite true: It’s available on the Bing website, which you can access using Edge or any other browser. But Edge has other built-in tools for saving money while shopping, so it’s possible that the two together could result in even better savings.
“When you ask for information on an item, Bing will ask additional questions to learn more, then use that information to provide more tailored recommendations,” Microsoft said at the time. “And you can trust you’re getting the best price … Soon, you’ll also be able to use a photo or saved image as the starting point for shopping.”
Today’s rollout is partial: It’s happening on PC first, in preview, and is “coming to mobile soon.” To access Copilot in Microsoft Shopping, point Microsoft Edge or your favorite browser at bing.com/shop/ai. Then, use prompts like “What are some gift ideas for teenage boys?” or “What’s the best price right now on an iPad?” Copilot will return some results and/or follow up with questions of its own so that it can hone the results. You can continue the conversation until you find exactly what you’re looking for.
As noted above, Microsoft plans to bring an image recognition feature to Copilot in Microsoft Shopping so that you can search for an item you have a picture of. But that feature is not ready yet, Microsoft says.
Microsoft also revealed that its AI-based review summaries feature, announced back in June, is now available across Bing and Edge too.
“Edge and Bing can do the work for you and help you shop with confidence, giving you a quick look at top insights and popular opinions about the product,” Capriotti added. “To access review summaries, simply click on the Copilot icon from the Edge sidebar and ask it to summarize what people are saying about an item online.”
