AI Meets E-Commerce: Perplexity and PayPal Launch Seamless In-Chat Shopping

Written on 05/16/2025
Muzaina Fathima


San Francisco: In a groundbreaking move, AI startup Perplexity has partnered with PayPal to introduce seamless in-chat shopping capabilities.

This collaboration aims to transform the online shopping experience by allowing users to make purchases directly within the Perplexity chat interface, streamlining the process from product discovery to payment.

Key Facts:

  • Perplexity users in the U.S. can now make purchases directly within the chat interface using PayPal or Venmo. 

 

  • The integration utilizes PayPal's passkey checkout, eliminating the need for passwords and enabling one-click transactions. 

 

  • This feature is set to launch in the U.S. this summer, with plans for international expansion.

The partnership between Perplexity and PayPal signifies a significant shift in the e-commerce landscape.

By integrating PayPal's secure payment processing into Perplexity's AI-driven platform, users can now complete transactions without leaving the chat interface.

This development aligns with the growing trend of "agentic commerce," where AI agents not only assist with shopping but also handle transactions. 

"Perplexity wants to be wherever users are asking questions and making decisions," said Ryan Foutty, Perplexity's vice president of business. "Our vision for assistive AI is that everything just gets better and easier for people — wherever they are and however they prefer to make decisions."

This integration is expected to benefit both consumers and merchants.

For users, it simplifies the shopping experience by reducing the steps required to make a purchase.

For businesses, it offers a new channel to reach customers, potentially increasing sales and customer engagement.

The collaboration also positions Perplexity as a formidable competitor in the AI and e-commerce sectors, challenging established players like Google and Amazon.

Perplexity's move into e-commerce is part of its broader strategy to enhance its AI capabilities and expand its market presence.

The company is reportedly in advanced talks to raise $500 million in a funding round that would value it at $14 billion.

This funding would support further development of its AI technologies and expansion into new markets.

The Perplexity-PayPal partnership marks a significant advancement in AI-driven e-commerce, offering a more streamlined and efficient shopping experience.

As the feature rolls out in the U.S. this summer, users can look forward to a more integrated and convenient way to shop online.

 

Do You Know?

Perplexity's integration with PayPal taps into a user base of over 430 million active accounts across nearly 200 markets, significantly expanding its potential reach. 

 

Key Terms:

Agentic Commerce: A shopping model where AI agents assist users throughout the purchasing process, from product discovery to transaction completion.

Passkey Checkout: A secure, passwordless authentication method that simplifies the login and payment process for users.

In-Chat Shopping: The ability to browse and purchase products directly within a chat interface, without navigating to external websites.