Amanda Smith is a freelance journalist and writer. She reports on culture, society, human interest and technology. Her stories hold a mirror to society, reflecting both its malaise and its beauty. Amanda's work has been published in National Geographic, The Guardian, Business Insider, Vice, News Corp, Singapore Airlines, Travel + Leisure, and Food & Wine. Amanda is an Australian living in the cultural center of gravity that is New York City.
I'm not one of those girls addicted to shopping, but tease me with a trip and I'll book it quicker than a Japanese bullet train. We all have something.
Although I'd prefer to spend on experiences over earrings, I do enjoy adding pieces I adore into my wardrobe. Timeless Levi's jeans. A black blazer. A warm coat for New York winters. Colorful pants to welcome the spring. I tend to fall in love with pieces and build my outfit around them.
The problem is, these items tend to cost more, because they're quality over quantity. So when I heard that "buy now, pay later" leader Klarna had launched an AI shopping assistant that helps compare products and find the best price, I was intrigued. It also has access to reviews and is able to answer questions.
Klarna's AI shopping assistant, which launched last month, is powered by OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT and Dall-E. It's available for free in the Klarna app. Klarna was founded in 2005 and currently logs over 2 million transactions per day on the platform.
I've got my eye on a new black bag for my city coworking days. Klarna AI, can you save my shoulder and some money?
I downloaded the Klarna app and created an account. If you already use Klarna, you can start using the AI assistant immediately -- click on the chat icon in the top right-hand corner.
It looks like any other AI chatbot with an "ask a question'" section, as well as prepopulated prompts such as "compare Nike and Adidas shoes," "show me the best coffee machines" and "most popular wireless headphones." You can also click on Shop to browse and compare products, alongside the AI assistant.
First, I wanted to try out the AI to see how it would do finding me a new black bag that's stylish and functional. I needed to replace my Kate Spade handbag that hurts my shoulder when I carry my laptop in it.
This became my first prompt:
"I have a black Kate Spade handbag with a laptop slip. I love the style, but I need to switch to a backpack for better shoulder support. This is a look I like from the brand, Cole Haan. Can you provide similar options, compare the reviews, and find the best option under $300?
Off the bat, it found four options I liked that were $50 to $100 cheaper than the link I supplied. It understood that I was looking for a "chic" backpack. Then I selected the top two, and the result came up as out of stock, which was frustrating.
I checked one style that was available and Klarna AI generated a graph to help me understand if the price was high, low or standard.
In my follow-up prompt, I told the Klarna AI that the styles I wanted were out of stock and to provide more options. It asked me to select similar brands I like. I didn't love the second options, so next I requested "boho styles" and prepopulated brands to choose.
I found one I liked at a good price. But again, it was out of stock.
Then I tried a more general prompt: "women's premium leather backpack for work." It did better this time.
I asked the AI assistant a question about the size, and it generated the key features, which included "plenty of room to store a 13-inch MacBook Pro."
Next, I asked Klarna AI to check the reviews. It told me the product has a 4.7 out of 5-star rating, with 379 reviews. I went to the Michael Kors website to verify this, and it was correct.
I also found that the bag was 80% off. It was $498, marked down to $99. When I started the search for a new bag, I had the $328 Cole Haan backpack in mind, but was more than happy to find this $99 Michael Kors alternative that I liked just as much -- and that would save me $229.
Like other AI tools, Klarna's AI assistant was a fun shopping partner. While there are bugs to fix, such as not showing the items that are currently out of stock, it was helpful to be able to chat about a product I was planning to buy.
It made the shopping experience more interactive and more informed. So while I don't think it should be a consumer's only search tool, it can play a part.
You don't need to put the purchase on a Klarna installment plan. The AI assistant can be used purely as a research partner. It helped me save $229, by finding a backpack at a better price, in under 30 minutes.
