PayPal, Perplexity Launch Instant Buy for AI-Powered Shopping

Global payments giant PayPal announced that it has enabled merchants to become discoverable within Perplexity, granting consumers the ability to checkout in chat. The announcement came yesterday, November 25, only days ahead of Black Friday, when PayPal expects that many will find this feature quite useful.

A New Way To Shop Goes Live Ahead of Black Friday

In its press release, PayPal noted that US users can now explore Perplexity’s new shopping experience by seamlessly transitioning from research to purchase, leveraging PayPal’s identity verification. They will enjoy Purchase and Seller protection, and trusted payment processing without ever leaving the answer engine.

The firm also said that this collaboration fulfills the vision of the strategic partnership between the two which was announced earlier this year. PayPal is effectively being deployed as a commerce solution for the next generation of AI-driven retail. 

Thanks to Perplexity’s integration of PayPal’s agentic commerce services, users can easily browse merchant catalogs in real-time and checkout directly on the platform.

Commenting on the move, PayPal’s General Manager for Small Business and Financial Services, Michelle Gill, said that the company is building for the next era of commerce by connecting PayPal’s trusted payments and buyer protection directly to AI-powered shopping. 

“Our collaboration with Perplexity is the opening act of PayPal’s innovation in commerce for the agentic era. This is the continuation of our decades-long commitment to make AI-driven commerce seamless and interoperable across every platform,” Gill added.

The Partnership Will Change The Experience For Buyers and Merchants Alike

PayPal’s announcement also highlighted that there is a special incentive available for users right now, as part of the launch celebration and the upcoming arrival of the holiday shopping season. 

This was designed to help users experience the future of AI commerce early. The incentive period has already started on 9 am ET on November 25, and it will last until 11.59 pm ET on December 1. During this period, customers who complete their first purchase using PayPal within Perplexity will receive 50% back, up to $50. 

The company said that the exclusive offer delivers a rewarding first shopping experience on Perplexity for those looking to benefit from the simplicity and speed of AI shopping.

At the same time, the partnership will bring a big change for merchants, unlocking immediate access to the emerging agentic economy with no overly complicated technical requirements. The agentic commerce services allow merchants to seamlessly integrate the solution, increase conversion, and enjoy PayPal’s payment security.

Perplexity’s Chief Business Officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, said that shoppers and merchants demand a better e-commerce experience now that the age of AI has arrived. 

“We’re excited to partner with PayPal to bring instant checkout to our new shopping experience. PayPal’s decades of e-commerce leadership, including deep merchant integration, robust identity verification, and secure transactions give Perplexity users the complete experience needed to shop with confidence and give merchants a powerful new way to expand their consumer relationships in the age of AI.”