Mastercard Debuts AI-Powered ‘Muse’ to Offer Shoppers Inspiration

Mastercard has introduced a generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that acts as a personal assistant for shoppers.

Rolled out by the company’s Dynamic Yield unit, Shopping Muse arrives at a time when consumers are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to help with shopping and other parts of their daily routines.

“Personalization gives people the shopping experiences they want, and AI-driven innovation is the key to unlocking immersive and tailored online shopping,” Ori Bauer, CEO of Dynamic Yield, said in a news release.

“By harnessing the power of generative AI in Shopping Muse, we’re meeting the consumer’s standards and making shopping smarter and more seamless than ever.”

According to the release, Shopping Muse can recreate the in-store shopping experience by translating a user’s “colloquial language into tailored product recommendations,” including suggestions for coordinating products and accessories.

Shopping Muse recommendations are based on a consumer’s “profile, intent, and affinity,” using its personalization capabilities to make recommendations using the retailer’s keywords, visual cues, and “the consumer’s own affinity,” Mastercard said.

Recent research from PYMNTS Intelligence shows that a majority of consumers show at least some interest in using AI for shopping. Forty-four percent said they’d be at least somewhat interested, and 21% described themselves as slightly interested.

Among the companies taking advantage of this interest is Instacart, which in May announced it was combining its AI and data with OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology to introduce Ask Instacart, a search feature that can provide suggestions and answers to questions.

“[W]ith the rapid innovation in generative AI, we believe we can create new personalized, inspirational, value-driven shopping experiences that enrich peoples’ relationship with food and how they engage with the retailers and brands they love,” Instacart Chief Architect JJ Zhuang wrote in the blog post announcing the launch.

Meanwhile, PYMNTS last month examined the rise of AI-powered voice assistants for shopping, noting that this technology is a perfect match for mobile commerce as they’re both designed around convenience, speed and accessibility.

“Moreover, voice shopping also enhances the consumer experience by providing personalized recommendations, facilitating research on products, or comparing offerings,” that report said.

“Personalization is a key aspect of the customer experience, and voice shopping assistants can use data to create curated experiences tailored to each user’s preferences.”