The Future of Buying

A couple of weeks ago, I started daydreaming about upgrading my hi-fi setup. I asked Perplexity to find reviews of my speakers paired with a specific integrated amplifier. What happened next perfectly captures how we will make buying decisions in the future.

Perplexity informed me that there were no reviews of my speakers paired with the specific amplifier I was asking about. However, it did read the reviews of my speakers and noted their power requirements. It then compared those requirements with the power output of the amplifier I was considering. It recommended alternative amplifiers that would be better suited to my speakers' power requirements.

Perplexity became my personalized audiophile product specialist, helping me synthesize information from multiple sources, performing analysis, and not only answering my specific question but also going one step further and making alternative recommendations. It is just a matter of time before it asks me if I want it to find the best prices on both new and used models of the recommended amplifiers and order one for me.

The powerful thing here is how Perplexity focused on directly answering my question. This is a far superior customer experience compared to having to wade through marketing brochures and technical specifications myself. In fact, I’m starting to trust Perplexity more than any individual review site or brand marketing site.

Admittedly, my example is a high-consideration, high-ticket purchase that benefits from technical knowledge and analysis. However, there are many purchases like this over the course of one's life. And once you get used to having a personal product specialist for these purchases, why wouldn't you expect one for every non-routine purchasing decision?