Online marketplace Not On The High Street has announced the launch of a new AI shopping assistant.

The Curator, now available through the company’s app, supports product discovery, helping shoppers to consolidate multiple searches and browsing for gifts or general purchases.

Not On The High Street is home to more than 5,500 of the UK’s small brands, from designers and curators to ceramicists and bakers, with over 350,000 products on the website.

Through the new tool, customers will be able to search using natural language, with the AI able to understand the "nuanced shopping intent" beyond keywords.

For the first time, shoppers will also be able to build a shortlist of products that can be saved and referred back to at a later date. Users can also return to the original chat to refine their search.

“We built The Curator to make finding the right product at Not On The High Street simpler and more delightful," said lLorin Minxhozi, lead product manager at Not On The High Street, who was instrumental in the development of the AI assistant. "Powered by AI, it does the searching and sorting for you by understanding budget, personality, occasion and spotlights creative picks from independent UK brands, avoiding unnecessary searching and scrolling.”

The Curator launched on Friday 14 November on the company's iOS app in time for Black Friday.

Rachel Wells, brand & creative director at Not On The High Street said: “We’re coming into the thick of the Christmas shopping season and we had a strong desire to give people the ability to find products that uniquely fit their specific needs, rather than needing to always scroll through our large product catalogue. Which is why we are so excited to unveil The Curator. Whether you’re looking for meaningful gifts on a budget or shopping for that friend that already has it all, The Curator will pull tailored recommendations just for you.”

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