Etsy, the renowned e-commerce platform, has recently unveiled a groundbreaking feature called ‘Gift Mode’. This AI-powered tool is designed to generate over 200 personalized gift guides, revolutionizing the way we shop for presents.

‘Gift Mode’ operates like an online quiz, asking users about the recipient, the occasion, and the recipient’s interests. With 15 interests to choose from, including crafting, fashion, sports, video games, and pets, ‘Gift Mode’ generates a variety of gift guides featuring over 100 million items available on the platform.

These guides are tailored to more than 200 different personas, such as “The Music Lover,” “The Video Gamer,” “The Adventurer,” and “The Pet Parent”. Etsy plans to continuously update the feature by adding new interests and personas to align with emerging trends.

In addition to the gift guides, Etsy has introduced a “gift teaser” option, allowing users to send a sneak peek of the selected item to the recipient via email, especially if the gift may not arrive in time for the event. This feature also enables users to include a personalized gift note and tracking information.

Tim Holley, Etsy’s VP of Product, emphasized that ‘Gift Mode’ was developed to address the anxiety often associated with gift shopping. According to Etsy’s recent survey, 71% of respondents reported feeling anxious while shopping for gifts in the past year.

Holley explained that ‘Gift Mode’ leverages a combination of machine learning, human curation, and OpenAI’s GPT-4 to provide a wide range of gifting recommendations. The platform’s existing advanced machine learning training and inference stack, which powers search and recommendations, was adapted to ensure that the listings included in the gift guides are of high quality and offered by sellers known for excellent customer service.

As Etsy continues to innovate and enhance the online shopping experience, ‘Gift Mode’ stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to leveraging AI for customer satisfaction.