Table of Contents
Overview
Finding the best deal online can feel like a full-time job. You juggle multiple tabs, search for coupon codes, and try to remember if that price is actually a good one. Microsoft has integrated powerful shopping tools directly into Copilot within the Edge browser. This AI assistant now serves as your personal shopping expert—available initially in the US—delivering price comparisons, historical price charts, cashback opportunities, and proactive savings alerts right in the sidebar, making informed shopping effortless.
Key Features
The shopping capabilities in Edge Copilot provide a unified, AI-driven solution. Here are the standout features:
- Integrated Price Comparison: Instantly compare prices across retailers directly in the Copilot sidebar without leaving your tab, on supported product pages.
- Detailed Price History: View fluctuation charts and trends for the item to decide if now is the optimal time to buy.
- Built-in Cashback Offers: Discover and activate Microsoft Rewards cashback at eligible merchants automatically—no extensions required.
- Proactive Deal Alerts: In Copilot Mode, receive notifications for better prices or savings opportunities across your open tabs.
- Price Tracking \& Product Insights: Set alerts for price drops and get summaries of reviews, ratings, and buying options to aid decisions.
- Seamless Edge Integration: Works alongside Edge’s package tracking and order management for a complete post-purchase experience.
How It Works
Getting started with Copilot’s shopping tools is straightforward. Browse stores in Microsoft Edge, and on a supported product page, click the Copilot icon in the top-right. It automatically detects the item and displays comparisons, price history, cashback, and insights in the sidebar. Enable Copilot Mode for proactive alerts—like “better deal elsewhere” or “cashback available”—even across multiple tabs. Track items for notifications on price changes, all powered conversationally for follow-up questions.
Use Cases
This integrated assistant suits various shoppers:
- Everyday Shoppers: Effortlessly spot better prices and cashback on routine purchases without manual hunts.
- Big-Ticket Buyers: Track electronics or appliances with alerts for sales and historical lows.
- Savings Enthusiasts: Maximize rewards via auto-cashback and deal notifications, minimizing extension clutter.
Pros \& Cons
Copilot’s shopping features offer clear benefits with some trade-offs.
Advantages
- Natively built into Edge, eliminating third-party extension risks and setup.
- Automatic surfacing of comparisons, history, and cashback reduces research time.
- Proactive Copilot Mode alerts prevent missing deals across tabs.
- Includes product insights and tracking for holistic decision-making.
Disadvantages
- Exclusive to Microsoft Edge and initially US-supported retailers.
- Feature completeness varies by region, merchant, and rollout phase.
- Less flexible for non-Edge users preferring Chrome or Firefox.
How Does It Compare?
Copilot shopping competes with popular extensions but leverages native browser power.
- vs. PayPal Honey:
- Honey excels in universal coupon auto-apply across sites.
- Copilot integrates deeper into Edge with price history/tracking and proactive cross-tab alerts, but lacks Honey’s Droplist persistence outside Edge.
- vs. Rakuten (formerly Ebates):
- Rakuten offers broad cashback with portal shopping.
- Copilot activates cashback inline without redirects, plus comparisons/insights; ideal for Edge users avoiding multi-site logins.
- vs. Capital One Shopping:
- Capital One provides strong price predictions and rewards.
- Copilot matches with AI insights/alerts conversationally, but ties to Microsoft ecosystem vs. Capital One’s card-linked perks.
Final Thoughts
For Edge users—especially in the US—Copilot’s shopping integration is transformative. It consolidates deal-finding into the browser, automating what once required multiple tools. While browser-exclusive, it incentivizes Edge adoption with secure, seamless savings. Note limited retailer/region support; verify availability before relying solely on it. Worth enabling for smarter holiday or everyday shopping.