Shipt Launches Ask Shipt, an AI Shopping Assistant That Builds Carts

Shipt announced the launch of Ask Shipt on September 9, 2026, introducing an AI shopping assistant that is available now in the Shipt app and on Shipt.com and turns text prompts, uploaded recipes, and photos into customized carts.

How Ask Shipt Works

After selecting a preferred retailer from Shipt’s Marketplace, customers can access Ask Shipt beneath the search bar. From there, a shopper enters a prompt, uploads a recipe, or shares a photo of a meal to recreate, and the assistant generates a personalized cart within seconds.

The photo option covers inspiration found outside a store. A customer who spots a dish on social media or at a restaurant can snap a photo and upload it, and the feature automatically identifies the ingredients and adds them all to the cart.

For planning, Shipt’s examples include requests such as building a cart for a Saturday tailgate for 25 people that also contains brunch items, or assembling a cart of easy school lunches and after-school snacks, with the cart populating instantly. Shoppers can also ask for a weeknight meal for a family of five for under $35, or ask which store sales and weekend promotions are currently running.

Customers keep control of the results. Every recommendation can be reviewed, swapped, or edited before checkout, a step Shipt says keeps dietary needs and personal preferences covered.

Executive Statements on the Launch

Katie Stratton, Shipt’s chief growth and strategy officer, said the company is focused on making shopping feel more personalized, intuitive, and helpful to families in their day-to-day lives. “Ask Shipt brings people-centric AI directly into the shopping journey, helping members move from inspiration to a personalized cart in moments,” Stratton said in the announcement, adding that shoppers can find the products they need across Shipt’s marketplace of more than 100 retailer partners.

Smrutha Ipparthi, Shipt’s chief technology and product officer, said the company’s focus remains helping people spend less time managing their shopping and more time on what matters most to them. She described Ask Shipt as one example of pairing technology with the human understanding and connection she said sit at the center of the Shipt experience.

Earlier AI Shopping Features

Ask Shipt follows Shipt’s August 18, 2026 rollout of shopping experiences inside ChatGPT and Claude, which convert natural-language conversation into Shipt carts and same-day delivery. In ChatGPT, a shopper finds Shipt in the Plugins directory, connects an account to draw on past purchases and saved preferences, and starts a request by typing Shipt or @Shipt; an Open in Shipt button then moves the assembled items to checkout. In Claude, the shopper adds Shipt through the Connectors menu, signs in, and begins prompts with Shipt.

Example conversations listed by Shipt include building a grocery cart with five school lunches and easy weeknight dinners for a family of four, planning a taco night for 12 guests, requesting colorful snacks for a school spirit week, and building a cart for a wine and cheese night for eight friends. As the conversation continues, shoppers can adjust quantities, swap items, and personalize recommendations before moving to checkout through Shipt.

Target detailed its own set of AI-powered shopping features on September 8, 2026. Photo Search, launched in August and built into the Target app, lets a shopper tap the photo icon in the search bar and upload or take a photo to explore similar products. AI Review Insights, launched in June, identifies commonly discussed product attributes and organizes review feedback into themes, such as suction power, durability, weight, and ease of use for a cordless vacuum. Target said early results show the feature helping drive conversion and add-to-cart activity. The company also described Buy Again, which surfaces frequently purchased items, past purchases, and relevant deals, and Continue Shopping, which reconnects shoppers with recently viewed products across the homepage, My Target, and search. Sarah Travis, Target’s executive vice president and chief digital and revenue officer, said Target is using AI and personalization in purposeful ways so guests can find what they need faster and shop with confidence.

Launch Offer and Coming Tools

To promote the launch, Shipt is offering $10 off an order with the code ASKSHIPT2026. The offer is available until September 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. HT and cannot be applied to orders containing alcohol items, and Shipt states it may end the promotion at any time. The posted terms add that deliveries under $35 with a membership carry a $7 fee, that orders containing alcohol may carry a separate $7 alcohol fee, and that service fees vary by retailer and location.

Alongside the assistant, Shipt pointed to curated, seasonal Shipt Kits already available and said a feature called Shared Lists is coming soon. Shared Lists gives family members, roommates, and friends a collaborative, real-time shopping list that converts into a cart with a single click.