If you’re the type of person who pores endlessly over online reviews when making a purchase, a new feature on Newegg could help make that process a little easier.
Newegg announced this week that it is now using ChatGPT to offer up summaries of customer reviews into brief snippets or phrases called “Review Bytes,” plus a longer AI-generated paragraph summary. Instead of customers relying on the composite review score, they can now see exactly what key terms other customers seem to say often.
Also: Is Temu legit? What to know before you place an order
Newegg says that shopping for a graphics card, for example, might bring up quick “Review Bytes” that mention “no coil whine,” “decent temps,” and a “zero RPM fan mode.” The AI paragraph summary below would go into a little more detail, even pointing out some problem areas that other customers have had.
When I tested the feature on a popular gaming laptop, “Review Bytes” mentioned “fast performance” and “no bloatware” but pointed out a “screen issue” some customers encountered.
At present, the feature is only available on the desktop version of Newegg’s site for products that meet a threshold of minimum reviews.
Andrew Choi, Newegg’s director of brand and website experience, admits that “the process of analyzing relevant information to make a purchase decision can be arduous.” Viewing real-life customer feedback more efficiently should remove some of the trouble, he said.
Also: Every product we’re expecting at Apple’s September event
To be transparent about the source of the summary, Newegg does clearly label it as “SummaryAI.” Original reviews are just located below in their usual spot.
Newegg’s AI review summary feature is just the latest in a trend of shopping websites utilizing artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, Mercari rolled out a virtual AI shopping assistant, Wayfair created a tool that uses AI to let customers redecorate their living room, and Bing introduced AI price match monitors.
