Target adds photos to it’s AI search

e-commerce artificial intelligence (AI), visual search September 18, 2026 0 Comments

Target Accelerates Retail Innovation with New AI-Powered Shopping Tools

Target is deepening its investment in artificial intelligence, transforming the way customers discover products and manage their everyday shopping. The retail giant is rolling out a suite of AI-driven featuresincluding visual search, review summaries, and personalised reordering designed to reduce friction and boost engagement

Visual Discovery and Smarter Reviews

At the forefront of Target’s update is Photo Search, a feature launched in August 2026 within the Target app. It allows shoppers to tap a camera icon, snap a photo, and instantly find similar products without needing to type a description. This move signals a major shift in retail discovery, transitioning from text-based keyword queries to multi modal visual intent and machine-driven searches.

To further simplify the buying process, Target introduced AI Review Insights in June. Rather than scrolling through hundreds of individual comments, customers now see AI-generated summaries that group feedback into common themes just as Amazon has been doing for a while. The tool might summarise activewear reviews based on comfort, stretch, and breathability, while accurately extracting specific product sentiments like “fades after 3 washes”. Target reports that this feature significantly reduces “decision fatigue” and has led to increased add-to-cart activity

Personalised Carts and Conversational Commerce

Target is also leveraging AI to streamline repeat purchases through tools like “Buy Again” and “Continue Shopping”. These tools use personalisation algorithms to surface previously bought items, frequently ordered grocery staples like milk or bread, and recently viewed products.

In tandem with these updates, Target-owned delivery service Shipt launched its own AI shopping tool, “Ask Shipt,” on September 9[. This conversational AI assistant can build entire shopping carts from simple text prompts (such as requesting tailgate supplies for 25 people or a family meal under $35), recipes, or even photos of a meal. Working across Shipt’s marketplace of over 100 retailer partners, the tool allows users to review, swap, and seamlessly move from inspiration to checkout.