Flipkart is set to launch its conversational artificial intelligence shopping assistant, according to people familiar with the development. Internally known as Shop Like a Pro (SLAP), the tool will be introduced as a standalone application and rolled out in phases.
SLAP is a revamped version of Flippi, the generative AI-powered shopping assistant first unveiled by the e-commerce major in 2023. Sources said Flipkart has constituted a dedicated team to develop and scale the product as part of its broader push into conversational commerce.
In a statement, a Flipkart spokesperson said the company was continuously exploring ways to enhance the shopping experience through next-generation conversational commerce and AI-led capabilities, adding that several initiatives were under way and further details would be shared at an appropriate time.
According to sources, SLAP will function as a conversational assistant similar to Walmart’s Sparky and Amazon’s Rufus. It will leverage the latest AI models to assist customers with product discovery through recommendations, tailored suggestions and responses to shopping-related queries in its initial phase, with additional features to be introduced over time.
The development comes amid growing adoption of artificial intelligence across the e-commerce sector, particularly for personalisation, discovery and product recommendations, where companies are already reporting tangible commercial benefits. Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy said during the company’s November earnings call that its AI assistant, Rufus, was expected to generate an additional $10 billion in annualised sales, and that around 250 million customers were projected to use the tool for shopping in 2025.
The wider ecosystem is also evolving rapidly. Earlier this week, Google launched its Universal Commerce Protocol, enabling AI agents to interact directly with e-commerce platforms. This allows AI systems to manage the entire shopping journey, from product selection to checkout. Google is working with partners including Shopify, Etsy, Target and Walmart as part of this initiative.
