The Problem

Hi! I’m Gabriela, a Customer Success Engineer at SerpApi.

If you’ve tried to buy something important online lately — like a laptop, a dishwasher, or a batch of headsets — you probably know the feeling: twenty open tabs, mixed reviews, prices that change while you compare, and that nagging worry you’ll end up with the “almost right” product.

That’s the problem I wanted to make smaller.

So, I built a helper that turns plain English into smart, live product searches. It uses an AI language model (LLM) to understand your request and SerpApi’s product search APIs to fetch real-time data from Google Shopping and Amazon. The result? A clear, explainable shortlist — fewer tabs, faster decisions, and more confidence.

The Simple Idea

Here’s the full flow at a glance:

🧠 You → 🤖 LLM → ⚙️ SerpApi (Google Shopping + Amazon)
→ 📊 Aggregation → ✅ Clear Suggestions

You + LLM Intent parsing • constraints input ∑ rewrite Targeted queries SerpApi Live product data Google Shopping API ↗ Amazon Search API ↗ Normalized results Aggregation + Suggestions Deduplicate • rank • shortlist Flow: You+LLM → SerpApi (Google Shopping & Amazon) → Aggregation+Suggestions → Explainable shortlist

What is SerpApi?

SerpApi is a real-time API that returns structured, live search results from engines like Google Shopping, Amazon, eBay, and many others — all in a consistent JSON format.

If you need just essential data quickly, try the Google Shopping Light API — a faster, lightweight endpoint focused on key product fields such as title, price, and availability.

How It Works

Tell it what you need, it translates that into targeted searches, pulls fresh listings, and organizes results you can act on.

1. Describe the job to be done

Instead of searching “laptop,” try:

“Editing 4K videos in Premiere, under $1,500, quiet fans, color-accurate 14–16″ screen, at least 16GB RAM.”

The more context you give, the smarter the recommendations get.

2. The AI rephrases your request

The LLM extracts what matters — constraints (budget), must-haves (RAM, display quality), and preferences (noise level, portability) — and transforms them into precise queries.

3. SerpApi fetches live product data

The helper uses SerpApi’s Google Shopping API and Amazon Product Search API to pull fresh listings in real time.

4. Aggregation and ranking

The results are cleaned, deduplicated, and normalized (aligned specs, consistent prices, unified formats).

5. Explainable shortlist

You get a concise list of top recommendations with clear reasoning like:

“Best performance per dollar for 4K editing; color-accurate display; quiet under load.”

Recommendation App

Think of your input as a mini-brief. You don’t need perfect wording, just goals, constraints, and one or two must-haves.

  • Vague: “Need a laptop.”
  • Good: “Editing 4K videos in Premiere, under $1,500, quiet fans, color-accurate 14–16″ screen, at least 16GB RAM.”

Behind the scenes, the helper rewrites your nudge as smarter searches, fetches fresh listings through SerpApi’s product search APIs, and updates your shortlist.

Use Case Spotlight: Product Research

This same setup isn’t just for shopping — it’s also perfect for product market research.

You can tweak the prompt to explore price ranges, top-rated sellers, and trends across categories — ideal for startups comparing competitors or e-commerce teams tracking stock levels and pricing shifts in real time.

How to run this app

You can check out the code here: Github Repo and here’s how you can test the app locally:

1. Get a SerpApi key

Sign up at serpapi.com and copy your API key from your dashboard.

2. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/serpapi/tutorials.git
cd apps/product-app-recommendation

3. Add your API key

Create a .env file with:

# SerpApi Configuration
# Get your key at: https://serpapi.com/
SERPAPI_KEY=your_serpapi_key_here

# OpenAI Configuration
# Get your key at: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_key_here

4. Run locally

npm install
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 — and you’re ready to go!

FAQ

How fresh is the data from SerpApi?

SerpApi queries sources like Google Shopping, Amazon, and eBay at request time — meaning all results are live.

Can I use this in different countries or marketplaces?

Yes. Availability and pricing vary by region. Just include your country or preferred marketplace in your query.

Why do results change between runs?

Because SerpApi reflects real-time data — promotions, stock levels, and prices change constantly.

What is the Google Shopping Light API?

A faster, lighter way to fetch essential Google Shopping product fields when speed matters more than deep detail.

Conclusion

Most of us don’t need more information — we need fewer, better choices.

With plain English input, AI-powered query generation, and live data from SerpApi’s product search APIs, you can make decisions faster and with confidence.

I built this helper to simplify my own shopping — but it’s also proving useful for teams doing product research, competitor tracking, or e-commerce analysis.

What decision took you too long this month?
Maybe this little app can help you make it faster next time.

If you found this guide useful, you might also enjoy:

How to Scrape Amazon Product Data (2025 Tutorial)
Learn how to scrape Amazon search results to get product data, including product name, rating, price and more using a simple API.
SerpApiHilman Ramadhan
Product Market Research using Amazon Search API
Discover how to track competitors, spot trends, and find gaps with SerpApi’s Amazon Search API.
SerpApiGabriela Sosa