Yelp has recently introduced a suite of new features primarily centred around artificial intelligence, aimed at enhancing the user experience for iPhone users. These updates include a notable integration with Apple Maps, alongside several other AI-powered functionalities designed to streamline the process of finding and evaluating local businesses, particularly restaurants.
One of the standout features is Review Insights, which utilises large language models (LLMs) to tailor review content to specific user inquiries. This innovative tool is capable of assessing the sentiment expressed in reviews related to various aspects of a dining experience, such as food quality, service, ambiance, wait times, and drink options. According to Yelp, the Review Insights mechanism is adept at understanding contextual nuances in reviews, enabling it to provide relevant insights even if specific keywords are not present in the text. This functionality aggregates sentiments into scores that range from 1 to 100, categorising them as positive, neutral, or critical. Users can tap into these scores to access reviews pertinent to their interests, as the feature is specially designed for restaurants, food vendors, and nightlife venues on iOS devices.
In addition to Review Insights, Yelp is enhancing its homepage with more personalised content and trending searches, facilitating users in discovering new dining options that cater to their preferences. The platform is currently testing a new feature that creates videos based on local restaurants, employing actual photographs and information sourced from Yelp. However, the homepage update will also introduce autoplay user videos that will automatically unmute and expand to full screen, potentially altering the browsing experience for users.
For business owners, Yelp is rolling out additional transparency by including information about a location's tipping and payment policies directly on their business pages. In conjunction with these changes, the introduction of Yelp Assistant allows users to request quotes via text or calls once a project has been submitted, improving the interactivity of the platform.
Furthermore, the integration with Apple Maps includes a "Quote" button that connects users directly to business pages, enabling them to request quotes seamlessly through either the Yelp app or the mobile web interface.
These newly minted features on Yelp are now available to iPhone users, marking a significant step forward in the company's application of artificial intelligence to enhance service delivery and user engagement.
Source: Noah Wire Services