What I Accidentally Built When I Connected Claude to a Product Catalog

Description and use

A Claude + MCP setup delivers real-time price comparisons across multiple stores in ~8 seconds.

Problem

AI assistants hallucinate prices or redirect users instead of providing real-time, accurate price comparisons across multiple stores.

Outcome

The system delivered accurate, real-time price comparisons across multiple stores in under ten seconds, demonstrating the effectiveness of MCP-enabled AI agents for real-world data retrieval.

Workflow

• 1. Set up an MCP server exposing tools: search products, get product details, compare, find the best price, get deals, list categories, ingest.
• 2. Connect Claude to the MCP server via the MCP protocol.
• 3. Issue a natural language query such as "Find the cheapest AirPods Pro 2 in Singapore."
• 4. Claude selects and calls the appropriate tools based on their schemas.
• 5. The MCP server queries the product catalog database and returns ranked results.
• 6. Claude formats and presents the top three options with current prices to the user.
• 7. User reviews the results and selects a purchase option.

Evidence

I asked: "Find the cheapest AirPods Pro 2 in Singapore." Claude searched, ranked results by price, and presented three options across real storefronts with current prices. Total time: about eight seconds.

Source