OpenAI has introduced a new shopping feature inside ChatGPT. This allows users to browse, compare, and buy products directly from the chatbot. The update is implemented globally, allowing ChatGPT to show visually rich product carousels with details like pricing, reviews, and direct links for purchasing.
How Does It Work?
In the new ChatGPT feature, users can ask ChatGPT for product recommendations. For example, “Best budget laptops under $500.”). The AI displays options with images, descriptions, and prices. Once the user clicks on the product, they are redirected to the retailer's website to complete the purchase.
As per OpenAI these results are not ads, unlike Google shopping. Rather these products are chosen based on relevance, reviews, and what ChatGPT remembers about users' preferences. Rather, these products are chosen based on relevance, reviews, and what ChatGPT remembers about users' preferences.
Key Features of ChatGPT’s Shopping Update:
Available For: Pro, free, plus, and even for logged-out users.
No Affiliate Fees (for now): OpenAI is not earning commissions from purchases.
Current Categories: Beauty, electronics, fashion, and home goods.
Why it Matters?
This move puts ChatGPT against Google’s shopping dominance, offering a more conversational, ad-free alternative. With over 1 billion searches on ChatGPT last week, OpenAI is betting big on AI-powered shopping.
Current Limitations and Challenges
While promising, the new feature faces several hurdles:
- Limited to specific product categories at launch (electronics, fashion, beauty, and home goods).
- Requires users to complete transactions on external websites.
- Early users report occasional inaccuracies in product links.
As per market implications and industry response, the launch comes as
- ChatGPT reports processing over 1 billion weekly searches.
- Google continues to refine its own AI-powered shopping features.
- Competitors like perplexity AI expands their commerce capabilities.
Industry analysts suggest this move could significantly alter consumer shopping behaviors and challenge existing digital advertising models.
Availability and Future plans
The shopping feature is currently rolling out globally through ChatGPT’s GPT-4o model, with full deployment expected within weeks. OpenAI indicates plans to expand product categories and enhance functionality based on user feedback.
Trending and autocomplete searches are now available in ChatGPT. OpenAI says these features help you search faster. We tested them, and they worked well.
Recently, OpenAI introduced shopping in ChatGPT Search. This comes shortly after showing interest in buying Google’s Chrome browser if it becomes available. Even before this, OpenAI had been competing with Google Search, starting with the launch of ChatGPT search.
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