OpenAI has added a major new feature to ChatGPT. Users can now search for products and get shopping recommendations directly in the chat.
Each search brings images, reviews, and purchase links, all in one place, by working with natural language prompts.
What the New ChatGPT Shopping Feature Does
The shopping experience in ChatGPT is simple and fast. When users type in a product-related query, the chatbot responds with a few product suggestions, images of each product, key reviews and descriptions, and direct links to purchase pages.
For example, a question like “What’s the best budget laptop for students?” returns a short list of good options, photos, and links to buy each one.
Focused Product Categories First
To begin, OpenAI is testing this feature with four main categories (fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics).
These are popular niches with high shopping traffic. With time, OpenAI may expand to more categories based on how users respond.
Available to Most Users Worldwide
The feature works inside GPT-4o, OpenAI’s newest model. It’s available to free users, plus users, pro users, and even users who are not signed in.
No Ads for Now
One important detail OpenAI shared is that this feature is ad-free. Unlike Google Search, there are no paid placements.
Instead, ChatGPT uses trusted third-party data to obtain pricing, product details, and customer reviews. The goal is to return helpful, honest results, not those paid for by advertisers.
However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said he is open to “tasteful” advertising. This might include affiliate links later. Even then, the company does not plan to sell top spots in search results.
Personalized Shopping with Memory Coming Soon
Another update is on the way. Soon, ChatGPT will use its memory to give even better shopping tips.
For example, if you once asked about running shoes, ChatGPT could suggest fitness watches or socks later because it has engaged its memory feature to remember what you like.
This memory-based shopping will only be available to Pro and Plus users. However, due to local privacy laws, it won’t launch in the European Union, the U.K., Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
