OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into a shopping assistant, ushering in a new era of “conversational commerce” and directly challenging tech giants like Google, Amazon, and media-backed review sites.
On April 28, OpenAI rolled out a major shopping update to ChatGPT that gives users:
- Personalized product recommendations
- Side-by-side price comparisons
- Reviews and direct buying links
The feature is live for all users, free, Plus, and even logged-out visitors.
“We’re looking to bring a new kind of conversational shopping experience into ChatGPT,” said Matt Weaver, OpenAI’s EMEA solutions head.
How it works
Users can now ask ChatGPT for shopping advice, like “best red t-shirt under $30”, and get visual tiles, retailer options, user reviews, and purchase links.
OpenAI says product results are AI-chosen, not ads or sponsored content.
Shopping
We’re experimenting with making shopping simpler and faster to find, compare, and buy products in ChatGPT.
Improved product results
Product results are chosen independently and are not ads.… pic.twitter.com/PkZwsTxJUj
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) April 28, 2025
ChatGPT is already seeing over a billion searches per week. Now it’s competing directly with:
- Google, which dominates search but is losing ground on commercial queries
- Amazon, which launched its own AI shopping assistant
- Publishers, who rely on affiliate links for review-based revenue
Game-changer
ChatGPT aims to collapse the multi-tab shopping journey; research, compare, review, and buy into a single, chat-driven interface.
It will also learn from users’ preferences, storing past conversations to personalize future recommendations. (Memory features are off in the EU and UK due to privacy laws.)
Not just search, but strategy:
With $125B in projected revenue by 2029, OpenAI is exploring affiliate models but says it’s prioritizing quality user experience first.
“It’s trying to understand how people are reviewing this, how people are talking about this,” said Adam Fry, OpenAI’s search product lead.
Online shopping may never look the same. ChatGPT is no longer just a chatbot; it’s coming for the digital storefronts of its biggest rivals.
