AI: OpenAI expands ecommerce push with ChatGPT Shopping Research

OpenAI has introduced a new feature called Shopping Research directly inside ChatGPT, aiming to support users in making more informed purchase decisions. Instead of offering simple answers on prices or product features, the tool delivers personalized buyer’s guides that compare multiple items, highlight differences and trade-offs, and source updated product information from trusted retailers.

The experience is designed for categories where decisions are more complex — such as electronics, kitchen appliances, home and garden, beauty, and sports equipment.

Personalized product recommendations within the chat

Users can provide specific shopping requirements — like budget, performance needs, or who the item is for — and ChatGPT will refine recommendations based on that context. The interaction continues as a conversation, allowing criteria to evolve and the AI to adjust its research in real time.

The feature is available for both free and paid ChatGPT users worldwide.

From product advice to direct transactions

At present, shoppers are redirected to retailer websites to complete a purchase. But this feature is clearly connected to OpenAI’s wider commerce expansion.

Over recent months, the company has:

• Launched Instant Checkout to enable in-chat purchasing

• Integrated with Shopify, Etsy, Walmart and Target

• Begun offering fulfillment options like multiple-item carts and fresh food ordering through retail partners

As more merchants join Instant Checkout, direct purchases inside ChatGPT are expected to become a core experience.

Retail visibility moves into the AI era

OpenAI has also opened an allow-listing pathway for retailers who want their products surfaced in Shopping Research results. This signals a shift in digital discovery: access to consumer attention may increasingly depend on presence within AI environments rather than traditional search engines or marketplaces.

Source: retaildive.com