OpenAI has introduced a new “shopping research” experience inside ChatGPT, designed to help users discover, understand, and compare products in a far more detailed and personalized way. Rolling out to all logged-in users across Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans, this feature acts like a smart shopping assistant that asks clarifying questions, researches across the internet, and builds tailored buying guides, just in time for the holiday shopping season. It also prepares ChatGPT for a future where users can complete purchases directly within the platform.
Key Points
OpenAI launched a new product-comparison tool called shopping research for ChatGPT users.
Available now to Free, Go, Plus, and Pro users with “nearly unlimited usage” for the holidays.
The tool takes user descriptions in conversational language and creates personalized product guides.
It asks follow-up questions, researches online, reviews quality sources, and leverages ChatGPT memory for personalization.
Unlike quick answers, the new experience takes a few minutes and delivers in-depth comparisons, constraints, and tradeoffs.
Users can give real-time feedback on suggested products to refine results.
Purchases currently link out to retailer sites, with future plans for in-ChatGPT checkout for merchants using Instant Checkout.
Chats are not shared with retailers; results are organic and based on publicly available sites.
Merchants can opt in through an allowlisting process.
PYMNTS data: 32% of consumers already use or would use generative AI for shopping, with adoption highest among bridge millennials.
Perplexity has also announced a competing free “agentic shopping” product in the U.S.
Key Quotes
ChatGPT’s shopping research “asks smart clarifying questions, researches deeply across the internet, reviews quality sources, and builds on ChatGPT’s understanding of you… to deliver a personalized buyer’s guide in minutes.”
“If you’d like to purchase an item, you can click through to the retailer’s site to do so. In the future, you’ll be able to purchase directly through ChatGPT for merchants who are part of Instant Checkout.”
Shopping research “does not share users’ chats with retailers” and provides “organic results based on publicly available websites.”
Perplexity: the “agentic part is the seamless purchase right from the answer.”
Implications
OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT as an all-in-one shopping companion capable of product discovery, comparison, and eventually checkout.
This move could significantly impact eCommerce search, affiliate ecosystems, and product-comparison sites.
The emphasis on privacy and organic results may reassure cautious consumers.
Merchants may flock to allowlisting to ensure visibility inside ChatGPT’s emerging shopping ecosystem.
The competitive landscape is heating up. Perplexity’s agentic shopping feature suggests a broader shift toward AI-driven purchasing paths.
Consumer adoption data shows strong generational momentum, signaling that AI-powered shopping is on track to become mainstream.
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