ChatGPT Launches AI Shopping Research Tool Just in Time for Black Friday

OpenAI is has rolled out a new shopping research tool on ChatGPT aimed at helping shoppers make smarter, faster purchase decisions.

The feature, which is available to all logged in users with nearly unlimited access, is designed to streamline product discovery. Instead of spending hours digging through reviews and retailers’ websites, shoppers can now get personalised recommendations in a conversational format.

How It Works

Users simply describe what they’re looking for and the AI responds with tailored product suggestions. Recommendations can be refined in real-time and mark items as “Not interested” or “More like this,” and the results update instantly.

More than a basic price lookup, it’s built for spec-heavy products like electronics, home appliances, cosmetics and sports gear. OpenAI says the tool can generate detailed buyer’s guides in just minutes, including:

• Product suggestions
• Comparisons and trade offs
• Insights from multiple trusted retailers

Essentially, what once took hours of research can now be condensed into a few minutes of AI interaction.

Why Retailers Should Pay Attention

This new feature is a potential driver of purchase decisions. OpenAI says results are organic and sourced from publicly available retail sites, citing sources and avoiding low-quality or spammy listings.

Merchants can ensure their products are visible by following OpenAI’s allowlisting process. Properly listed products could appear in real-time recommendations alongside competitors, giving retailers a chance to influence purchase decisions directly in AI-generated guides.

The Bigger Picture

This new feature from Open AI’s ChatGPT is part of a growing trend. Google, Microsoft, and Perplexity are also all experimenting with AI shopping agents that help users search, compare, and even complete orders. For ecommerce, this signals that AI-assisted product discovery is becoming mainstream.

Looking ahead, OpenAI has said users will eventually be able to buy directly through ChatGPT for merchants who are part of Instant Checkout⁠ (where available), creating a new ecommerce channel.

Retailers should prepare for increased AI-driven traffic, especially for products that are complex or comparison heavy. Ensuring listings are accurate, detailed and up to date could make the difference between being featured or overlooked.

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Source: https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-shopping-research/