Key Takeaways
- ChatGPT’s web search now includes shopping features, suggesting products directly in results.
- Users will see product images, reviews, and direct links to buy items online.
- Features allow for specific, natural language searches for personalized recommendations.
- The update is rolling out globally to free and paid ChatGPT users on the GPT-4o model.
- Currently, results are not ads, and OpenAI isn’t earning commissions from sales.
OpenAI is enhancing ChatGPT’s built-in web search tool to make online shopping easier and more integrated.
When you search for products using ChatGPT, it can now present several recommendations directly within the chat.
These suggestions come complete with images, summaries of reviews, and handy links that take you straight to web pages where you can purchase the items.
You can ask very specific questions in everyday language, like “show me blue running shoes with good arch support under $100,” and get tailored results.
Initially, this shopping feature is focusing on popular categories such as fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics.
The update started rolling out Monday for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users globally using the latest GPT-4o model, and it’s even available for logged-out visitors.
This move positions OpenAI to compete more directly with Google by offering a different, potentially more personalized way to discover products online.
Online shopping search is a huge part of Google’s business, but its quality has faced criticism due to the heavy presence of ads.
OpenAI highlighted the growing use of its search feature, telling TechCrunch that users performed over a billion web searches in ChatGPT just last week.
Importantly, OpenAI states that these new shopping results are determined independently and are not currently influenced by advertising or affiliate deals.
The results pull from structured data like pricing, descriptions, and reviews provided by third parties. OpenAI isn’t receiving kickbacks for purchases made via these links right now.
While OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has historically been against ads in ChatGPT, he recently suggested openness to “tasteful” future monetization, like affiliate fees, without selling prioritized placements.
Looking ahead, OpenAI plans to connect its “memory” feature to shopping for paid users. This means ChatGPT could remember past conversations to offer highly personalized product ideas, though this won’t be available in the EU, UK, and some other European countries.
Alongside shopping, ChatGPT search now shows trending searches as you type, similar to Google’s autocomplete. Plus, you can now use ChatGPT search directly within WhatsApp for quick answers.
