OpenAI has announced that users will soon have the capability to purchase products through ChatGPT. This feature will introduce shopping buttons for AI-driven search queries, accessible to all users, regardless of whether they are signed in. Users will complete transactions on the merchant’s website instead of directly through ChatGPT.
During a prelaunch demonstration for WIRED, Adam Fry, the ChatGPT search product lead at OpenAI, showcased how the updated user experience will assist individuals in using the tool for product research. It will help them decide on purchases such as espresso machines or office chairs. The product recommendations are tailored based on user preferences remembered by ChatGPT and product reviews sourced from the internet.
Fry noted that ChatGPT users conduct over a billion web searches weekly, utilizing the tool to explore a wide range of shopping categories, including beauty, home goods, and electronics. For instance, the product listings in ChatGPT for office chairs, featured in WIRED’s extensively reviewed buying guide, included a link to the publication’s report in the sources tab. While Condé Nast, WIRED’s parent company, has a licensing agreement with OpenAI allowing their content to surface, WIRED’s editorial team maintains its independence in covering the startup.
The buying experience within ChatGPT shares similarities with Google Shopping. Both platforms allow users to select products, like a budget office chair, with multiple retailer options such as Amazon and Walmart listed alongside purchase buttons. However, a key distinction is that ChatGPT’s search results are organic rather than paid placements. Fry emphasized that these are not advertisements or sponsored listings.
Unlike Google Shopping, where some product recommendations are influenced by paid placements, with Google favoring high-quality, thoroughly tested product reviews, ChatGPT selects products differently. Its recommendations are based on understanding consumer reviews, conversations, and product attributes to provide a personalized, conversational shopping experience. If a user specifies preferences, such as desiring black clothing from a particular retailer, ChatGPT will remember this preference for future inquiries, tailoring suggestions to match the user’s taste.
