ChatGPT now supports shopping

Online retail therapy has a new enabler: OpenAI yesterday announced that it’s updating ChatGPT search to give users an improved online shopping experience.

• Now, when searching for new work outfits or products like air fryers, the chatbot will prescribe recommendations based on user preferences, present images and reviews, and include links to webpages where the items can be purchased.
• The feature will only work for a handful of categories to start, including electronics, fashion, beauty, and home goods, with plans for more to be rolled out over time.

It represents a direct challenge to Google. And also offers an easy place for OpenAI to potentially place ads—or a way to generate affiliate fees, an idea CEO Sam Altman floated in a recent interview with Stratechery newsletter writer Ben Thompson. Revenue from “free-user” monetization is expected to hit $1 billion by 2026, according to OpenAI’s internal revenue projections.

The Search sands are shifting…ChatGPT users are running 1+ billion web searches per week, according to OpenAI. And while Google hasn’t yet been (and may not ever be) ordered to divest Chrome and its 3.5 billion users, OpenAI recently expressed interest in purchasing the browser should it become available later this year, along with Yahoo and AI-powered Search rival Perplexity (who started allowing users to shop directly inside its app in 2024).