ChatGPT’s New Shopping Feature: What Brands Need to Know
Is ChatGPT Shopping the Same as Google Shopping?
Did a customer recently mention they found your brand on ChatGPT before making a purchase? If not yet, it’s likely just a matter of time.
On April 28, 2025, OpenAI launched its new shopping feature within ChatGPT. Users can now search for products, compare options, read reviews, check prices, and get direct purchase links to the brand’s website. This ChatGPT shopping feature has been rolled out to all users, free or plus subscribers and even the ones not signed in. What makes this different is its personalized and conversational approach to shopping.
Adam Fry, the ChatGPT search product lead at OpenAI, in an interview with Wired mentioned, “this will be a shopping experience that’s more personalized and conversational, rather than keyword-focused. “It’s trying to understand how people are reviewing this, how people are talking about this, what the pros and cons are”
As a boutique SEO agency that keeps abreast with every shift in the search landscape, we’re here to help you explore all the details about ChatGPT’s new shopping feature in this blog.
Is ChatGPT Shopping the Same as Google Shopping?
ChatGPT’s new shopping feature shares similarities with Google Shopping, such as allowing users to search for products, compare prices, and access direct links, but their approaches and underlying philosophies are fundamentally different.
“The above picture is taken from ChatGPT and shows the results of shopping feature on Blue sneakers for men”
“The above screenshot depicts the result of search query “Blue spneakers for men” and shows sponsored product listings / shopping ads”
On Google, shopping results (product listings) are often powered by Shopping Ads, which provide complete product details, pricing, and links to brand websites. These ads are paid placements, allowing retailers to bid for visibility. In contrast, ChatGPT’s shopping experience is ad-free. Product recommendations are AI-generated, pulling data from a variety of sources to surface what the model determines to be the most relevant and trustworthy options.
However, it is worth noting that Google recently updated its Google Merchant Center to Google Merchant Center Next, which now enables a business to show both paid and free product listings. Products can now appear in dedicated sections like Popular Products and Deals, even without being part of paid Shopping Ads.
“The above screengrab depicts Google results of free product listing”
Here’s a quick comparison of how the two platforms stack up:
| Feature | ChatGPT Shopping | Google Shopping |
| Launch Date | April 28, 2025 | Google Merchant Center Next went live in Sep 2024 |
| Result Type | AI-curated, conversational, and ad-free | Paid Shopping Ads + Free/Organic Listings |
| Pricing & Product Info | Pulled from various sources | Direct from brands/retailers |
| Trust Positioning | Neutral, no paid influence | Mix of paid ads and organic visibility |
| User Experience | Chat-based, interactive, natural language | Search-based, visual grid of products |
| Access | Available to all ChatGPT users (free & Plus) | Available via Google Search & Shopping tab |
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How Does the New ChatGPT Shopping Feature Help?
The new shopping experience in ChatGPT offers users an alternative way to explore products online, combining AI assistance with detailed, structured results. Here’s how it can be useful:
- No sponsored listings: The product results are not influenced by paid placements, thus, users get recommendations based on relevance, unbiased results.
- Detailed Comparisons: Users get comprehensive product information, including prices, visuals, specs, reviews, and direct purchase links, making it easier to compare different options in one place.
- It’s conversational: Users can ask ChatGPT things like “Are these sneakers good for wide feet?” or “Which one’s better for travel?”, making the experience feel more like talking to a personal shopping assistant than scrolling through search results.
Where Does ChatGPT Pull Shopping Results From?
ChatGPT pulls product information from a mix of reliable sources to offer well-rounded, unbiased recommendations. These include:
- Brand & Retailer Sites – Official product details, specifications, and pricing.
- Marketplaces – Listings from platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Ebay.
- Review & Listing Sites – Insights from credible review sites and listicles
- Forums – Real experiences shared on Reddit, Quora, and other communities.
- Editorial Publications – Expert picks from sites like Wired etc.
This blend helps ensure the results are informative and contextually relevant.
How can you list your products on ChatGPT Shopping?
While ChatGPT’s shopping results are organically generated and not influenced by paid placements, there are some advanced AI SEO strategies you can take to enhance your product visibility.
- Structured data implementation: Utilize schema markup (e.g., Product) on your product pages to provide clear information about product details, pricing, and availability.
- Website optimization: Ensure your website is technically sound, fast-loading, mobile-friendly, and easily crawlable, to enhance user experience.
- Earn mentions on trusted sites: Being featured on reputable review sites, marketplaces, and editorial platforms strengthens your product’s credibility and increases chances of visibility.
But, while you focus on these advanced SEO strategies, you may also take some basic steps. As per OpenAI, Any website or merchant can appear in ChatGPT search. To help ensure your content can be discovered, surfaced, and clearly cited and linked, follow these basic guidelines: - Allow access to OpenAI’s web crawler: Ensure that your website permits OpenAI’s crawler, OAI-SearchBot, to access your content. This involves updating your robots.txt file to allow crawling, which enables ChatGPT to discover and surface your products in search results.
- Sign Up for Product Feed Notifications: OpenAI plans to offer a way for merchants to submit product feeds directly, helping ensure listings are accurate and up-to-date. You can register your interest now to receive updates when this feature becomes available. Click here to fill up the form
Take your Brand to the next level with Growth Accelerators
Whether you’re a startup or a growing e-commerce brand, having a presence on platforms like ChatGPT and Google has been essential. At Growth Accelerators, we are a trusted SEO outsourcing company in India, known for offering advanced SEO strategies. We’ve helped numerous clients achieve strong visibility on AI platforms. If you’re looking for expert guidance, book a consultation with us today.
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