OpenAI is preparing to expand ChatGPT’s capabilities once again, this time by stepping into the online shopping space with a feature that directly challenges Google Shopping—albeit with a notable difference.
Soon, users searching for products through ChatGPT Search will see a curated list of recommendations, complete with images, reviews, and direct links to purchase items. Categories at launch will include fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics. While the setup might sound similar to Google’s shopping services, OpenAI’s approach aims to offer a more organic experience.
Unlike Google Shopping, the product suggestions users see in ChatGPT are not paid placements. According to Adam Fry, OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search product lead, results are based on how people discuss and review products rather than driven by ad-based algorithms or sponsored rankings. Fry emphasized that the goal is to create a shopping experience that feels personalized and conversational, moving away from the keyword-centric and ad-heavy model that often dominates traditional shopping search engines.
Another key point is that OpenAI will not receive any commission or kickback from purchases made through the provided links. This strategy could help position ChatGPT as a more neutral and trustworthy shopping companion, especially compared to platforms where commercial interests often dictate what appears first.
Shopping
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) April 28, 2025
We’re experimenting with making shopping simpler and faster to find, compare, and buy products in ChatGPT.
✅ Improved product results
✅ Visual product details, pricing, and reviews
✅ Direct links to buy
Product results are chosen independently and are not ads.… pic.twitter.com/PkZwsTxJUj
Subscribers to the ChatGPT Pro and Plus tiers will benefit further. Thanks to the newly enhanced memory feature, ChatGPT can reference prior conversations to refine its shopping recommendations, offering a more tailored browsing experience over time. Additional smaller improvements are also on the way, such as showing trending searches as users begin typing—a feature reminiscent of autocomplete suggestions on traditional search engines. Enhanced WhatsApp integration will make it easier to interact with the chatbot for search queries as well.
This new shopping feature comes as ChatGPT Search usage continues to climb. OpenAI reported over 1 billion web searches through ChatGPT in the past week, highlighting its growing role as a search and information platform.
This isn’t OpenAI’s first move into shopping. In January 2025, the company launched Operator, an AI agent designed to perform tasks like online shopping autonomously. However, Operator remains exclusive to Pro subscribers at a steep $200 monthly fee.
While many of ChatGPT’s most advanced capabilities remain gated behind subscriptions, OpenAI has made efforts to offer more features to free users as well. For instance, the lightweight version of ChatGPT Deep Research is now available to free users, though it is capped at five queries per month.
As ChatGPT continues evolving into a broader online assistant, the addition of unbiased, conversation-driven shopping tools could help differentiate it from traditional search engines—and perhaps make it a more appealing option for users increasingly frustrated with ad-saturated results elsewhere.
