ChatGPT Launches Conversational Shopping Experience with Personalised Product Recommendations

OpenAI has unveiled a major update to ChatGPT, introducing a new conversational shopping feature aimed at streamlining online purchases. Rolled out globally on April 28 for Free, Plus, Pro, and logged-out users, the update enables users to search for fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics and receive AI-generated recommendations, pricing comparisons, reviews, and direct shopping links — all within the chat interface. The experience promises to eliminate the traditional hassle of juggling multiple tabs during product research, instead offering a one-stop platform for informed purchasing decisions.

Unlike traditional search engines or social media platforms, ChatGPT’s product suggestions are powered by artificial intelligence and are not influenced by advertising. According to Matt Weaver, OpenAI’s EMEA head of solutions engineering, the goal is to simplify the research-heavy shopping journey, especially as users increasingly rely on their own investigations before trusting a brand. A Vogue Business and Archrival study supports this, showing that nearly 70% of Gen Z and millennial consumers prioritize independent research before making purchases.

The platform will also start personalising shopping suggestions based on previous conversations, though this feature won’t initially be available in the EEA, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein due to stricter privacy laws. OpenAI plans to enhance product listings by inviting merchants to submit their own feeds, ensuring up-to-date and accurate recommendations. While early in development, OpenAI sees this as a first step in redefining the online shopping experience through conversational AI.

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