ChatGPT Adds Shopping Research For Product Discovery

OpenAI has introduced shopping research in ChatGPT, a new feature designed to help users make informed purchasing decisions through personalized buyer’s guides. This tool brings product discovery, comparison, and decision making into a single conversational experience. Rolling out on mobile and web, it is available to all logged-in users across Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. With nearly unlimited usage through the holiday season, this feature marks a significant step in how AI assists with online shopping.

How Shopping Research Works?

Unlike a standard ChatGPT response, shopping research is an interactive and guided process. Users begin by describing the type of product they are looking for. ChatGPT then asks clarifying questions about budget, preferences, and specific requirements. After collecting enough details, it produces a customized buyer’s guide within minutes.

The system scans publicly available retail sites to gather essential information including pricing, availability, specifications, reviews, and images. During the process, users can refine results by marking items as not interested or by requesting more like this. This continuous feedback loop allows the tool to adjust recommendations in real time, offering more precise matches based on evolving user needs.

Key Features and Capabilities

OpenAI highlights that shopping research is built for deeper, more nuanced decision making. The feature transforms product discovery into a natural conversation that identifies what matters most to the user. It is particularly effective in categories such as electronics, beauty, home and garden, kitchen and appliances, and sports and outdoor.

The system is powered by a specialized GPT5 mini model that has been post trained on GPT5 Thinking mini. This configuration enables stronger reasoning about product attributes and constraints. Internal evaluations show improved performance, with 52 percent product accuracy on multi constraint queries. By comparison, ChatGPT Search scored 37 percent under the same conditions. Product accuracy measures how well the recommendations align with user requirements such as price range, features, color, and materials.

Privacy and Data Handling

OpenAI emphasizes that user chats are not shared with retailers. All results are sourced organically from publicly accessible retail websites rather than sponsored listings. Merchants who wish to appear in shopping research results must go through an allowlisting process, ensuring transparency and control over participation. While the system is powerful, OpenAI acknowledges that it may occasionally present incorrect information, especially regarding price or product availability. Users are encouraged to verify details directly on retailer websites before making final purchasing decisions. The feature is designed to guide discovery, not replace authoritative merchant information.

Try shopping research in ChatGPT

Why This Release Matters?

Shopping research consolidates the early stages of online product comparison into a single, streamlined experience. As more consumers rely on conversational AI for recommendations, retailers and affiliate publishers may see reduced direct search traffic during the research phase. This makes accurate product representation and participation in OpenAI’s allowlisting process increasingly important for visibility. The feature is now available for all logged-in ChatGPT users. OpenAI also plans to introduce direct purchasing through ChatGPT for merchants enrolled in Instant Checkout. While no timeline has been shared, this would further expand how users interact with products inside the platform.

Final thoughts

OpenAI’s shopping research marks a major advancement in AI assisted shopping. By offering personalized buyer’s guides, real time refinement, and detailed product insights, the tool simplifies complex purchasing decisions and enhances the shopping journey. As the feature evolves, it may reshape the way consumers perform product research and how merchants engage with AI driven discovery.

Related search: OpenAI’s GPT 5 vs Past Versions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is shopping research in ChatGPT
It is a feature that creates personalized buyer’s guides by gathering product data from across the web based on your preferences.

Who can use this feature
All logged-in users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans can access it on both mobile and web.

How does it gather product information
It pulls publicly available data such as prices, reviews, specifications, and images from retail sites.

Are my chats shared with retailers
No. OpenAI states that user conversations are never shared with merchants.

Does the tool provide accurate results
It performs well but may occasionally make mistakes, so verifying details on retailer websites is recommended.

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Dony Garvasis

Dony Garvasis is the founder of Search Ethics, a platform dedicated to transparency, authenticity, and ethical digital practices. With over six years of experience in SEO and digital marketing, I provide expert content on Tech, digital marketing, SEO, Artificial intelligence, gadgets, science, automobiles, lifestyle, tips, tutorials and much more. My mission is simple: Ethical Search, Genuine Results! I will make sure people everywhere get trustworthy and helpful information.

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