OpenAI launches shopping research in ChatGPT to build personalised buying guides

OpenAI, led by CEO Sam Altman, has unveiled a new shopping experience inside ChatGPT that promises to do the heavy lifting of product research and return a tailored buyer’s guide within minutes.

Labelled 'Shopping research', the feature has begun rolling out on mobile and web to logged‑in users across Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans, with nearly unlimited usage during the holiday period.

Instead of trawling multiple tabs, users can describe what they need—say a quiet cordless vacuum for a flat, a stroller comparison, or a gift brief—and ChatGPT will ask clarifying questions, scan current information across retailers and trusted reviews, and assemble a concise guide outlining top picks, trade‑offs and up‑to‑date pricing and availability.

The experience supports interactive feedback so people can mark items as “Not interested” or request “More like this” as the research evolves.

OpenAI said shopping research is available on iOS, Android and web for ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus and Pro users, and that limits may change after the holiday period.

How does shopping research work?

The feature is powered by a version of GPT‑5 mini, post‑trained and reinforced specifically for shopping tasks.

According to OpenAI, the model is designed to read trusted sources, cite them, synthesise details (specs, pricing, availability) and adapt in real time as the user refines constraints—resulting in a response that feels both well‑researched and personalised.

OpenAI also stated that chats are not shared with retailers; results are “organic” and drawn from publicly available retail sites, with citations.

Merchants that want to appear can use an allow‑listing process. At checkout, users currently click through to a retailer, with OpenAI noting that direct purchasing will be available for merchants participating in Instant Checkout where offered.

What users will see in the guide

The final buyer’s guide will typically include a plain‑English explainer of what to consider, a short list of top picks with rationale, side‑by‑side comparisons for key attributes, and a longer scrollable list of matching options to explore further.

Users can continue the chat to add constraints (budget‑only options, exclude certain brands, change use case) and the tool will adapt accordingly.

ChatGPT can suggest launching shopping research when it detects a complex shopping query, or users can choose it from the (+) menu. OpenAI has also made the experience available within ChatGPT Pulse for Pro users, which can proactively surface relevant buyer’s guides based on prior conversations.

OpenAI cautioned that while the model has improved at citing product details, it can still make mistakes—especially on fast‑changing items like price and stock—so shoppers should confirm details on the merchant’s site before purchasing.

Why this matters for startups and retailers

For founders and commerce teams, the update signals a shift toward agentic, research‑grade shopping flows inside popular assistants.

It aims to reduce friction in discovery and comparison without paid placement, while leaving conversion on merchant sites or, in time, via Instant Checkout integrations—potentially reshaping how product information is aggregated and presented at the point of intent.

For OpenAI, the launch follows a string of consumer‑facing upgrades, including group chats—now expanding to all logged‑in users globally across Free, Go, Plus and Pro—which allow people to collaborate with each other and ChatGPT in the same conversation.