OpenAI has unveiled a major update to ChatGPT’s search capabilities, aiming to create a more personalized and seamless online shopping experience for users. Announced on Monday, the new feature is now available in ChatGPT’s default AI model, GPT-4o, and will be accessible globally to all users — including Free, Plus, and Pro tiers — as well as even those browsing without an account.
With the update, when users search for products within ChatGPT, they will receive tailored recommendations enhanced with images, customer reviews, and direct links to purchase pages. Categories such as fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics are among the first being supported. OpenAI emphasized that users can pose highly specific questions in natural language and receive customized results in return.
Importantly, the shopping results are determined independently, based on structured metadata from third-party sources — including pricing, product descriptions, and reviews — and will not feature advertisements. OpenAI also confirmed that it does not earn commissions or affiliate fees from purchases made through the platform, reinforcing its commitment to an ad-free shopping experience.
The launch comes amid growing competition with Google, whose search results have faced increasing criticism for being cluttered with paid ads. OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT as a cleaner, more user-focused alternative. Online shopping is one of Google’s biggest revenue drivers, but heavy ad placements have been cited as diminishing the quality of its results. OpenAI’s approach could reshape how users discover products online.
The popularity of ChatGPT’s search tool has surged significantly, with OpenAI revealing that users made over a billion web searches through ChatGPT in just the past week. In February, OpenAI also reported surpassing 400 million weekly active users, signaling its rapidly expanding influence in the online ecosystem.
Looking ahead, OpenAI plans to make the shopping experience even more personalized by integrating its memory feature — which remembers previous user conversations — for Pro and Plus users. This will allow ChatGPT to refine product suggestions based on an individual’s preferences and past queries. However, memory-related personalization features will not initially roll out in the EU, U.K., Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein due to regulatory considerations.
In addition, ChatGPT search is introducing trending searches, similar to Google’s autocomplete suggestions, helping users discover popular topics as they type. The company has also extended ChatGPT search capabilities to WhatsApp, offering users real-time answers and shopping assistance through messaging.
Previously, OpenAI had experimented with product discovery using its AI agent platform “Operator,” but the new ChatGPT search feature provides a faster and more interactive shopping experience directly within conversations.
While OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has historically resisted incorporating advertising into ChatGPT, he recently signaled openness to “tasteful” affiliate models that prioritize user experience without compromising search integrity. For now, however, ChatGPT’s shopping updates remain completely ad-free — a notable differentiation in today’s increasingly commercialized search landscape.
