OpenAI has launched shopping research, a new conversational tool within ChatGPT designed to help users find the right products without sifting through multiple websites. Instead of manually comparing features or reading dozens of reviews, users can describe what they need — from a “quiet cordless stick vacuum for a small apartment”, “Help me choose between these three bikes,” to “I need a gift for my four year old niece who loves art” — and ChatGPT generates a personalized buyer’s guide.

This new experience asks clarifying questions, analyzes details from high-quality sources, and uses knowledge from past conversations and ChatGPT memory to refine recommendations. The feature begins rolling out today for logged-in users across Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans, with nearly unlimited usage offered throughout the holidays.

Hundreds of millions of people already use ChatGPT to research and compare products. Shopping research extends that capability by focusing on deeper decision-making — especially when users need to balance constraints, compare tradeoffs, or understand complex feature sets.

The system transforms product discovery into a conversation. It asks questions about budget, preferences, lifestyle, and intended use, then returns options that reflect those priorities. This approach is particularly effective in detail-heavy categories, including electronics, beauty, home and garden, kitchen and appliances, and sports and outdoor.

For simple questions like checking a price or confirming a spec, a standard ChatGPT response remains the quickest path. But when decisions require more depth, the shopping research tool provides a structured, well-researched answer within a few minutes.

The feature supports a wide range of real-world tasks, including:

Shopping research is also available through ChatGPT Pulse, currently offered to ChatGPT Pro users. For example, if a user recently discussed e-bikes, Pulse may proactively suggest related accessories in the future.

Users can begin by asking any shopping-related question. ChatGPT will suggest launching the shopping research interface, which is also accessible from the (+) menu.

The process starts with a visual interface where users can chat, refine preferences, or upload details like images of similar products. You’ll describe what you need and respond to clarifying questions about your budget, who the item is for, and which features matter most. With memory enabled, the system can factor in known preferences — for example, surfacing gaming-friendly laptops for users who often discuss gaming.

Behind the scenes, ChatGPT searches the internet for up-to-date pricing, availability, reviews, specifications, and images. Users can mark products as “Not interested” or request “More like this,” helping the system adjust recommendations in real time.

In a few minutes, ChatGPT delivers a structured buyer’s guide summarizing top products, key differences, strengths, weaknesses, and relevant tradeoffs. Users can click through to retailer sites to complete their purchase. In the future, purchases may be made directly in ChatGPT through Instant Checkout, where supported.

Shopping research is powered by a customized version of GPT-5 mini, trained with reinforcement learning specifically for commerce-related tasks. The model is designed to read and synthesize information from trusted sources, cite reliable details, and update its results interactively based on user feedback.

This training approach enables the model to produce high-quality product guides that reflect current data, user preferences, and real-time adjustments — creating a personalized shopping experience that feels both researched and tailored.

Shopping research is built with transparency in mind. Chats are not shared with retailers, and all results come organically from publicly available retail sites. The system reads product pages directly, cites the sources it uses, and avoids low-quality or spam-oriented websites. Merchants who want their products to appear in shopping research results can participate through the allowlisting process.

Although the model behind shopping research performs better than OpenAI’s other models in internal tests focused on citing product details accurately, it is not flawless. It may occasionally make mistakes about information such as pricing or availability. Users are encouraged to check the retailer’s website for the most up-to-date details.

The goal is to make complex buying decisions easier. As ChatGPT evolves, shopping research will expand to more categories, refine personalization, and offer increasingly intuitive ways to compare and discover products.

Q: What makes this different from a normal ChatGPT response?
A: Regular responses are fast and great for simple questions. Shopping research takes more time and generates a deeper, comparison-focused guide.

Q: Is this available to all users?
A: Yes. It is rolling out on mobile and web for Free, Go, Plus, and Pro users, with nearly unlimited usage during the holidays.

Q: Where does the information come from?
A: The system reads from trusted, high-quality sources online to gather pricing, availability, reviews, and specs.

Q: Will ChatGPT remember my preferences?
A: If memory is enabled, yes. Shopping research can incorporate past likes, interests, or patterns to personalize results.

The introduction of shopping research in ChatGPT signals a major shift in how consumers will make purchasing decisions online. With Google, Perplexity, and now OpenAI all releasing AI-driven shopping assistants, it’s clear that product discovery is moving away from traditional search and toward conversational, personalized decision engines.

This update positions ChatGPT as a central layer in that transition. Instead of scrolling through endless links, reviews, and retailer pages, users can now rely on an AI system that understands their needs, asks clarifying questions, and delivers a curated buyer’s guide built around their preferences. It turns product research — one of the most time-consuming online tasks — into a guided conversation.

The stakes are high. Whoever becomes the primary interface for shopping decisions will shape how people navigate the entire online marketplace. With GPT-5 mini supporting real-time research, personalization, and interactive refinement, ChatGPT is now competing directly in a rapidly accelerating race to redefine the shopping experience.

For consumers, this means faster, clearer, and more confident decisions.
For the AI ecosystem, it marks a decisive moment: shopping is becoming one of the first mainstream workflows where AI doesn’t just assist — it leads.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.