ChatGPT has a new feature allowing users to browse and shop products directly through AI-generated recommendations, without a search engine, shopping site, or even a scroll. It's the biggest shift in digital commerce since the algorithm killed the homepage. And if brands don't adapt fast, they'll be left behind in a conversation they're no longer part of. This isn't just about ecommerce. It's about how people choose what matters.
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web. OpenAI launched shopping research in ChatGPT. Google Ads accounts are being hijacked and it seems Google is not able to do much about it. Google Local Service Ads is testing removing the more listings button. Google expanded the what to know to core search for product details. Google is reinstating suspended hotel listings.
OpenAI announced shopping research within ChatGPT, "a new experience in ChatGPT that does the research for you to help you find the right products," as OpenAI put it. ChatGPT can now help you research the right product for you. OpenAI wrote, "it asks smart clarifying questions, researches deeply across the internet, reviews quality sources, and builds on ChatGPT's understanding of you from past conversations and your ChatGPT memory to deliver a personalized buyer's guide in minutes."
ChatGPT now drives roughly 20% of Walmart's referral traffic, Modern Retail previously reported. It's worth noting, however, that referral clicks account for less than 5% of total site visits. A working paper authored by OpenAI's Economic Research team found that around 2% of all ChatGPT queries involve shopping, or about 50 million queries per day. Selling its wares within ChatGPT positions Walmart to capture sales if AI-powered shopping takes off.
