ChatGPT Shopping: when artificial intelligence becomes your new shopping assistant

For years, eCommerce has been in a constant process of optimization: faster stores, more segmented ads, more precise funnels, and automations that felt almost magical. But while eCommerce kept refining its machinery, consumer behavior began to change.

They no longer search for “women’s running shoes size 38” on Google. Now they ask:

“What comfortable shoes do you recommend for running in the morning when it’s cold?”

That small change changes everything.
Because what used to be a keyword-based search is now a conversational interaction powered by artificial intelligence.
And in this new paradigm, ChatGPT Shopping emerges.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is ChatGPT Shopping and why is everyone talking about it?

• Shopify + ChatGPT: the alliance redefining product discovery

• The invisible power behind: product catalogs and feeds

• Optimized feeds = smarter recommendations
• From classic SEO to “conversational SEO”

What is ChatGPT Shopping and why is everyone talking about it?

ChatGPT Shopping is OpenAI’s new commercial feature that turns ChatGPT (the popular conversational model) into a smart shopping assistant.
It’s not a marketplace or an integrated online store, but a real-time product recommendation ecosystem powered by connected brand catalogs through eCommerce platforms like Shopify.

The concept is simple yet powerful: users describe what they’re looking for, and ChatGPT responds with personalized suggestions of real products, along with images, descriptions, prices, and direct purchase links.

Imagine a conversation like this:

👤 User: “I want a gift for someone who works from home and loves design.”
🤖 ChatGPT: “You could consider a minimalist lamp with adjustable light, a Nordic-style ergonomic chair, or a silent mechanical keyboard. Here are some options from verified stores.”

What’s interesting is that these options don’t come from a traditional search engine, but from connected product catalogs updated in real time.

Shopify + ChatGPT: the alliance redefining product discovery

An optimized feed allows advertising platforms to make smarter decisions.
The result? More precise campaigns, higher CTRs, and better ROI.

Direct advantages:

• Greater visibility in catalog campaigns (Meta, Google, TikTok).
• More accurate segmentation based on purchase intent.
• Automatic updates when price or stock changes occur.
• More personalized creatives thanks to dynamic content tools.

Example: a brand can highlight different products depending on the time of day or the weather, automatically prioritizing the items with the highest likelihood of conversion.

The invisible power behind: product catalogs and feeds

Behind this technological leap lies a silent but essential foundation: the product catalogs.
They are the backbone of the entire advertising ecosystem and, now, of conversational commerce.

A product catalog (or product feed) is a structured database that contains all the information about the items a brand sells online:

• Name, category, and description
• Price, stock, and purchase URL
• Images, variants, and attributes (size, color, material, etc.)

Until now, catalogs were mainly used for:

• Dynamic campaigns on platforms like Meta or Google.
• Automated remarketing, showing viewed or similar products.
• Inventory integrations on marketplaces like Amazon or TikTok Shop.

But with ChatGPT Shopping, catalogs gain a new dimension: they become the language artificial intelligences use to understand what we sell.

Optimized feeds = smarter recommendations

Here’s where a key factor comes into play: feed quality. Unlike a traditional search engine, ChatGPT doesn’t rely on predefined tags or ad bids but on semantic understanding.

For example:

• If a product title says “Running shoes Adidas Ultraboost”, the AI can display it for queries like “comfortable shoes for training” or “footwear for long walks”.
  
  
• But if the feed is poorly structured or full of confusing terms (“Product SKU-2025 Blue”), ChatGPT won’t interpret it or display it correctly.

An optimized feed should:

• Use descriptive, natural titles understandable by both humans and AI.
• Include enriched descriptions with relevant attributes (use, benefits, materials).
• Maintain semantic consistency between categories, images, and prices.
• Avoid duplicates or information errors.

In this context, catalogs are no longer just a technical requirement but a strategic positioning tool in generative AI environments.

From classic SEO to “conversational SEO”

Until recently, brands focused their digital visibility on traditional SEO: optimizing pages to appear at the top of Google results.
Today, that territory expands into what we could call SEO for conversational AI.

It’s no longer just about appearing in a SERP, but about being understood and recommended by models like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity.

This requires a new approach:

• Structure data precisely (catalogs, schemas, tags).
• Write natural, non-automated descriptions.
• Enrich feeds with context of use and product differentiators.

The goal is no longer “to be found” but to be correctly interpreted by an AI.

A new user (and marketing) experience

ChatGPT Shopping doesn’t just change how products are discovered — it changes how brands and consumers connect.
Conversation replaces navigation.
Context replaces clicks.
And recommendation replaces banners.

This approach has clear advantages:

• Less ad noise: users receive helpful answers, not intrusive ads.
• Greater personalization: AI adapts recommendations to interests, weather, or lifestyle.
• More trust: the conversational tone humanizes interaction.
  
  

In the medium term, this could completely transform how brands create content — shifting from writing for search engines to writing for conversational models.

What’s next: intelligent feeds, generative AI, and predictive retail

What we’re seeing with ChatGPT Shopping is just the beginning of a structural change: the fusion of structured data, artificial intelligence, and digital commerce.

In the near future:

• Catalogs will be enriched by AI, generating coherent and dynamic descriptions.
• Feeds will connect in real time to pricing systems and demand prediction engines.
• And AI models will act as intelligent intermediaries between consumers and brands.
  
  

The result will be an ecosystem where users don’t have to search for products but express needs. And the brands that best structure, describe, and update their information will be the ones AI recommends first.

In summary

ChatGPT Shopping represents a new phase of eCommerce: more natural, more contextual, and more connected.
It’s no longer just about showcasing an attractive catalog, but about teaching how to properly optimize product data feeds.