OpenAI added a new shopping assistant feature called “Shopping Research” to ChatGPT on November 24, 2025, timed for the Black Friday shopping season.
What is Shopping Research
Shopping Research is a new shopping assistant feature available within ChatGPT. It researches product information across the internet and creates personalized buyer’s guides for users.
Key features:
- Clarifying questions: Asks questions to understand user needs
- Deep research: Extensively searches product pages, reviews, and prices across the internet
- Quality sources: References trustworthy review sites and high-fidelity web content
- Personalized guides: Generates customizable buyer’s guides based on user requirements
How to Use
Shopping Research can be accessed through:
- Automatic activation: Automatically triggers when you ask shopping-related questions
- Manual selection: Select “shopping research” from the (+) menu in the app or desktop
Supported plans:
- ChatGPT Free
- ChatGPT Go
- ChatGPT Plus
- ChatGPT Pro
For Pro users, Shopping Research is also integrated into “ChatGPT Pulse” (daily curated updates), proactively suggesting personalized buyer’s guides based on past conversations.
Differences from Previous Shopping Features
While OpenAI has offered shopping capabilities in ChatGPT before, Shopping Research provides more advanced research functionality:
- Similar to Deep Research: When given a product description, ChatGPT searches the internet to build a guide
- Comparative shopping: Analysis comparing different products
- Deal discovery: Finding sales and discount codes
- Similar product suggestions: Recommending alternatives to specified items
Transparency and Trust
OpenAI emphasizes reliability in Shopping Research:
- Organic reviews: References actual reviews and web content, not advertisements
- Links to trustworthy sources: Provides links to review sites for users to verify details
- Respecting block settings: Honors websites that block the research function from accessing their sites
Currently, if users want to purchase an item, they are redirected to brand or retailer sites—transactions cannot be completed within ChatGPT.
OpenAI’s Commercialization Strategy
Earlier this month, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar mentioned commerce as a path to profitability:
- Commission from the product discovery process
- Commission from completed transactions
Shopping Research represents a concrete step in this strategy.
For Merchants
OpenAI provides an allowlisting process for merchants who want their products to appear in Shopping Research results.
Summary
ChatGPT Shopping Research offers a new AI-powered shopping experience:
- Free access: Available on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans
- Deep research capabilities: Extensive internet search functionality
- Personalization: Generates guides tailored to user preferences
- Transparency: Clearly cites trustworthy sources for user verification
Heading into Black Friday and the holiday season, OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT as a shopping partner while advancing its commercialization strategy.