If you have been using Google to search for products before buying, you might not need to anymore. OpenAI has made a big move with its latest update to ChatGPT, making it easier than ever to shop online, and all from within the chat itself.
With this new feature, you can now search for products, check prices, view images, read reviews and even click directly to buy, all in one place. No more jumping between tabs or copy-pasting product names. ChatGPT has started to behave more like a personal shopping assistant than just a chatbot.
ChatGPT takes a leap
Over the past few months, OpenAI has been consistently upgrading ChatGPT, bringing in smart tools that have impressed users globally. From AI image generation that turned photos into Ghibli-style art, to smarter responses, the updates haven’t stopped.
Now, with this latest push, OpenAI seems to be aiming directly at Google’s territory. The company announced that users can now use ChatGPT not just for answering questions, but also to explore and buy products in a much simpler way.
This feature has been added under ChatGPT’s “Search” mode, where users can look things up across the web. But unlike traditional search engines, ChatGPT now gives you contextual shopping suggestions. That means it won’t just throw a list of links at you, it will guide you with detailed results, complete with images, pricing and reviews, helping you compare and decide quickly.
What makes the feature different
The company says that this update helps users search, compare and shop faster and with more ease. All of this runs on ChatGPT’s default GPT-4o model, which is already known for its advanced responses.
Interestingly, OpenAI also mentioned that the search feature is currently the fastest-growing part of ChatGPT. In just the past week, over 1 billion searches were made using ChatGPT’s search mode. That’s a huge number and shows how people are already exploring this new way of browsing the internet.
And if you are wondering about ads, OpenAI has clarified that the product listings shown are not advertisements. So what you see is based on search relevance, not on someone paying to appear first.
Who can use it? Almost everyone
The good news is that this updated shopping feature is rolling out not just to paid subscribers, but also to free users. It will gradually become available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro and even users who aren’t logged in. Basically, if you can access ChatGPT, this feature should be available to you soon.
The full rollout is expected to complete over the next few days.
One more useful update
That’s not all. OpenAI has also added a handy update for WhatsApp users. If you want live sports scores or up-to-date answers, you can now message +1-800-242-8478 on WhatsApp and get instant results through ChatGPT. This number acts like a ChatGPT bot inside your messaging app, making real-time information even easier to access.
