OpenAI released a new feature for ChatGPT called “Shopping Research” that helps you find products via personalized buyer guides built from publicly available product info and what it knows about you. The feature rolled out last week for ChatGPT users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans just in time for Black Friday.
OpenAI says that Shopping Research “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.”
Here's what Shopping Research can do:
- Discover new products – “Help me find a new laptop suitable for gaming under $1000 with a screen that's over 15 inches.”
- Find
dupeslookalikes – “I'm looking for a dress that looks like this, but is full length and less than $250.” - Compare items – “I need a stroller that's lightweight, compact, and easy to fold, and can handle city sidewalks and some rough terrain. Compare these three models and determine which is best for my needs.”
- Choose gifts – “I need a gift for my favorite newsletter operator who lives in Cuenca, Ecuador.”
- Find deals – “Help me find the best Cyber Monday deals for 65″ smart TVs.”
Here's how it works:
- The user asks ChatGPT a shopping question such as, “Find me the best lightweight fast-drying travel pants with cargo pockets that zip for under $50.”
- ChatGPT automatically suggests the Shopping Research tool when it's applicable.
- If selected, ChatGPT generates a short quiz to acquire more information about features, preferences, and budget.
- From there, it creates a personalized buying guide with best options, comparison tables, and swipe cards (depending on the guide).
It's pretty impressive in terms of output, but I didn't spend enough time with it to confirm whether the information it provided in the buyer guides was accurate — or if it was anything like the traditional ChatGPT experience nowadays, which makes stuff up all the time.
I did one test for “best lightweight travel pants with cargo pockets that zip for under $50,” and it actually recommended the Wrangler pants that I've been buying for the past decade even though I've never had a conversation with it about them, which was pretty cool. So it must be doing something right!
OpenAI has recently inked deals with Walmart, Etsy, Shopify, and Target, but the company says that its Shopping Research tool won't show any favoritism in its product recommendations, which are currently all unsponsored. There is no checkout feature within Shopping Research, but OpenAI said that it'll be possible to integrate with its Instant Checkout feature later on. First they just “wanted to focus on making a really great discovery experience.”