Tag: Shopping Trends

OpenAI Rethinks ChatGPT Shopping: A New Approach to Purchases
I recently came across an intriguing development: OpenAI is revamping its strategy on how ChatGPT handles online shopping. Initially, the plan was to allow purchases directly through ChatGPT, but now it seems transactions will be moving to retailer apps connected via ChatGPT, according to a report from The Information.

Why I find this important: ChatGPT is striving to evolve beyond just a discovery tool. While it excels at helping people find products, actual purchases aren’t keeping pace. This trend indicates that the power of AI is currently more influential in the product consideration phase rather than conversion.

What happened: OpenAI initially intended to let users buy products directly from ChatGPT’s search results. However, an OpenAI spokesperson has stated that their Instant Checkout service will now be handled through Apps within connected services rather than ChatGPT itself.
- The focus will now shift to enhancing product search and discovery capabilities within ChatGPT.
- OpenAI will also continue its collaboration with Stripe on the Agentic Commerce Protocol to support these app-based transactions.
The shift: Research by OpenAI showed that while users explore products using ChatGPT, they often finalize purchases elsewhere. According to the report, only a handful of merchants fully utilized the native ChatGPT checkout feature.
- In September, OpenAI had touted Instant Checkout as a significant opportunity, mentioning plans for U.S. users to purchase items from Etsy and future expansions to Shopify and beyond.
In the meantime, Shopify’s president, Harley Finkelstein, recently noted that only about a dozen Shopify merchants are utilizing AI tools. This number is quite small relative to Shopify’s entire merchant base, despite the company’s support for integrations with ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

What I’m watching for: Will OpenAI manage to elevate ChatGPT’s value as a platform for discovering products without being involved in the actual transaction? Additionally, how will OpenAI’s approach to commerce align with its advertising goals? If transactions remain external, monetizing product discovery via ads might become crucial.

Why the change is occurring: According to Leigh McKenzie, director of online visibility at Semrush, two factors are hindering agentic commerce: infrastructure and trust. Normalizing real-time catalogs across vast SKU numbers is a complex issue Google tackled with Merchant Center. Moreover, consumers tend to trust familiar checkout processes like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and Amazon.

Further reading: To dive deeper, check out the full report on OpenAI’s scaled-back shopping plans for ChatGPT, available via The Information (subscription required).

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
March 6, 2026
Revealing Trends: Only 10% of ChatGPT Prompts Trigger Shopping

After tracking an incredible 2 million ChatGPT prompts, I found a surprising trend: shopping appears in less than 10% of them. Diving deeply into the data over nine months, it was clear that a staggering 79% of prompts simply never activated a shopping response.

What intrigued me further was the persistence of those that did trigger shopping. There was an impressive 83% chance they would do so again the following day. However, this persistence isn’t indefinite. Model updates seem to wash away those triggers overnight.

In my quest to understand these patterns, I analyzed 26 million prompts across 13,000 categories. The goal was to pinpoint where shopping emerges, how reliable this occurrence is, and what insights this holds for brands shaping their strategies on a platform where responses are sparsely shopping-oriented.

Inspired by this post on Try Profound Blog.

March 5, 2026
Google Enhances Shopping Ads: More Promotions for 2026

Having worked closely with Google’s Shopping platform, I’ve seen the evolution of their policies first-hand. Recently, they’ve made significant updates for 2026, allowing advertisers more creative ways to engage with consumers through various promotions.

Google’s updated Shopping policies are expanding eligibility criteria for promotions, offering merchants greater flexibility starting next year. This change is a game-changer for those of us looking to leverage newer promotional formats like subscriptions and localized payment incentives.

What brought this change? Google is enhancing its promotion guidelines to include more types like subscription discounts, common promotional abbreviations, and specific payment offers in Brazil. These updates aim to align better with current consumer purchasing behaviors.

Why it matters to me. Promotions are vital for standing out in Shopping results, impacting both visibility and conversion rates. With these updates, I now have the chance to use new promotion formats that resonate with today’s buyers, particularly for subscriptions and cashback deals. The expanded flexibility reduces the risk of disapproval and makes my Shopping ads far more compelling during critical decision-making moments.

If you’re like me and rely on subscriptions or local payment incentives, this policy update opens up new avenues for visibility and conversion on Google Shopping.

What’s new? Now, promotions can be linked to subscription fees, with possibilities for free trials or discounts on initial billing cycles. Setting these offers up is straightforward: select “Subscribe and save” in Merchant Center or use the subscribe_and_save redemption option in promotion feeds. Examples could be offering a free first month or a significant discount for the first few subscription periods.

Additionally, there’s a relaxation on language restrictions. I’m excited that common promotional abbreviations like BOGO, B1G1, MRP, and MSRP are now supported, making it easier to reflect real-world retail lingo without risking ad disapproval.

In Brazil only, Google is now accommodating promotions linked to specific payment methods, including cashback deals associated with digital wallets. Merchants need to opt for “Forms of payment” in the Merchant Center or use the forms_of_payment redemption restriction. As of now, there are no plans to expand this to other markets.

Reading between the lines. These policy changes indicate Google’s intent to better align promotional strategies with modern retail dynamics — particularly focusing on subscriptions and localized payment methods, thereby reducing hurdles for merchants like me.

In summary. By broadening the categories for promotions, Google allows us as advertisers to compete on added value, not just pricing, with upcoming Shopping policy updates set for January 2026.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

January 12, 2026
AI Dominance in Black Friday Shopping Unveiled

This past Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I delved into the fascinating insights from our Black Friday Index, crafted from a vast pool of 400 million genuine conversations. It was enlightening to see which brands stood out as AI’s top recommendations, especially as so many of us relied on Answer Engines to hunt down the best deals.

As I explored the data, the impact of AI on shopping trends became crystal clear. The technology not only streamlined how we search for deals but also influenced brand visibility and consumer choices. The excitement of seeing how AI is reshaping shopping habits made this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday particularly intriguing for me.

The findings from the Black Friday Index are a testament to the growing importance of AI in retail, showing us how indispensable it has become for both consumers and brands. Being part of this evolution makes me look forward to what future shopping events will bring, especially as technology continues to advance.

Inspired by this post on Try Profound Blog.

December 20, 2025