Despite various cost of living and inflation concerns, the UK e-commerce market is thriving, with revenues projected to reach £120 billion in 2025 by year-end.
But things are changing quickly in terms of consumer habits online, with the advent of AI, how people may find your products is diversifying.
A new feature, ChatGPT Shopping, launched by OpenAI in April 2025, is redefining how consumers discover and purchase products through conversational AI. Many of us have used AI tools for advice on purchases and shopping but until now AI tools have not provided direct product links.
For e-commerce businesses, this is a pivotal moment to adapt to a platform that’s capturing consumer attention with over 1 billion weekly searches. Yet, as a relatively new feature, many businesses are unsure how to leverage it. This guide provides a comprehensive set of recommendations to help e-commerce businesses and marketing professionals optimise for ChatGPT Shopping, ensuring your products are visible, competitive, and ready for this AI-driven future.
As a side note, these recommendations should also benefit your SEO and your shopping feeds for other channels such as Google Shopping and Bing Shopping.
What ChatGPT Shopping Looks Like
ChatGPT Shopping integrates curated product listings directly into the ChatGPT interface, triggered by highly specific, conversational user queries.
Similar in principal to Google Shopping or Bing Shopping, ChatGPT presents a visually engaging carousel featuring product images, prices, star ratings, availability, and direct links to merchant checkouts. These results are organic, not influenced by paid advertising, which levels the playing field for smaller retailers.
For example, a user might ask, “I’m looking for a vegan leather backpack under £150, made sustainably in the UK, with a laptop compartment and water-resistant material for daily commuting.” ChatGPT responds with a tailored carousel showcasing backpacks from brands like Elvis & Kresse or Troubadour, complete with detailed descriptions, customer ratings (e.g., 4.7/5 stars), and “Buy Now” links to the retailers’ sites. This precision caters to consumers who use ChatGPT’s conversational interface to articulate nuanced preferences, mimicking a personal shopping assistant. The experience is seamless, blending real-time browsing, personalised recommendations, and one-click purchasing.
Where ChatGPT Gets Its Data
ChatGPT Shopping aggregates data from multiple sources to deliver accurate, relevant recommendations. These include:
- Product Metadata: Titles, descriptions, prices, and specifications from e-commerce websites.
- Shop Catalogues: Inventory data from online stores, often accessed via structured data (e.g., Schema.org markup).
- Public Ratings and Reviews: Customer feedback from retailer sites and third-party platforms like Trustpilot or Feefo.
- User-Generated Content: Photos, testimonials, and social media mentions that enhance product credibility.
- Real-Time Web Data: OpenAI’s web crawler, OAI-SearchBot, fetches up-to-date pricing, stock levels, and promotions through live browsing.
Unlike Google Shopping, which heavily weights paid placements, ChatGPT’s organic algorithm prioritises relevance and quality signals, such as detailed product information, consistent pricing across sources, and strong customer reviews. This approach benefits businesses that invest in taking care of their customers and getting authentic customer feedback, regardless of their advertising budget. However, it also means businesses must ensure their data is accessible and well-structured to be indexed effectively.
How It Compares to Google and Bing Shopping
ChatGPT Shopping operates as a standalone feature but complements existing platforms like Bing and Google Shopping. Its integration with Bing’s AI chat, powered by shared infrastructure, has grown Bing’s usage, suggesting some overlap in data processing for certain queries. For instance, a search for “sustainable running shoes” on ChatGPT might pull similar results to Bing’s AI-driven recommendations, though formatted differently. Meanwhile, Google Shopping remains a powerhouse, with 38% of UK consumers starting their purchase journey via search engines, excelling for broad, keyword-based searches.
ChatGPT’s strength lies in its conversational interface, which caters to users seeking curated, intent-driven recommendations. For example, a user asking, “What’s the best coffee machine for a small office with a budget of £200?” receives a tailored selection, whereas Google might return a broader list dominated by sponsored listings. E-commerce businesses must optimise for both ecosystems to capture diverse consumer behaviours, with ChatGPT serving as a critical channel for detailed, consultant-like queries.
Recommendations for E-Commerce Businesses
To capitalise on ChatGPT Shopping, UK e-commerce businesses should adopt the following strategies, designed to enhance visibility, improve customer experience, and stay ahead of this evolving technology.
1. Optimise Your Website for AI Crawlers
ChatGPT relies on OpenAI’s OAI-SearchBot to index e-commerce sites. Ensure your site is crawler-friendly by checking your robots.txt file, as some content management systems (e.g., WordPress, Shopify) may inadvertently block AI bots. Use tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Knowatoa’s AI Search Console to verify access and identify indexing issues. Implement Schema.org structured data for products, including attributes like Product, Offer, Review, and AggregateRating. For example, a structured data snippet for a jacket might include its name, price, SKU, material, and customer ratings. To get started with Schema.org, refer to Schema.org’s official guide on product markup, which provides step-by-step instructions and examples. This helps ChatGPT accurately parse and recommend your products.
Additionally, ensure your site loads quickly and is secure (HTTPS), as performance impacts crawler efficiency. Fix broken links or redirect errors, as these can hinder indexing. For dynamic inventory, use sitemaps to signal frequent updates, ensuring ChatGPT reflects current stock levels.
2. Craft Detailed, Conversational Product Listings
ChatGPT’s conversational queries require product listings that are precise, customer-focused, and aligned with how shoppers express their needs. To create effective listings, start by identifying customer questions and priorities at a product category level. For example, for a category like “coffee machines,” customers might ask about brew time, ease of cleaning, compatibility with pods, or energy efficiency. To uncover these insights:
- Analyse Customer Service Requests: Review customer emails, live chats, or call logs to identify recurring questions. For instance, if customers frequently ask about a coffee machine’s water tank capacity, include this detail in your listings.
- Explore Offline Customer Wikis: Check internal knowledge bases or community forums where customers discuss your products. These often reveal specific pain points or preferences, such as “compact size for small kitchens.”
- Research Competitor Websites: Examine how competitors describe similar products. For example, a competitor’s listing for running shoes might highlight “breathable mesh” or “arch support,” which you can adapt to match customer priorities.
- Study Amazon Reviews: Analyse reviews for similar products on Amazon to identify what customers value or complain about. For instance, reviews for wireless earbuds might emphasize battery life or comfort during exercise, guiding your listing content.
Use these insights to craft keyword-rich descriptions that mirrors how users speak. For example, instead of a generic title like “Wireless Earbuds,” use “Wireless Noise-Cancelling Earbuds with 20-Hour Battery Life and Sweat-Resistant Design for Workouts.” Avoid generic or overly creative terms that might confuse the AI. For instance, a listing titled “Eco-Friendly Bamboo Sunglasses with Polarised Lenses, Made in the UK” is more likely to surface for a query like “sustainable sunglasses for summer holidays” than a vague “Summer Shades.”
Include secondary attributes like materials (e.g., “recycled plastic casing”), certifications (e.g., Fair Trade, IPX5 Waterproof), or use cases (e.g., “ideal for running or commuting”). This ensures your listings match queries like “best earbuds for jogging under £100 that won’t fall out.”
High-resolution product images are critical, as ChatGPT pulls visuals for its carousels. Use images of at least 800×800 pixels, well-lit, showing multiple angles, and ideally in real-world contexts (e.g., a backpack being used on a commute). Videos, 360-degree views, or lifestyle shots can further enhance engagement. Regularly update listings based on new customer feedback to stay relevant to evolving search patterns.
3. Prioritise Reviews and User-Generated Content
Customer reviews are a cornerstone of ChatGPT’s recommendation algorithm, and their importance has grown significantly due to their conversational and natural language, which closely aligns with the detailed, intent-driven queries users type into ChatGPT. Unlike traditional star ratings or brief feedback, modern reviews often read like mini-conversations, detailing specific experiences and addressing customer priorities. For example, a review for a coffee machine might say, “This machine is perfect for my small flat—it brews quickly, is easy to clean, and fits my budget at £150.” Such a review directly maps to a ChatGPT query like “best compact coffee machine under £200 for a small kitchen,” making it more likely for the product to appear in search results. This conversational alignment allows ChatGPT to match products to user needs, elevating reviews as a critical ranking factor.
To leverage this, actively encourage detailed, authentic reviews on your website and third-party platforms like Trustpilot or Feefo. For example, a product with a 4.8/5-star rating backed by 200+ detailed reviews is far more likely to be recommended than one with sparse or generic feedback. Implement strategies to boost review volume and quality:
- Prompt Specific Feedback: After purchase, send emails asking customers to share what they loved about the product, focusing on aspects like usability, features, or value. For example, for a pair of running shoes, ask, “How comfortable were they on your run, and did they meet your expectations for support?”
- Incentivise Reviews: Offer small incentives, like discounts or loyalty points, for leaving reviews, ensuring compliance with platform guidelines (e.g., Amazon’s review policies). Encourage customers to mention specific use cases, such as “great for long hikes” or “perfect for daily commutes.”
- Respond to Reviews: Engage with both positive and negative reviews to show responsiveness, which builds trust and signals to ChatGPT’s algorithm that your business is active and customer-focused.
- Leverage Negative Feedback: Use constructive criticism to improve listings. If multiple reviews mention a product’s weight as an issue, address it in your description (e.g., “lightweight design at 500g”) to align with customer concerns.
User-generated content (UGC), such as customer photos, unboxing videos, or social media posts, further increases your products’ appeal. Reviews and UGC provide the authentic, detailed insights that ChatGPT prioritises, as they reflect the same conversational tone and specificity users employ in queries. For example, a customer photo of a sustainable backpack in use, paired with a review stating, “This water-resistant bag held up perfectly on my rainy commute,” can boost visibility for queries like “durable backpack for wet weather.” Create campaigns to encourage UGC, such as contests for customers to share Instagram posts with hashtags like #YourBrandAdventures, offering rewards like gift cards. This content resonates with consumers, 70% of whom trust peer reviews over brand claims, and enhances ChatGPT’s ability to recommend your products.
4. Join the Product Feed Waitlist
OpenAI is developing a direct product feed submission feature, similar to Google Merchant Center, allowing merchants to upload stock lists for real-time updates on pricing, availability, and promotions. This is particularly valuable for businesses with dynamic inventory, such as fashion or electronics retailers. Sign up for notifications via OpenAI’s form here to become an early adopter, gaining a competitive edge. In the interim, ensure your product data is accessible via structured data and sitemaps to facilitate indexing.
5. Monitor Performance and Encourage Feedback
ChatGPT’s product carousels include a feedback mechanism (thumbs up/down) for users to rate recommendation accuracy. This data helps OpenAI refine its algorithm, potentially boosting your products’ visibility if feedback is positive. Track referral traffic from ChatGPT in your analytics platform (look for utm_source=chatgpt.com) to assess its impact. Tools like Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics can help quantify click-through rates and conversions.
6. Address Potential Challenges
While ChatGPT Shopping offers immense potential, businesses may face hurdles:
- Indexing Delays: New or low-traffic sites may take longer to be indexed. Boost visibility by sharing product pages on social media or submitting them to directories.
- Algorithm Bias: ChatGPT may favour larger retailers with more reviews or data. Counter this by focusing on niche, high-quality listings and building review volume.
- Data Accuracy: Inconsistent pricing or stock information across platforms can confuse ChatGPT. Use tools like DataFeedWatch to synchronise feeds and ensure uniformity.
Proactively address these by regularly auditing your site’s data and engaging with customers,to strengthen your presence.
ChatGPT Shopping is in its very early stages, with OpenAI hinting at advanced features like deeper Shopify integrations (e.g., in-chat checkouts), personalised promotions based on user history, and expanded product feed capabilities. Rumours on X suggest potential partnerships with payment providers like Klarna or PayPal to streamline transactions. As AI-driven commerce grows, businesses that act early will secure a first-mover advantage in a channel that’s reshaping how consumers shop.
To stay ahead, start now: verify your site’s crawler access, enhance your product listings with conversational keywords, prioritise reviews, and join the product feed waitlist. ChatGPT Shopping is not just a trend—it’s a paradigm shift in e-commerce. Ensure your products are part of the conversation where millions of shoppers are turning for their next purchase.
