Image courtesy of OpenAI
OpenAI on Monday announced a new ChatGPT shopping experience called “Shopping research” that answers a user’s complex shopping query by spending a few minutes crawling the web to make recommendations based on merchandise prices, attributes and product reviews. The tool also leans on a user’s explicit or previously stated preferences (if the app’s memory feature is turned on) to better personalize final product recommendations.
The Aisle got a sneak peek last week and will be providing some initial feedback below. But first, the basics:
The new shopping experience is powered by a ChatGPT-5 mini model and can be accessed by using the “+” menu, or by typing “/shopping” into the query box. You can also find it by asking a shopping-related question and selecting the “Shopping research” option when it’s presented. It’ll be available across Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans and starts rolling out today, Monday, to logged-in users—just in advance of the crucial Thanksgiving weekend online shopping bonanza. Yes, the timing of the launch is quite intentional. (I sure can relate.)
With Shopping Research, the aim was to create an “expert personal shopper that knows your preferences and creates a personalized buyer's guide for high consideration purchases…things we’re spending a bit more on,” the team’s lead Isa Fulford told a group of about a dozen reporters, including yours truly, at a private press event last week on the rooftop of Manhattan’s swanky Nine Orchard hotel.
(I spotted both Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer and The Hunger Games’ Josh Hutcherson while I was camped out in the lobby afterward battling beginner newsletter-owner challenges. Embarrassingly, I had to do a fair amount of Googling afterward to identify these stars’ names. The setting was obviously way too cool for me.)
Here’s what else to know:
Subscribe to The Aisle to read the rest.
Become a paying subscriber of The Aisle to get access to this post and all my work. Plus some perks.
