The well-known AIs, including ChatGPT, are not only on their way, but have already taken decisive steps towards shopping AI. Development is rapid, competition is fierce - and the trend is clear: AI will have a lasting impact on online shopping.
OpenAI has added improved shopping functions to its AI chatbot: Users can now search for products directly in the chat and receive specific purchase recommendations. What does this mean for online retailers? How does the update influence the sales relevance of ChatGPT, which factors determine visibility in the recommendations, and how can companies optimize their ChatGPT SEO?
Until now, ChatGPT was primarily known as a smart assistant for research, text generation and problem solving. With the new shopping feature, the chatbot is now also an AI-supported product recommendation engine. Users can ask specific questions about products - such as "Which wireless headphones are currently the best?" - and then receive a selection of suitable offers, including product information, prices and links to stores. The recommendations are based on a combination of current product data, reviews, prices and other factors that OpenAI aggregates in collaboration with external data providers.
AI is therefore taking on the role previously reserved for search engines and marketplaces - and could thus change the customer journey in the long term.
ChatGPT is becoming a new, high-revenue touchpoint in the purchasing decision process.
18% of the German population already use ChatGPT several times a week - that's almost 13 million people! And that's not all.
Source: DOIT key statistics on ChatGPT, April 2025
ChatGPT taps into new target groups - especially tech-savvy users who use AI tools for their purchasing decisions. A mention in the product recommendations has a strong reputation for this target group.
AI can tailor product recommendations to the individual user request and thus increase the conversion rate. Customers from the AI source are 5x more likely to buy than via other online marketing channels (more on this here).
Chat-based advice and inspiration directly during the purchasing process create a new, convenient shopping experience. The personalized results make it more likely that a purchase will be completed more quickly via ChatGPT Shopping.
ChatGPT Shopping has arrived in Germany.
The new AI shopping platforms are increasing the pressure to react quickly. The good news: so far, only 18% of companies use ChatGPT SEO in a targeted manner (source: Statista). So those who start early can secure decisive competitive advantages. Take advantage of the expertise of an experienced SEO agency - we look forward to getting to know you in a non-binding initial consultation!
The integration of shopping functions in ChatGPT opens up new sales potential for online retailers. Those whose products appear in the chatbot's recommendations benefit from additional visibility and can tap into new customer groups - especially those who use AI tools as a central point of contact for product research and inspiration.
ChatGPT is thus becoming another sales channel that is gaining in importance alongside Google, Amazon and the like. For companies, this means that it will no longer be enough to just optimize for traditional search engines and marketplaces. If you want to compete for the best places in AI recommendations, you need to invest in the quality and timeliness of your product data.
The basis of every successful listing is complete, up-to-date and structured product data. This includes meaningful titles and descriptions, high-quality images, precise technical details and up-to-date prices. The better the data is maintained, the higher the chance of being recognized as relevant by the AI.
ChatGPT prefers products that match the respective user request and are currently available. This means that you should update your product ranges regularly and ensure that all listed products are available.
Positive customer reviews, seals of approval and other trust signals play an important role. They help the AI to identify and prioritize reputable and popular products.
Competitive prices can increase the likelihood of appearing in the recommendations - especially for comparable products.
Use of keywords and phrases that users actually use in the chat. However, optimization is not strongly term-optimized as in classic SEO, but increasingly based on content completeness and UX.
With the triumph of AI, the focus is also shifting to optimization for chatbots. Semantic keywords, structured data and FAQ content are becoming more important in order to be better understood and categorized by AI.
ChatGPT's development into a shopping AI has shaken up the industry. But how are other major AI platforms such as Perplexity and Google Gemini positioning themselves? Are there already concrete developments, forecasts or assumptions that these providers will follow the trend? The answer is clear: yes - and the momentum is high.
Perplexity plans to roll out these shopping functions internationally and expand them further. Perplexity is also said to be working on a retailer program (source: mashable.com) that will enable retailers to integrate their product data directly into the platform. This would give participating retailers greater visibility for their products, better chances of receiving product recommendations and access to valuable purchasing and trend data about their offerings.
Further innovations such as voice shopping or AR integration could also follow.
You can find out more about the launch of the new updates for the virtual fitting room and Agentic Checkout in the AgenticTo article (as of 21 May 2025).
Experts see Gemini as a game changer, as Google, as the "entry point of the internet", can map the entire customer journey based on AI. For brands and retailers, integration with Google's AI infrastructure will become mandatory in order to avoid being filtered out.
In addition to the obvious differences such as the different data sources Google vs. Bing, the differences between the two AIs lie primarily in the areas of price tracking, the AI-supported purchasing process, the type and scope of product comparisons and advertising. While Google's AI Mode seems to focus primarily on the area of product display and checkout, ChatGPT Shopping focuses more on the multi-source-based and ad-free chat environment. Organic performance via ChatGPT SEO is therefore the only way to become and remain visible in ChatGPT Shopping.
Google AI in conjunction with AI Mode could have a lasting impact on shopping options and user behavior. Organic search results are becoming increasingly personalized and the possibilities for interacting directly with AI are becoming more diverse. The big question: what relevance will online stores have in the future if the checkout can also take place directly in AI Mode? Visibility in AI will become existential for e-commerce companies in the coming years.
ChatGPT is currently ad-free, so paid ads or sponsored product placements are not yet possible. Open AI itself says: "Product results are chosen independently and are not ads." (Source: https://openai.com/chatgpt/search-product-discovery/)
However, it is conceivable that OpenAI will follow its competitor Google - because the platform is financially very interesting and coveted by companies.
The use of artificial intelligence does not replace your advertising, it only changes platforms and rules of the game. We will show you how you can remain visible and benefit from the new potential of AIs. With our full-service agency, we combine knowledge from SEO and SEA in our consulting so that you can benefit from maximum visibility.
