ChatGPT, Perplexity push deeper into AI shopping

In the last 24 hours, ChatGPT and Perplexity have introduced new AI-driven shopping experiences that aim to deliver more personalized product discovery and guidance. Both experiences are meant to help users find, compare, and purchase products through conversational queries informed by preferences and past behavior.

ChatGPT

Shopping research. OpenAI introduced shopping research, a guided buying experience that turns ChatGPT into a personalized product researcher.

• Users describe what they need (e.g., “quiet cordless vacuum,” “compare these strollers,” “gift for my art-obsessed niece”).
• ChatGPT asks clarifying questions, pulls price/spec/review data from the open web, and produces a tailored buyer’s guide in minutes.
• It adapts based on your preferences and ChatGPT memory, and can refine picks in real time as users mark items “More like this” or “Not interested.”

How it works. The feature runs on a specialized GPT-5 mini model optimized for shopping tasks, designed to pull reliable information from trusted sites and cite its sources.

Rollout. Available now on free and paid ChatGPT plans on web and mobile, with “nearly unlimited” usage through the holidays.

What’s next. Instant Checkout integrations will allow purchases directly inside ChatGPT for participating merchants.

Perplexity

New shopping experience. Perplexity launched a free U.S. shopping experience built around its core philosophy: AI assistants should scale a shopper, not replace them.

• Users search conversationally (e.g., “best winter jacket for San Francisco ferry commute”) and Perplexity keeps context as you pivot to related needs.
• It remembers preferences (e.g., mid-century modern style, minimalist running gear) and tailors future product cards accordingly.
• Instead of infinite scroll, it generates streamlined product cards with only the details tied to the user’s stated intent.

Integrated checkout. A partnership with PayPal brings fast, in-flow purchases with retailers remaining merchant of record. That means merchants still get customer visibility, handle returns, and maintain the relationship.

Why retailers may care. Perplexity said shoppers who go through a conversational funnel have higher purchase intent, and instant checkout reduces abandonment.

• Yes, but. Some early research indicates that “higher intent” (or higher quality clicks, as Google has called them) isn’t always true and LLM referrals convert worse than Google so far.

Availability. The new shopping experience is live on desktop and the web now, with iOS and Android apps rolling out in the next few weeks.

Why we care. AI assistants are an emerging channel for ecommerce. ChatGPT’s focus is deep research, while Perplexity’s is smooth discovery and built-in checkout. Both aim to become the starting point for shoppers’ buying journeys by making brand/product recommendations that appear personal and tailored to their preferences.

The announcements:

• ChatGPT: Introducing shopping research in ChatGPT
• Perplexity: Shopping That Puts You First