On February 9, 2026, Target said it would begin testing ads in ChatGPT with OpenAI. This was not a random move. Target believes more people now use conversational AI to get ideas, compare products, and decide what to buy. In other words, shoppers are no longer only searching on websites or apps. They are also asking AI for help. Target wants to meet customers in that new shopping moment. (corporate.target.com)

A big reason is simple: ChatGPT is already sending people to Target. The company said traffic from ChatGPT to Target has been growing by an average of 40% each month. If many shoppers are already coming from ChatGPT, advertising there makes business sense. Target can show useful product suggestions, deals, and ideas when people are actively looking for them. Its ads are based on the keywords in a user’s prompt, so the goal is to make the ad fit the conversation. Target also says the ads are clearly labeled and do not change ChatGPT’s answer. (corporate.target.com)

There is another reason too: Target is thinking about the future of shopping. The company sees this ad test as part of a bigger AI strategy. In late 2025, it launched a Target app inside ChatGPT so users could get recommendations, build a basket, and check out. It has also worked with Google on the Universal Commerce Protocol, a new standard for AI shopping tools. These moves show that Target wants to learn how people shop in AI systems, not just on normal websites. (openai.com)

For OpenAI, ads may help support broader access to ChatGPT, especially for free and low-cost users. For Target, the idea is different but connected: be present where customers are making decisions. So, Target started advertising on ChatGPT because shopping habits are changing fast, and the company does not want to arrive late. It wants to be there at the exact moment a shopper says, “Can you help me choose?” (openai.com)