Shopping online used to start with a search box and a long list of links. Then people had to open many tabs, read “best of” articles, compare prices, and slowly make a choice. OpenAI says more people now begin this process inside ChatGPT, where they can describe what they want in natural language and keep refining the answer through conversation. On March 24, 2026, OpenAI announced a richer and more visual shopping experience in ChatGPT, with product images, side-by-side comparisons, and more up-to-date details in one place. (openai.com)
This is important because shopping is not only about finding one item. Many people are still deciding what to buy. ChatGPT can help by using details such as budget, preferences, and limits. OpenAI also says users can upload an image as inspiration, ask for similar products, and compare options more easily without jumping between websites. In a newer feature called shopping research, ChatGPT can ask clarifying questions, study many sources, and build a personalized buyer’s guide in minutes. (openai.com)
Behind this change is OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, or ACP. OpenAI says ACP connects merchants and users during product discovery, and merchants can share product feeds and promotions so their catalogs are represented more fully in ChatGPT. OpenAI also says retailers such as Target, Sephora, Nordstrom, Lowe’s, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Wayfair have joined ACP for discovery, while Shopify catalog data already helps many merchants appear more accurately in ChatGPT. Walmart is also launching an in-ChatGPT experience that moves users from discovery into a Walmart environment. (openai.com)
So, how could AI shopping change search? It seems likely that search will become less about typing short keywords and more about having a useful conversation. Instead of “best headphones under $200,” people may ask for “comfortable headphones for long flights that do not leak sound.” At the same time, OpenAI says product results are selected independently and are not ads, and chats are not shared with retailers. Still, the system can make mistakes about price or availability, so checking the seller’s site remains important. (help.openai.com)










