ChatGPT Merchants: How Brands Can Show Up in AI Shopping
OpenAI has introduced a new merchant onboarding system that allows brands to submit their product catalogs directly to ChatGPT. This marks a shift from AI as a research tool to AI as a product discovery and commerce layer.
Instead of relying only on public web content, ChatGPT can now use structured merchant data to show more accurate product recommendations, comparisons, and shopping options.
From SEO to Direct Product Feeds
Until now, appearing in AI answers depended mostly on content, reviews, and general web presence. The new merchant system changes that by allowing brands to provide product data directly.
This includes:
product names
descriptions
pricing
images
product URLs
attributes and use cases
With this information, ChatGPT can better match products to specific user intent, such as:
“minimalist leather tote for work”
“lightweight linen shirt for summer”
“supplement for better sleep without grogginess”
This makes discovery more precise and reduces reliance on traditional search traffic.
Similar to Google Merchant Center
The new merchant onboarding works similarly to platforms like Google Merchant Center. Brands provide their catalog, and the system uses that data to surface products when relevant.
The difference is that ChatGPT discovery happens inside conversations, not search results. Users ask a question, compare a few options, and decide - often without leaving the interface.
This creates a new discovery flow:
Ask → Compare → Choose
Instead of:
Search → Click → Browse → Compare
Better Visibility in ChatGPT Recommendations
Providing a product catalog helps brands:
appear in AI-driven recommendations
improve relevance in comparisons
surface up-to-date pricing
match products to conversational queries
increase visibility in high-intent moments
Because ChatGPT typically shows only a few options, inclusion becomes more valuable than ranking among many results.
Enabling Shopping Inside ChatGPT
Beyond discovery, merchant integrations also support commerce features. Users can move from recommendations to purchase directly within the ChatGPT experience.
This may include:
browsing products inside ChatGPT
comparing options side-by-side
opening product pages in-app
completing purchases via the merchant’s checkout
This shortens the funnel to:
Ask → Compare → Buy
All inside one conversation.
Early Stage, but Important
The merchant system is still rolling out, and onboarding currently happens through an application process. Brands submit their website and product information, and OpenAI evaluates integrations as the shopping experience expands.
This means the channel is still early, with limited competition. Brands that prepare structured product data now may gain visibility before this becomes a crowded acquisition channel.
A New Layer of Ecommerce Discovery
With merchant catalogs, ChatGPT becomes more than a chatbot - it becomes a product discovery interface powered directly by brand data.
As AI-driven shopping evolves, visibility inside these recommendations — and the ability to enable purchases directly — may become one of the most important new layers in digital commerce.