Just ahead of the holidays, OpenAI has launched a new Shopping Research tool in ChatGPT. This new feature essentially collates all the products from the Internet, and brings them to you as options to consider. It is important to note, ChatGPT just does the research-work for shopping products, it does not actually shop the product for you. That, you have to do yourself.
The new feature transforms ChatGPT into a tireless personal shopper, scouring the web to deliver tailored product recommendations. In its blog, OpenAI says that the tool aims to simplify complex buying decisions, from gadget comparisons to gift hunts.
Where can you access ChatGPT shopping research?
OpenAI is making the feature nearly unlimited for all users through the end of the year, available on mobile and web for Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans.
How does the ChatGPT Shopping Research tool work? Step by Step guide on how to use it
Essentially, the new ChatGPT shopping research tool transforms random shopping queries into buyer guides. It is powered by GPT-5 mini, which OpenAI says is fine-tuned for e-commerce tasks.
1. To begin shopping research, open ChatGPT and then select 'shopping research' from the tools menu.
2. For instance, if you enter the prompt 'best budget laptop for students', the chatbot will probe for more details. It will ask for details like budget, preferences, or must-haves to refine your needs. These questions will be based on your past ChatGPT chats for context awareness.
3. ChatGPT will then scan trusted sources for real-time data on prices, specs, reviews, images, and stock from retailers.
4. As options pop up, you swipe or tap 'Not interested' or 'More like this' to tweak results on the fly.
5. At the end, you get a concise report highlighting top picks, key trade-offs, comparisons, and direct links as well.
In our initial testing, we noticed that the final report took quite a while to generate (more than 3-4 minutes). However, once it is generated, it properly offers you the top picks of budget laptops based on the preferences you mentioned. ChatGPT offers you links to buy the gadget, an image for reference, and a summary of the top features as well.
This new feature comes just days after ChatGPT introduced group conversations. This shopping research feature will be extremely helpful to reduce time finding deals, gift ideas, and decide on which gadget to buy.
