ChatGPT’s Shopping Layer: A New Frontier in AI-Driven Commerce for Brands

ChatGPT’s Shopping Layer: OpenAI’s ChatGPT now offers a built-in shopping feature that lets users find and compare products through a conversational interface.

For example, a user might ask for the “best espresso machine under £200,” and ChatGPT will return a curated list of products with images, prices, and links to buy.

This new “AI shopping layer” means consumers can get personalised product recommendations and purchase options without ever leaving the chat app.

It’s a major shift in how people discover and shop for products, blending search, recommendation, and e-commerce into one seamless experience.

ChatGPT’s Shopping Layer: Why AI Shopping Matters for E-Commerce Brands

In April 2025, OpenAI rolled out this shopping upgrade in ChatGPT, signalling a deep push into e-commerce.

Crucially, OpenAI noted that these product results are “chosen independently and are not ads”—at least for now.

The uptake has been massive: ChatGPT’s search and shopping usage is exploding, with over one billion product searches handled in a single week.

And it’s not just OpenAI – other AI platforms like Bing Chat, Perplexity, and even Amazon’s emerging AI (“Amazon Rufus”) are racing to offer similar shopping assistants.

Consumer behaviour is rapidly shifting.

Nearly 39% of U.S. consumers have already used generative AI for online shopping (with over half planning to try it this year).

Adobe Analytics data shows traffic to retail sites from AI chat tools jumped ~1,200% between mid-2024 and early 2025. In other words, shoppers are increasingly asking AI “What’s the best product for X?” instead of typing keywords into Google.

They’re seeking tailored recommendations (“What’s a good laptop bag for a frequent traveller?”) and expect the AI to do the research for them.

The ChatGPT’s Shopping Layer trend is fundamentally changing how products are discovered.

For e-commerce brands, CMOs, and digital marketing managers, this raises an urgent question: Will your products appear when an AI assistant recommends what to buy?

If you’ve been relying only on traditional SEO and PPC keyword strategies, you risk missing out.

As one strategist put it, “If you’re optimising only for keywords, your brand might be invisible at an important moment: when AI recommends a product.”

In the AI shopping era, brands need to ensure their products are visible and credible to AI assistants as well as to human shoppers.

Leveraging ChatGPT’s Shopping Layer Ecosystem to Grow Your Brand

The emergence of ChatGPT’s shopping layer and other AI-driven storefronts is a huge opportunity for brands — if you adapt.

Early adopters are poised to gain a competitive edge, especially since right now, this channel offers free organic exposure. “Just like the early days of Facebook and Google Shopping, the AI shopping layer is currently giving away organic reach for free… There is no ‘AI ad budget’ yet.”

Brands that move quickly to integrate with AI shopping will capture new customers at low cost, before these platforms introduce paid placements and competition heats up.

So, how can your brand use this emerging ecosystem to boost growth? Below are practical, action-oriented steps to position your products in the AI shopping landscape:

• Integrate with AI Shopping Feeds and Plugins: Make sure your products are part of the databases that ChatGPT and other AI assistants pull from. For example, ChatGPT’s built-in shopping is powered partly by the Klarna plugin, which fetches live product listings from partner retailers. If you use a platform like Shopify, installing Klarna as a sales channel and syncing your catalogue can instantly make your products eligible for ChatGPT’s recommendations. Even outside Shopify, consider third-party feed services (like DataFeedWatch or Feedonomics) to distribute your product data to any emerging AI commerce platforms. The goal is to get your product feed into the AI’s “eyes” wherever possible.

• Make Your Website AI-Crawlable and Structured: ChatGPT and similar AIs can also browse the web in real-time to find product info, but only if your site is crawler-friendly. Ensure your product pages allow AI bots (OpenAI’s, Bing’s, etc.) in your robots.txt, and implement proper schema markup (Product, Offer, Review schema, etc.) on all product pages. Rich structured data (titles, descriptions, prices, reviews) helps the AI understand and trust your content. In short, treat your product pages’ metadata like a nutrition label for AIs – the clearer and more complete, the better your chances of being recommended.

• Optimise Product Content for AI Queries: The way an AI “chooses” a product is by matching the user’s natural-language query to product info. This means your product titles and descriptions should be specific and answer common questions. Instead of a vague name like “Running Shorts,” use a title like “Men’s 5-Inch Moisture-Wicking Athletic Running Shorts” – packed with features and context. Likewise, write descriptions highlighting benefits and specs that shoppers often ask about (e.g. material, price range, unique features). Use high-quality images (preferably square 1:1 ratio) with descriptive ALT text so the AI can “see” what you’re selling. Up-to-date availability and pricing info is crucial too, since an AI won’t recommend out-of-stock items. By feeding the AI detailed, relevant data, you increase the likelihood that your product matches a user’s prompt.

• Test and Refine with AI Prompts: Just as you might Google your own brand to check SEO, now you should query ChatGPT (and other AI assistants) to see if and how your products appear. Try asking questions a customer might ask in your category: “What’s the best waterproof jacket under £100?” or “Where can I buy organic dog treats online?”. If your brand or products don’t show up in the AI’s answer, that’s a red flag that you need to further optimise feeds or content. Continuously testing with new prompts each month can reveal gaps in your AI presence. Treat this like a new form of AI-era SEO audit – and each insight is a chance to improve your visibility.

By taking these steps, e-commerce brands can capitalise on AI-driven shopping as a growth engine. Those who get their products into the AI shopping layer now can build brand awareness and sales while the playing field is still relatively level. The traffic is coming – and for the moment, it’s virtually free. Acting early not only drives short-term results but also future-proofs your brand for when AI becomes a default shopping destination.

How PPC Geeks Can Help Brands Adapt and Thrive To The New AI Shopping Layer

Adapting to “AI-native commerce” requires both strategic foresight and technical know-how. This is where PPC Geeks comes in. We’re a PPC agency, but we’ve evolved into strategic advisors for the AI-driven marketing era. Our typical clients – busy e-commerce brand owners, CMOs, and digital marketing managers – often don’t have the time or in-house expertise to chase the latest AI trends. We act as an extension of your team to ensure you don’t get left behind.

Here’s how PPC Geeks can help you navigate the ChatGPT shopping layer and beyond:

• AI Commerce Readiness Audit: We assess your current product feeds, website, and ad strategy to identify where you stand in terms of AI visibility. Are your products indexed by ChatGPT and other bots? Is your site’s data structured for AI consumption? We’ll pinpoint gaps and recommend fixes, from adding proper schema to integrating with the right shopping plugins.

• Product Feed Optimisation & Integration: Our team will help get your products plugged into the AI ecosystem. We’ll assist with setting up integrations like Klarna or relevant data feeds so that your catalog is readily available for AI recommendations. We also optimise your feed attributes (titles, tags, images, etc.) to align with the kinds of natural-language queries customers are asking. Think of us as your “schema engineers,” making your data AI-ready.

• AI-Focused Content and SEO Strategy: PPC Geeks can revise your content strategy for the AI age. This includes rewriting product descriptions and creating FAQ content that anticipates AI queries (essentially, prompt-engineering your content to be AI-readable and credible). We ensure your brand voice and unique selling points come through in a way that AIs will pick up and users will trust. It’s a blend of traditional SEO, conversion copywriting, and new AI-centric tactics.

• Paid Advertising in the AI Era: While the current ChatGPT shopping results are not paid ads, we know that monetisation is likely on the horizon. Our PPC experts are staying ahead of the curve. We’re prepared to help you navigate conversational ad channels once they emerge – whether that’s sponsoring placements in AI results or leveraging AI-driven ad platforms. When AI shopping links turn into ad inventory, we’ll ensure you have a winning strategy in place from day one.

• Training and Ongoing Advisory: The AI commerce landscape will keep evolving. We provide ongoing support and education for your team – demystifying new AI tools and advising on where to invest (and what hype to skip). Whether it’s updates to ChatGPT’s capabilities or a new AI assistant from Amazon or Shopify, PPC Geeks keeps you informed. We believe the sweet spot is human creativity amplified by AI – and we help your team achieve that balance. In practice, that might mean training your staff on using AI for market research, or simply acting as your on-call “prompt architects” to tackle AI-related marketing challenges.

Bottom line ChatGPT’s Shopping Layer: The rise of AI-driven shopping is not a passing fad – it’s a fundamental shift in digital commerce. Your customers are beginning to rely on smart assistants to decide what to buy and where to buy it. As a brand, you need to adapt to this reality or risk losing relevance. The good news is that with the right strategy and partner, you can turn this shift to your advantage. PPC Geeks is here to help you harness the ChatGPT shopping layer and the broader AI ecosystem to grow your brand. We’ll handle the heavy lifting of AI integration and optimisation, so you can focus on what you do best: delivering great products and services.

Now is the time to lean into this new frontier. The brands that act today will become the front-runners of tomorrow’s AI-native commerce landscape. At PPC Geeks, we’re excited to lead our clients into this future where conversations, not just clicks, drive commerce. Let’s embrace the change and ensure your brand is the one AI recommends next.