ChatGPT can now create personalised buying guides for you with this new shopping tool

ChatGPT has introduced a new Shopping Research feature that helps you compare products and receive personalised buying guides based on your needs.

OpenAI has introduced a Shopping Research tool in ChatGPT to help users make informed purchase decisions. The feature allows users to describe the product they want, after which the system carries out the research and builds a shopping guide. It scans multiple online sources, asks follow-up questions, and uses past conversations and memory (if enabled) to tailor the results.

This ChatGPT’s new Shopping Research tool will help you compare products by turning simple queries into tailored guides. (Pexels)

By MD Ijaj Khan

Ijaj Khan is a technology journalist and Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times, with over three years of experience covering the consumer technology industry. His work spans smartphones, laptops, wearables, gaming, appliances and AI - from hands-on reviews, comparison and buying guides to breaking news and in-depth features that help readers cut through the noise and make informed decisions. Before joining HT Tech, he worked with Jagran New Media, where he sharpened his instincts for fast-paced digital reporting. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in English Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi. Whether he's testing the latest flagship smartphone, tracking a major AI announcement, or putting a gaming laptop through its paces, Ijaj approaches every story with the same goal - making technology feel relevant and easy to understand for everyday users, not just enthusiasts. When he's not in front of a screen for work, he's usually travelling to a new city, hunting for great food, or keeping tabs on what's next in tech before everyone else catches on.

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According to OpenAI, Shopping Research expands on ChatGPT’s existing ability to answer simple shopping questions. The new tool focuses on detailed comparisons, including tradeoffs and limitations of different products. It also reviews reliable sources across the internet to offer updated information. The company says the feature will soon be part of ChatGPT Pulse, which will offer Pro members proactive buyer guides based on earlier chats.

Shopping Research is available to users across Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans on both mobile and desktop. OpenAI notes that eligible users will get access with nearly no usage limits. The feature can be launched directly by tapping the “+” icon below the message box.

How the Tool Works

When a user types a shopping-related query, ChatGPT may automatically prompt the Shopping Research option. If it does not, users can manually activate it from the “+” menu. Once enabled, the feature opens a visual interface where users can review suggested products and provide feedback. They can mark items as “Not interested” or request options “More like this,” prompting ChatGPT to refine the search.

The process takes up to a few minutes, similar to ChatGPT’s Deep Research tool. If memory is switched on, the results are adjusted based on previous preferences. After completing the search, ChatGPT presents a personalised buying guide that highlights recommended products, differences between models, and recent information from retailers. It also includes links that take users to the seller’s site.

OpenAI says it plans to introduce direct purchases within ChatGPT for merchants operating in regions where Instant Checkout is supported.

The company confirms that the Shopping Research feature runs on GPT-5 mini, a model trained through reinforcement learning for shopping-specific tasks. The tool sources its information from publicly available retail websites and displays only organic product results.