ChatGPT, Gemini & Perplexity Just Added Shopping: What That Means for Your Store (And How to Benefit)
AI shopping is basically turning ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity into new “front doors” for ecommerce – so the big question is: will people still come to your store, or will they just shop inside the chatbot?
The new reality: people start shopping inside AI, not in your browser tab
Until recently, people would Google a product, click a few comparison articles, maybe hit Amazon or your Shopify/Woo store, and then decide.
Now, three of the biggest AI assistants have decided they want to sit between your customer and that journey:
ChatGPT added Shopping Research – an in-chat tool that builds personalized buyer guides and can even connect to Instant Checkout so people buy directly in ChatGPT.
Google Gemini now pulls product listings, comparison tables and prices directly from the Shopping Graph (50B+ product listings) and ties it to Search and upcoming agentic checkout.
Perplexity launched an AI shopping assistant with conversational search, product cards and Instant Buy via PayPal, so users can discover and purchase without ever visiting your site.
So what does that mean for your store – and how you market it?
Quick overview: how each AI shopping experience works
ChatGPT Shopping Research & Instant Checkout
ChatGPT’s Shopping Research lets users type things like “Find a 27'' 4K monitor under $400 for photo editing” and get a full buyer’s guide: key specs, trade-offs, product shortlists and follow-up questions.
Important details for merchants:
It researches across the web and summarizes the best options.
It prioritizes “trusted sites” (reviews, Reddit, editorial content) more than brand pages, meaning third-party mentions can matter more than your own product copy.
With Instant Checkout, merchants using the Agentic Commerce Protocol (built with Stripe) can let users buy inside ChatGPT.
So ChatGPT is both a discovery layer and (increasingly) a checkout layer.
Google Gemini shopping & AI Mode in Search
Google is merging classic SEO + Shopping with Gemini:
Gemini & AI Mode in Search let users ask shopping questions and get product comparisons, pros/cons and visual tables.
Results are powered by the Shopping Graph (50B+ product listings), pulling in prices, reviews, variants and availability.
Agentic checkout will let users set price limits, get alerts, and let Google complete the purchase with Google Pay when conditions are met.
For store owners, this means your product feeds and structured data now feed both Search and Gemini’s conversational shopping.
Perplexity’s conversational shopping + Instant Buy
Perplexity positions itself as an “AI that shops with you”, not instead of you:
It remembers previous purchases and preferences and shows product cards with specs and reviews.
The new Instant Buy feature uses PayPal so users can buy directly in the Perplexity interface while keeping the merchant relationship intact.
For merchants, Perplexity is another “answer engine” where your products can surface even if the customer never types your domain name.
What actually changes for your ecommerce store?
Let’s translate all this into concrete shifts:
Discovery moves from “search terms” to “conversations.”
Instead of “running shoes size 43,” users say:
“I’m a beginner runner, slightly overweight, running 3x/week on concrete, budget €120, what should I buy?”
Product discovery becomes needs-based and contextual, not keyword-based.Your website might not be the first (or main) touchpoint.
Users may get everything they need (options, pros/cons, “best for you” pick) inside ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity – and then buy there.“Trusted mentions” matter more than your own sales copy.
ChatGPT Shopping Research, for example, tends to elevate reviews, editorial sites and community posts when building buyer guides.
If nobody talks about your brand outside your site, you’re invisible to that logic.Clean, structured product data becomes non-negotiable.
AI shopping tools love data they can put in tables: dimensions, materials, power, compatibility, price, warranty. Sloppy product pages = fewer appearances in comparisons.
How to benefit: practical steps for store owners
Here’s the good news: you can prepare for (and benefit from) AI-first shopping. Think of it as “SEO for AI assistants.”
1. Feed your products into the right ecosystems
For Google & Gemini
Make sure your catalog is in Google Merchant Center.
Implement Product structured data (schema.org/Product) on your site so Search + Gemini can understand your products.
For ChatGPT
If you can, explore Instant Checkout / ACP (especially if you’re on Shopify or a popular platform likely to get integrations).
Even without native integration, make sure your PDPs are crawlable, fast and well-structured so Shopping Research can confidently reference them.
For Perplexity
Check which marketplaces and retailers it tends to surface in your niche (Amazon, big-box retailers, etc.) and ensure your products are properly listed and reviewed there.
2. Make your product pages AI-friendly, not just pretty
On each product page, aim for:
A clear, human title (not just “Model XG-2234”)
Short summary paragraph: who it’s for + main benefits
Bullet list of specs and use cases (great for AI comparison tables)
Transparent pricing, shipping, and warranty info
You’re not only convincing humans; you’re giving AI enough structured information to include you in “best of” lists and buyer’s guides.
3. Systematically build “trusted third-party” mentions
Because ChatGPT Shopping Research and similar tools lean on trusted third-party sources, you should deliberately grow:
Real reviews on platforms shoppers already use (Google, Amazon, Trustpilot, niche review sites).
Blog posts, YouTube videos and independent comparison articles that mention your brand.
Genuine Reddit / community mentions (no spam; share value, then mention your product where it fits).
Think of this as off-site authority for AI, similar to how backlinks worked for classic SEO.
4. Design prompts and “AI journeys” that naturally lead to you
You can also lean in and use these tools in your marketing:
On your product pages and emails, suggest queries like:
“Ask ChatGPT: ‘Compare [your product] to two similar alternatives for [use case]’”
“Ask Gemini: ‘What’s a good [product type] for [specific niche] that also has [key feature you offer]?’”
Create blog posts where you show customers how to use AI to choose your type of product – and your brand appears as a strong option.
You’re essentially teaching users how to “talk to the assistant” in a way that matches your strengths.
5. Update attribution: watch for “found you via ChatGPT / Gemini / Perplexity”
Traditional analytics will under-report this.
Add “ChatGPT / Gemini / Perplexity” to your “How did you hear about us?” fields in checkout or post-purchase surveys.
Watch for spikes in brand searches plus “review” or “vs competitor” – a sign that AI-driven awareness is starting to work.
This feedback loop tells you whether your AI-shopping optimization is paying off.
6. Don’t forget your own owned channels
Finally, remember: these assistants can change the rules at any time.
Use them for:
Discovery
New traffic
Incremental sales
…but keep building:
Your email list
Your loyalty program
Your direct relationships on social and communities
So if ChatGPT or Gemini tweak their ranking or monetization, you still own a large portion of your audience.