On 24 March 2026 OpenAI announced richer product discovery in ChatGPT: more visual browsing, side-by-side comparisons, image-inspired search, and up-to-date product details powered by an expanded Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP).
Merchants share product feeds and promotions so catalogs appear more completely in conversations. Delivery paths include partners such as Salesforce and Stripe. OpenAI cited retail partners including Target, Sephora, Nordstrom, Lowe’s, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Wayfair. Shopify Catalog integration means many Shopify merchants already surface through ChatGPT without extra setup from individual store owners. Updates began rolling out to Free, Go, Plus, and Pro users.
Importantly, OpenAI said the early Instant Checkout approach did not offer the merchant flexibility it wanted, so the focus is shifting toward discovery while merchants use their own checkout experiences. Walmart was highlighted for an in-ChatGPT app path into its own environment with account linking, loyalty, and payments. Over time, ACP is positioned as a foundation for personalization, local availability, and ETAs.
OpenAI describes the shopper benefit as less tab-hopping: describe constraints, refine in conversation, compare price, reviews, and features in one place. For merchants, that means higher-intent traffic closer to a decision — provided product data is complete enough for ACP-powered discovery to represent the catalog fairly.
Why it matters for AiGEO users
Shopping queries are moving into chat. Retail and product-led SMBs should treat feed quality, accurate titles/attributes, reviews, and on-site clarity as GEO inputs — not only Google Shopping tasks. Even service businesses feel the ripple: buyers research “best X near me” or category comparisons in ChatGPT before they hit Maps or a website.
Keep public facts consistent across store, site, and listings; earn citations with useful buying guides; and watch AI referral traffic in analytics. For Dubai-founded, SMB-focused platforms like AiGEO, the takeaway is multi-engine readiness: Google for search and local, chat engines for research and shopping shortlists, social for cultural discovery.
Source: OpenAI — Powering Product Discovery in ChatGPT (24 Mar 2026)