OpenAI is adding product feed-based ads tools for ecommerce corporations running campaigns in ChatGPT.
The update allows retailers to generate ads from existing product catalogues as an alternative of making campaigns for each item manually. The ads will proceed to look below ChatGPT responses and shall be labelled as sponsored.
According to Digiday, the change applies to the campaign setup process fairly than the ad placement itself. Retailers can connect a product catalogue and select which products are eligible for promoting. The platform then creates ads using product names, images, and other catalogue attributes.
Product feeds enter ChatGPT ads
Retailers have already been in a position to upload product catalogues to ChatGPT to support shopping-related responses. That allowed ChatGPT to point out information corresponding to prices, availability, and product details when users asked shopping questions.
The recent system connects catalogue data to paid promoting, using the identical structured product information for organic shopping results and sponsored placements.
OpenAI’s merchant page says businesses can share product feeds with ChatGPT to support product discovery. The company says shoppers will be sent to a merchant’s own site or app by default. OpenAI says it doesn’t charge fees for purchases accomplished on those destinations.
OpenAI’s product feed documentation describes the catalogue as a structured file that’s ingested and indexed by ChatGPT. The feed supports product discovery and provides details corresponding to pricing, availability, and seller context.
The setup is comparable to shopping campaign workflows used on platforms corresponding to Google. Retailers can reuse structured product files that they already maintain for other ad platforms, fairly than making a separate feed.
eMarketer noted that the format differs from promoting systems utilized by Google, Meta, and Amazon. The research firm said ChatGPT ads are tied to conversational intent fairly than search history, social activity, or marketplace browsing behaviour.
The research firm forecasts that 23.4% of the US population shall be AI-assisted digital shoppers this 12 months, up 19% 12 months over 12 months.
OpenAI is asking recent ecommerce partners to submit a sample of 100 products before providing a full catalogue. The platform can support up to 1 million stock keeping units per advertiser, in line with an ad executive briefed on the update.
OpenAI has not announced a public launch date for the product feed campaign format.
Partners support ad access
Criteo is OpenAI’s first ad tech partner for the format. At least one retail brand has tested the method through Criteo, in line with an ad buyer cited within the report.
Criteo confirmed in March that it had joined OpenAI’s promoting pilot in ChatGPT. The integration allows brands to make use of Criteo’s digital promoting platform as a part of the pilot. In a May update, Criteo said it was the primary promoting technology partner to integrate with OpenAI’s ChatGPT ad pilot.
OpenAI has also listed Adobe, Criteo, Kargo, Pacvue, and StackAdapt among the many technology partners supporting access to ChatGPT ads. Its agency partners include Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis, and WPP.
StackAdapt, one in every of the ad tech vendors through which advertisers should purchase ChatGPT ads, said it already has feed connection capabilities ready for OpenAI support. Yang Han, StackAdapt’s co-founder and chief technology officer, said the seller can post its feed to OpenAI once the platform supports it.
OpenAI expands buying and measurement tools
OpenAI announced additional promoting tools for ChatGPT on May 5, including the choice to create ChatGPT ads through partners or a beta self-serve Ads Manager.
The Ads Manager allows US advertisers to register, add payment details, set budgets and bids, and upload ads. Advertisers may manage campaigns and examine performance through the tool. OpenAI said partners can support budgeting, bidding, and inventive work, while OpenAI’s ads system controls delivery decisions.
OpenAI said in May that it was adding cost-per-click bidding after initially supporting CPM buying. Under the CPC model, advertisers are charged when users click on ads.
OpenAI said it’s adding cost-per-click bidding and expanded measurement tools while continuing to support CPM and CPC buying. The updates add buying and measurement options for advertisers. It also said conversations and private details will not be shared with advertisers.
OpenAI can also be developing cost-per-action models, where payment can be tied to a purchase order or other defined motion. The company has introduced conversion tracking and said third-party measurement features are planned.
Ad rollout follows checkout launch
OpenAI says ads are currently rolling out in ChatGPT within the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Ads may appear for users on Free and Go plans, while Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts won’t have ads.
The company also says it should not show ads to users who say they’re under 18 or are predicted by OpenAI to be under 18. For logged-out users, OpenAI says it has designed the experience to point out ads which might be appropriate for all ages since it doesn’t have age information.
The product feed update comes after OpenAI’s earlier move into checkout inside ChatGPT. Reuters reported in September 2025 that OpenAI launched Instant Checkout with Etsy and Shopify. The feature initially supported purchases from US-based Etsy sellers, with Shopify support planned.
OpenAI said on the time that merchants would pay a small fee on accomplished purchases, while the service can be free for users and wouldn’t affect product prices or influence ChatGPT’s product results.
The product feed format adds a catalogue-based option for ecommerce advertisers using ChatGPT ads.
(Photo by Emiliano Vittoriosi)
See also: Agentic AI in marketing workflows gains traction amongst corporations
Find out more in regards to the Digital Marketing World Forum series and register here.
Read the total article here
