ChatGPT Shopping Assistant

ChatGPT has introduced a new shopping assistant feature. By simply describing the type of product you’re looking for, the AI can organize and present relevant options based on price, specifications, and user reviews. Products are displayed in a carousel format with images, and users can easily access detailed information and purchase links. The feature supports Japanese, making it accessible for users in Japan as well.

It’s currently rolling out across Plus, Pro, and Free plans, and will soon be available even without a ChatGPT account. Perplexity AI is also offering a similar shopping experience, signaling that AI-powered product discovery could soon become the new standard in online shopping.

Other News

  • Micro News

Survey: 52.3% of Japanese respondents search with generative AI
52.3% of 9,278 respondents aged 15–69 use generative AI, including Google AI Mode, for search (AdverTimes, September 9; fielded August 7–10). The figure was 21.3% in May 2025. 58.7% say an AI recommendation led to a purchase. One survey, one vendor, but the direction is consistent with earlier waves.

For foreign brands in Japan, the AI answer is becoming a purchase touchpoint. Check how ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI Mode describe your products in Japanese before Q4.

▶ AdverTimes (September 9, 2026)

Japanese Consumers Search on Generative Engines
  • Micro News

OpenAI added product carousels to ChatGPT ads, showing several items in a single ad slot.
The format arrived three months after OpenAI let retailers bulk-create product-feed campaigns.

OpenAI’s system decides whether a query returns a single-product ad or a carousel — the advertiser does not choose. For brands in Japan, that moves the work upstream to the product feed. Japanese product names, prices, and stock status decide what appears. Audit the feed before year-end trading.

▶ DIGIDAY Japan, August 17, 2026.

ChatGPT Carousel mock-up
  • Blog

LINE for Luxury & Fashion Brands in Japan: The 2026 CRM Playbook — first-party data, clienteling, and segmentation over reach.

Line icon on smartphone
  • Micro News

OpenAI job listings show six ad formats in development: text, image, video, native, conversational, and interactive (DIGIDAY Japan, July 9, 2026). Three ad-format engineering roles cover infrastructure, iOS, and Android. The company spent its first four months building the ad business foundation. For foreign brands in Japan, ChatGPT is becoming a paid channel with formats beyond search-style text. Budget owners should reserve test spend before Japanese inventory opens. Early advertisers set the benchmarks.

ChatGPT Ads revenue logo