A chatbot that recommends products, shows prices and prepares purchase decisions? ChatGPT is currently changing the e-commerce landscape - and with it the rules of the game for visibility, SEO and brand perception.
ChatGPT becomes a digital shopping consultant
Since the major update in April 2025, ChatGPT has been showing structured product suggestions directly in the chat for suitable search queries: with image, price, ratings and links to the purchase option. The recommendations appear based on real user questions - for example:
"Which wireless headphones are good for sports?"
ChatGPT no longer just responds with tips, but with context-related recommendations that are occasionally visualised. These are currently still ad-free and not sponsored.
Where does the product data come from?
The product suggestions in ChatGPT are based on various data sources:
- Co-operations with platforms like Shopify, Klarna, Instacart
- Web search via Bing (default search engine of ChatGPT)
- Structured web data (e.g. Schema.org markup on websites)
Some shop operators are therefore automatically visible if their products are listed on partner platforms or are publicly indexable.
You can find out more about Bing's role in AI search here: Because of AI: ChatGPT makes Bing more important than Google
How ChatGPT is changing search behaviour
ChatGPT doesn't work like Google or Amazon. The AI thinks for itself and curates suggestions:
- Less choice, but more relevant
- Answer instead of link list
- Recommendation instead of advertising
An advantage for users: less overload, more orientation. A challenge for shops: if you don't appear in the feed, you don't exist for the user. It is therefore essential for brands, become visible in the AI search of ChatGPT.
Comparison with Google, Bing, Gemini and Copilot
| System | Data sources | Style | Advertising | Special feature |
| ChatGPT | Bing, partner APIs, web data | Conversational, counselling | None (yet) | Curated recommendations, no search results |
| Google/Gemini | Google Index + Shopping Ads | Keyword-based, UI-driven | Fully integrated | High market penetration, classic ads |
| Bing/Copilot | Bing index + Microsoft data | Assistance function + AI | Partial Ads | Office integration, direct access |
More about alternatives in comparison: ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and others
What does this mean for online shops?
- Visibility through content, not budget
Those with good descriptions, real advantages and strong brands is more likely to occur. - Strong brands benefit more
Visibility in AI search is increasingly a branding issue, not just a keyword game. See: Why AI visibility has more to do with brand management than keywords - Structure data
Those who rely on structured product data (e.g. via Shopify or markup) have advantages. Branding in e-commerce: how to turn your shop into a brand - Bing optimisation becomes mandatory
Because ChatGPT searches heavily via Bing, it needs a Bing SEO strategy. Bing SEO: New opportunity for website operators
Shopping is just the beginning: other areas undergoing change
Similar developments can be seen in:
- News & ResearchChatGPT summarises news sources and links directly to them.
- Travel planningFlight and hotel bookings via Expedia & KAYAK
- Entertainment: Film and series tips with platform recommendation
- Health & EducationFirst consultation by KI-Dialogue
The chat becomes a platform, not just a tool.
Read more: E-commerce trends: the future is AI-driven
? What shops now need to know about AI visibility
❗ Risks with a classic SEO focus:
- Visibility in ChatGPT & Bing Copilot arises not through Google rankings
- AI shows curated product recommendations, no link lists
- Without structured data or platform connection → no listing
? New rules of the game:
- Bing is the data basis for ChatGPT - but supplemented by Shopify, Klarna, Expedia, etc.
- SEO alone is no longer enough: Brand strength, context & data structure count
? Market development:
- Google loses first shares in complex searches (AI Overviews)
- Gemini & Copilot adaptAI-first, product cards, recommendation systems
✅ Recommendation for action:
- Prepare content in an AI-friendly way (useful, advisory, brand-centred)
- Offer products in a structured way (Schema.org, feeds)
- Think visibility not only with Google - but cross-platform
Tracking becomes a black box - why AI visibility is difficult to measure
With the new AI search via ChatGPT, Bing Copilot or Google Gemini, it's not just the product search that is shifting - the Classic website tracking reaches its limits. This is because many interactions, recommendations and even purchasing decisions are outside the website instead.
The biggest challenges:
- No click, no trafficUsers get advice in the chat, but don't necessarily click on your page. This means: No classic web session, no visible visit in Google Analytics or Matomo.
- Lost attribution: If a product is recommended via ChatGPT, but the user shops directly days later, is the origin can no longer be traced. Conversion paths break off.
- No insights into GPT playouts: OpenAI, Microsoft & Google deliver No data how often a product was shown, recommended or clicked on.
What shop operators need now
In times of zero-click interactions and chat-first searches, new ways of measuring visibility are needed. Web analysis tools such as Trackboxx start right here:
- Data protection-compliant, cookie-free web analysis
- Focus on Brand impact, direct traffic and visibility progression
- Flexible goals & funnel tracking even without classic click paths
If you want to correctly evaluate visibility in the age of AI, you must Think beyond pageviews - and get started, Measure behaviour, demand and brand perception holistically.
Conclusion: New rules, new opportunities
ChatGPT is revolutionising the product search. Not through flashing adverts or rankings, but through context-based recommendations. Shops that learn how to enter this conversation now have the chance to achieve real visibility - without Google Ads.
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