What ChatGPT Model Can Purchase Things for You

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has taken a significant step beyond pure conversation by enabling users to shop and purchase products directly through its interface. In late April 2025, OpenAI introduced ad‑free “conversational shopping” features that allow users to receive personalized product recommendations and initiate transactions with minimal friction. Central to this capability is the underlying ChatGPT model—GPT‑4o—which, when paired with real‑time web search and third‑party integrations, can aggregate product data, present curated options, and redirect users to complete purchases on merchant sites. This article delves into the question of which ChatGPT model can purchase things for you, exploring its functionality, technical underpinnings, access tiers, and future prospects.

Which ChatGPT model supports shopping features?

GPT‑4o: The default model with web search and shopping

OpenAI’s shopping features are integrated directly into GPT‑4o, the company’s default AI model that powers ChatGPT’s web search capabilities. As of the April 28, 2025 update, GPT‑4o is equipped to detect purchase‑intent queries—such as “best wireless earbuds under $100”—and respond with interactive product carousels featuring images, pricing, ratings, and “Buy” buttons . This enhancement leverages GPT‑4o’s real‑time browsing ability to fetch up‑to‑date information from multiple online retailers, ensuring that recommendations reflect current availability and pricing.

Role of GPT‑4 Turbo and earlier versions via plugins

Prior to the GPT‑4o rollout, ChatGPT users on the GPT‑4 Turbo model could access shopping‑related functionality through plugins—third‑party extensions like Instacart, Shopify, or Klarna—that enabled limited purchase flows within the chat environment. These plugins allowed ChatGPT to read documentation, interpret merchant APIs, and complete actions such as adding items to a cart or checking stock levels. However, plugin‑based transactions required users to install and authorize each service separately, whereas the GPT‑4o integration streamlines the process by embedding shopping directly into the core model, removing barriers to entry and simplifying the user experience.

How does ChatGPT facilitate purchases for you?

Shopping Carousels and Buy Buttons

When GPT‑4o identifies a shopping query, it presents a visually rich product carousel rather than plain text links. Each carousel tile includes product images, key specifications, customer ratings, price comparisons across retailers, and a prominent “Buy” button. Vogue Business’s briefing demonstrated how, for a query like “red T‑shirt under £30,” ChatGPT displays image tiles alongside a sidebar listing purchase links from multiple merchants . This design consolidates the research and discovery phases—traditionally requiring numerous browser tabs—into a single, conversational interface.

Redirect to Merchant Checkouts

Despite offering “Buy” buttons, ChatGPT does not process payments directly. Clicking a button redirects users to the merchant’s website, where the transaction is completed through the retailer’s native checkout flow . This approach leverages existing e‑commerce infrastructures, ensuring robust security and compliance with payment regulations, and allows OpenAI to avoid storing or handling sensitive financial data. It also preserves the merchant’s direct relationship with the customer, including post‑purchase support and returns.

What technical integrations power ChatGPT’s shopping?

Web Browsing and Plugins Framework

GPT‑4o’s shopping functionality builds on ChatGPT’s real‑time browsing capability and the plugins framework. When a shopping query is detected, the model triggers web requests—fetching product listings, reviews, and pricing from diverse sources (e.g., retailer APIs, price aggregators, editorial guides). For merchants and affiliate networks, OpenAI provides plugins or RESTful APIs that supply up‑to‑date catalogs and availability data. The model then parses this information, ranks options based on relevance and user preferences, and formats the results into the interactive carousel.

AI‑driven Personalization

A key differentiator is context‑aware personalization: GPT‑4o remembers user preferences specified earlier in the conversation—such as favored brands, budget constraints, or style notes—and applies sentiment analysis to filter results. For example, if a user previously mentioned a dislike for “plastic frames,” ChatGPT will exclude certain eyewear options from its recommendations . This dynamic filtering elevates shopping from static “best of” lists to tailored suggestions that reflect individual tastes and requirements.

Which plans and regions have access?

Plus, Pro, and Free tiers

The shopping features are available to all ChatGPT users—including Free, Plus, and Pro subscribers—as well as to individuals using the service without logging in. OpenAI’s decision to deploy the functionality broadly underscores its commitment to making conversational commerce accessible, regardless of subscription level. However, Plus and Pro users may experience faster response times and priority access to certain advanced plugins or early preview features.

Regional Privacy Restrictions

To comply with stringent privacy regulations, OpenAI has excluded the shopping personalization feature in regions with stricter data‑protection laws—including the EEA, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein . In these jurisdictions, users still receive product recommendations but without the memory‑based personalization that retains preferences across sessions. OpenAI provides a settings control to update or erase stored preferences, ensuring user autonomy and regulatory compliance .

What are the benefits and challenges of AI‑powered shopping in ChatGPT?

Enhanced Discovery and Convenience

By centralizing research, comparison, and purchase initiation in one interface, ChatGPT streamlines the shopping journey. Business Insider’s hands‑on test found that the AI efficiently compared two leading noise‑cancelling headphones—Sony WH‑1000XM5 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra—presenting spec tables and narrative pros‑and‑cons in a fraction of the time it takes to manually visit multiple sites . For time‑pressed consumers, this conversational guide reduces cognitive load and accelerates decision‑making.

Monetization and Affiliate Partnerships

OpenAI has not yet finalized its revenue model for shopping interactions. Early indications suggest an affiliate‑revenue approach, where OpenAI earns commissions on purchases initiated via its links . The company is also exploring direct partnerships with major retailers to ingest product feeds via APIs, which could enable more accurate inventory tracking and potentially yield higher‑margin referral fees . While today’s results are organic and non‑sponsored, OpenAI acknowledges that promoted placements may emerge in the future to support scaling revenue goals.

Privacy, Transparency, and Trust

AI‑driven shopping raises questions about data privacy, algorithmic bias, and transparency. Critics worry that affiliate arrangements may inadvertently skew recommendations toward partners who offer higher commissions, narrowing consumer choice. Additionally, aggregating reviews from disparate sources can introduce outdated or misleading information. To mitigate these concerns, OpenAI explicitly cites the origin of each recommendation and emphasizes its ad‑free stance, assuring users that results are selected independently rather than paid for by advertisers .

Competitive Landscape

ChatGPT’s foray into shopping positions it against Google Shopping and Amazon. Unlike Google, which blends paid ads, sponsored listings, and organic results, ChatGPT offers an unbiased, conversational interface that prioritizes dialogue over keyword matching. Amazon, with its direct fulfillment and extensive seller network, retains an edge in checkout completion. OpenAI’s emphasis on “research” and “discovery” marks ChatGPT as a complementary tool—ideal for exploration, whereas Amazon remains the go‑to platform for transaction execution .

Getting Started

CometAPI provides a unified REST interface that aggregates hundreds of AI models—under a consistent endpoint, with built-in API-key management, usage quotas, and billing dashboards. Instead of juggling multiple vendor URLs and credentials.

While waiting, Developers can access O4-Mini API ,O3 API and GPT-4.1 API through CometAPI, the latest models listed are as of the article’s publication date. To begin, explore the model’s capabilities in the Playground and consult the API guide for detailed instructions. Before accessing, please make sure you have logged in to CometAPI and obtained the API key. CometAPI offer a price far lower than the official price to help you integrate.

Use CometAPI to access chatgpt models, start shopping!

In summary, the GPT‑4o model within ChatGPT has unlocked conversational shopping, enabling personalized product recommendations and purchase initiation through a seamless interface. By leveraging real‑time web search, plugins, and AI‑driven personalization, GPT‑4o transforms user queries into curated shopping experiences. While benefits include enhanced convenience and discovery, challenges around monetization, privacy, and regulatory compliance remain. As OpenAI deepens retailer partnerships and explores direct payment processing, ChatGPT’s role in e‑commerce is poised to expand—potentially reshaping how consumers discover, compare, and buy online.