ChatGPT’s New Feature Aims to Handle Everything from Taobao to Xiaohongshu to Bilibili
The Overwhelming Shopping Journey
Have you ever wanted to buy something and gone through the following exhausting routine?
- Search Xiaohongshu for 20–30 posts.
- Watch a dozen Bilibili reviews.
- Browse SMZDM (Shenme Zhide Mai) for discounts.
- Eventually… feel so drained you no longer want to buy anything.
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Introducing OpenAI’s Shopping Research
OpenAI has launched a unified entry point to handle all your “shopping research” directly inside ChatGPT.
How It Works
- On the ChatGPT chat page, click menu (+).
- Select Shopping Research.
- Tell ChatGPT what you want to buy.
- It will:
- Search the internet for details.
- Compare specifications.
- Ask about your budget and preferences.
- Deliver a customized buying guide.
Unlike traditional search or price comparison tools, ChatGPT uses your in-chat context to find options most suited to you — especially useful during Black Friday, Thanksgiving, and holiday shopping seasons.
Availability:
- All logged-in Free, Plus, Team, and Pro users.
- Pro users can leverage Pulse for personalized product recommendations.
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Not Just Search — A Proactive Research Assistant
Many domestic platforms like Taobao, Tmall, and JD have AI shopping bots that auto-generate shopping lists based on your history.
But ChatGPT is the first general-purpose assistant to integrate AI shopping and resolve long-standing issues:
- Broken or fake product links.
- Inconsistent recommendation quality.
Example Queries
- “Find me a quiet, wireless vacuum suitable for a small apartment.”
- “I want a dress like this” (upload image).
Key difference vs. Taobao AI: ChatGPT asks follow-up questions like a real sales consultant.
If you skip questions or take no action, ChatGPT moves forward after about 15 seconds.
Possible Follow-up Questions
- Budget range (researched by ChatGPT).
- Important product functionality.
- Gift or self-use.
- Prior preferences via Memory (e.g., “gaming enthusiast” → laptop GPU priority).
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Visual Product Selection
After setting preferences:
- View images, prices, and key specs together.
- Swipe right to like, Swipe left to dislike.
- Mark Not interested and note reason (brand, price, style, etc.).
- Tap More like this for similar options.
Tips pop up while waiting (e.g., “megapixels aren’t the only measure of photo quality”).
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Why It’s a Shift in AI Shopping
Shopping Research changes the AI assistant role from:
- Reactive search engine → Proactive research consultant.
- Integrating context, memory, and visuals for personalized results.
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AiToEarn — Monetize AI Content
For creators capturing shopping trends, AiToEarn官网 offers:
- Open-source, global AI content monetization tools.
- Multi-platform publishing (Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X).
- Analytics & AI model ranking.
Creators can share shopping insights across multiple channels while monetizing their content efficiently.
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The Buyer’s Guide Experience
ChatGPT compresses hours of research — searching, reading, Excel comparisons — into minutes of guided conversation.
Extra Capabilities
- Upload an image to find similar items.
- Locate discounts.
- Provide side-by-side comparisons.
- Even check for student-only discounts or school support programs.
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Best Use Cases
OpenAI notes Shopping Research works best for complex purchases with high decision-making cost:
- Electronics: phones, laptops, cameras.
- Home & Garden: vacuums, robot cleaners, furniture.
- Beauty & Skincare: ingredient matching for skin types.
- Sports & Outdoors: camping gear, pro sports equipment.
> No paid placement: Recommendations are based on public information. Chat history is never shared with retailers.
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Powered by GPT‑5 Mini
- Specialized shopping model trained via reinforcement learning.
- New evaluation pipeline for matching products to user needs.
- 64% accuracy in meeting user requirements.
Limitations
- Prices/inventory may change quickly — verify via merchant links before ordering.
- Domestic Chinese brands with no global footprint have sparse data.
- Real-time scraping of domestic e-commerce is currently unavailable.
Future Possibility: Instant Checkout integration via Stripe → browse + buy directly in ChatGPT.
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Public Reaction on X (Twitter)
Mixed feedback:
- “OpenAI implemented my startup idea overnight.”
- “Can AI find the best AI subscription?”
- “Stop ruining my ChatGPT.”
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Strategic Context
Following GPT‑5’s release, OpenAI added:
- Group chat
- Video social features
- Instant checkout
- Shopping integration
- Browser features
- Upcoming adult mode
Goal: Retain current users via value-added features.
Shopping Research is just an early step into the e-commerce space.
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AiToEarn for AI + Shopping Creator Workflows
AiToEarn enables:
- AI content generation.
- Simultaneous publishing to all major global and domestic platforms.
- Revenue tracking via analytics/model ranking.
More info:
Integrating Shopping Research with AiToEarn publishing could empower creators to share high-quality product recommendations across multiple audiences and monetize efficiently.
