Did you know that ChatGPT can help you find the best product – without going into Google, Amazon or any online store?
In 2012, a major standhei occurred when Google replaced Google Product for Google Shopping and began to charge companies who wanted to show off their products.
Today Google Shopping accounts for over 50% of sales in many Norwegian online stores.
But, how long will it last? The ChatGPT Product Discovery is now being rolled out on the Norwegian market.
What is ChatGPT Product Discovery?
ChatGPT Product Discovery is a new feature introduced by OpenAI that allows users to detect, compare and trade products directly in the ChatGPT interface.
Function that allows users to ask questions like:
«“What is the best vacuum cleaner below 3000 SEK?”»
Instead of navigating through various online shops, relevant products are presented in real time – including:
- Price
- Accessibility
- Assessments
- Buy links
Everything happens in a conversational form, where ChatGPT understands the user's needs, intentions and preferences.
Why is this important to get along?
ChatGPT has gone from zero to over 800 million users in three-four years. The site is now ranked as ninth most visited in the world – in front of both Amazon and Netflix.
That means one thing: new expectations are being formed, and businesses need to prepare for changes in how users apply for, detect and make purchase decisions.
What does this distinguish from Google Shopping?
Where Google Shopping is largely bid- and ad-based, ChatGPT works according to other principles:
- Relevance based selection: Products are shown by the user's intention, not how much an advertiser pays.
- AI generated summaries: ChatGPT summarises product reviews, brand properties and key points as “budget-friendly” or “most silent”.
- Personalisation: Over time, ChatGPT can adapt the recommendations based on previous conversations, preferences and needs.
The result? One more personal, contextual and efficient purchasing experienceSo let's say that this is the same thing as that.
Users seeking advice in ChatGPT are often far advanced in their customer journey – ready to shop. Being visible here can mean higher conversion rate and lower competition than in traditional channels.
From SEO to GEO - a new optimization discipline
While traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is about getting web pages to rank higher in search engines through content strategy, link construction and technical organisation, focusing on general engineering optimization (GEO) content making visible and understandable for generic AI models such as ChatGPT. These are models that do not show search results but provide direct answers and how they interpret and prioritise information, differ significantly from traditional search engines.
For marketers, this means a new way of thinking content production On. It no longer just keeps writing for algorithms and people – now we also have to writing for language models. GEO is about ensuring that the messages, expertise and content of the brand are captured and communicated correctly in AI generated responses. It involves using clear languages, being precise and covering the user's intent on the questions they actually ask in conversation.
At the same time, we need to understand how these models find and evaluate information. They are looking for credible, up-to-date and well structured sources. Therefore, things like well categorised content, clear FAQs, data-driven insights and authoritarian publishing become more important than ever. GEO isn't just about visibility -- it's about being the answer.
Just like SEO, GEO requires continuous effort. Marketers who learn to adapt content for AI models will have a competitive advantage in everyday life where more and more users are informed directly from generic assistants instead of ‘google’ it.
How does ChatGPT get to this?
With GPT-4 Turbo and Web browsing enabled, ChatGPT can now download and display shopping results directly in the conversation – in real time. This is done through integrations with external product data providers such as: Shopify, Klarna, Instacart and Criteo, and several partners are already coming in.
The result is that users are updated and relevant product proposals without leaving the conversation.
How to prepare
To get started, these requirements must be in place:
1. Allow OAI-SearchBot indexing
You must first grant permission to: crash and index the content of your website, so that it can be used as part of the response basis in models such as ChatGPT with Web browsing enabled. You do this by adding to robots.txt:
User Agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /
2. Integrate with supporting platforms
The Klarna network, Criteo integrations, Instacart and Shopify feeds are currently being supported via Klarna/Criteo, but more are being launched.
Three. Optimize product data
Make sure that information on price, picture and stock status is available. Use clear, searchable and accurate language. It is also a prerequisite that you have some complementary content like reviews, F&Qs and pictures.
4. Measure Effect
There is currently no direct tracking from ChatGPT, you have to use UTM tagging.
Key factors for GEO:
- Structured data: Use schedule.org, product poultry and correctly marked HTML.
- Clarity and meaning: AI Interpreter purposeNot just formulations.
- Transparency for curllers: If you block OAI-SearchBot, you'll be invisible.
It may be worthwhile to lie in advance
It is no longer just a matter of conversations, but of affecting buying decisions in real time. For online shops and e-commerce operators, this opens up a new arena for visibility and conversion. Understanding how the function works and then adapting the market strategy becomes crucial to ensuring a potential competitive advantage in what may become one of the major traffic sources of the future.
It is important to be aware that today you are cannot pay for visibility in ChatGPT – neither through advertisements nor sponsored locations. Products and contents shown in ChatGPTs Product Discovery-function is based on relevance, structured data and how well the content corresponds to the model’s ability to understand and disseminate it.
The new function is a clear signal of where digital product discovery is coming. For enterprises that will be in the lead, this is the time to implement – both strategic and technical.
Contact us if you want to be in the forefront of making your products visible in ChatGPT's new shopping universe!