OpenAI has turned ChatGPT's 1.2 billion weekly active users directly into a business arena for merchants. On November 10 local time, OpenAI launched the beta version of ChatGPT Businesses, allowing companies to claim a "storefront" in ChatGPT, list products, and set up AI customer service.
Claim a storefront and move your shelves into the chat window
Through Business Hub, companies can verify their identity, claim their merchant profile, update key information, and connect self-serve product data feeds that include pricing and inventory, so the model can provide more accurate and timely product information. Shopify merchants can connect their store with one click through Business Hub or their admin. Eligible products were already available in ChatGPT through Shopify Catalog. Enterprise customers and advertisers can contact their representatives to get set up.
AI customer service goes live, with sponsored placements clearly priced
After claiming their profile, businesses can create, test, and publish their own Business Agent to compare prices for users, answer questions, and explain product differences. When users see a business in an answer, they can tap it to chat with its agent; the conversation will be clearly labeled so it is not confused with chatting with a person. Businesses can also buy "sponsored placements" for their agent and set it as an ad landing page. Sponsored content is likewise labeled separately and is not mixed in with regular answers.
Merchants can only see aggregated "mentions," "clicks," and "popular discovery topics," and these are unlocked only after engagement thresholds are met; users' private chats and agent conversations are never shared. Initially, Business Agent is available to eligible U.S. e-commerce and online service businesses, and OpenAI plans to expand the feature to more markets and industries.
