OpenAI ChatGPT: Easier E-commerce Ads from Catalogs

OpenAI is making it easier for e-commerce companies to create ads in ChatGPT. Retailers can now generate ads directly from their existing product catalogs, instead of creating campaigns for each item manually. These sponsored ads will appear below ChatGPT responses. What's interesting is that this change applies to the campaign setup process, not the ad placement itself. Retailers connect a product catalog and choose which products are eligible. The platform then uses product names, images, and other catalog details to create the ads. This system connects catalog data to paid advertising, using the same structured product information for both organic shopping results and sponsored placements. OpenAI states that shoppers can be sent to a merchant’s own site or app by default, and it does not charge fees for purchases completed there. The setup is similar to shopping campaign workflows on platforms like Google, allowing retailers to reuse existing product files. However, eMarketer notes that ChatGPT ads are tied to conversational intent, differing from systems based on search history or social activity. Criteo is OpenAI’s first ad tech partner for this new format. This matters because it streamlines advertising for businesses and could change how consumers discover products through AI conversations.