AI Shopping Goes Mainstream in 2025 as ChatGPT and Perplexity Roll Out Tools Ahead of Holiday Season

ChatGPT and Perplexity have both launched new AI-powered shopping tools in late November 2025. The tools aim to simplify product discovery, comparison, and buying through natural-language chat rather than traditional search and browsing. The change signals a major shift in how consumers shop online this holiday season. 

What the New Tools Offer

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Shopping Research lets users describe what they need , for example “quiet cordless vacuum” or “gift for art lover niece.” The assistant asks follow up questions, fetches real-time price, specs and review info from across the web, and returns a curated buyer’s guide. 

Perplexity’s shopping assistant works similarly. It delivers product cards with specs, reviews, price comparisons. It uses conversational memory. That means if a user previously asked for “minimalist office chair,” later queries like “matching lamp” consider that preference. This makes product discovery more personalized and efficient. 

Perplexity also offers an “Instant Buy” checkout option integrated with payment systems. That reduces friction and aims to convert interest into purchases faster.

Why This Matters for E-Commerce and Content Publishers

These AI shopping tools change how people browse and buy. Instead of hundreds of tabs, comparisons and manual filtering, users get curated lists in minutes. That lowers the barrier for purchase decisions.

For retailers and publishers, that means exposure depends more on whether content can be found and parsed quickly by AI agents. Simple ranking may no longer guarantee visibility. Listing appeal , good titles, clear metadata , matters more than ever.

That is why many site owners are focused now on improving ranking by optimizing CTR. Clear, compelling titles and properly structured metadata can make the difference when users , human or AI , decide what to click.

What Web Businesses Should Do Right Now

• Review and optimize page titles and meta descriptions to clearly reflect product or content value.
• Add or update schema markup and structured data to help AI tools parse your content.
  
• Ensure page speed and mobile responsiveness are optimized to handle increased referral traffic and AI crawling.
  
• Create content that answers common user queries directly and clearly.
  
• Monitor referral sources and conversions carefully to track impact of AI-driven shopping.
  

These steps help prepare your site for a world where AI assistants may send fewer clicks but potentially more high-intent traffic.

Anatolii Ulitovskyi, CEO at UNmiss, said:

“AI-powered shopping tools are accelerating fast. With ChatGPT and Perplexity launching new shopping assistants just before the holiday season, conversion windows shorten and user expectations rise. Well-structured metadata, clear titles and optimized page performance are no longer optional. A detailed audit of click-through readiness gives publishers the data they need to adapt. Those who act now will capture demand before AI shifts the market entirely.”