How to Optimise Your Shopify Store for ChatGPT and the Future of AI Shopping

Introduction: The Future of Shopping with AI

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AI is no longer a futuristic concept in eCommerce — it’s happening now and brands are already preparing for it. With OpenAI’s ChatGPT Shopping already rolling out to Plus customers are the time of writing this article, customers are beginning to discover and buy products through natural conversations instead of traditional search. This shift changes everything about how brands are found and chosen.

Shopify appears to be at the centre of this evolution. Recent code leaks reveal signs of deep integration between Shopify and ChatGPT Shopping, hinting at a future where AI tools like ChatGPT directly access Shopify stores to surface products, answer user questions, and even complete purchases — all within a conversation.

This matters because discovery is moving from search engines to chat-based platforms. If your product data isn’t structured for AI or your content isn’t written in a way conversational models understand, your store risks being invisible in this new landscape. The good news is that many of the tactics and strategies to maximise product listing on traditional search engines are likely going to provide value in future AI optimisation efforts.

This guide is for ambitious Shopify brands who want to stay ahead of the curve. Whether you’re leading a 7-figure DTC business or managing an eCommerce team at scale, this is your playbook to optimise your store for AI discovery — and ensure ChatGPT shows your products when customers ask.

What is conversational commerce and why it changes everything?

The way people discover and explore the web is changing. Instead of browsing traditional websites or scrolling through endless search results, more and more consumers are turning to AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini to get personalised, conversational answers — instantly and that shift is coming to ecommerce.

This shift is part of a growing trend known as conversational commerce, where users interact with AI to get recommendations, compare products, and make buying decisions through natural language — just like messaging a knowledgeable friend. Whether it’s asking “What’s the best carry-on suitcase under £200?” or “Can you recommend skincare for dry skin in winter?”, AI chatbots are becoming trusted shopping advisors.

As large language models (LLMs) continue to integrate with platforms like Shopify, the line between discovery and purchase will become even more seamless. In the near future, a customer could ask ChatGPT to “find a vegan leather handbag from a UK brand” — and not only get results but be taken directly to checkout without ever visiting a traditional storefront. We are already seeing Google's AI overviews dominate the real-estate of shopping results now.

This raises a crucial question for brands that if customers start shopping inside chatbots, will your products be found and will they still explore your website. Our bet is that while AI chatbots may become the first touchpoint in the shopping journey, customers will still want to explore a brand’s website — especially when brand identity, storytelling, and experience matter. For brand-loyal shoppers, the website will remain a key space to immerse themselves in your world. However, for more functional or non-brand-loyal purchases, chatbots may handle the entire journey — from discovery to decision-making. In both cases, AI is likely to be the moment customers first hear about you, or the channel they use to ask detailed questions about your products.

Whether AI becomes the first step of the journey or the entire shopping journey itself, one thing is clear — brands that optimise for conversational discovery now will be far better positioned as this shift accelerates.

What is ChatGPT Shopping & how you can prepare?

ChatGPT Shopping is OpenAI’s first major step into the world of commerce — and it’s happening faster than many expected. By enabling users to ask natural-language questions like “Can you recommend a good waterproof jacket under £150?”, ChatGPT can now return tailored product results directly in the chat interface.

Unlike traditional search engines or marketplaces, ChatGPT Shopping is designed to offer a more curated, conversational experience. The AI understands intent, context, and nuance — making product discovery feel more like talking to a personal shopper than scrolling through listings.

What’s especially significant is that OpenAI has likely already begun inviting brands to sync their product catalogues directly with ChatGPT. A dedicated sign-up page has launched, allowing merchants to request early access to feed product data into the model. This opens the door to a future where your products could appear natively in response to relevant queries — without relying on traditional ad platforms or SEO rankings. However, it is important to note that it's likely this will support other optimisation strategies similar to how Google Merchant Centre supports the data and is combined with strategies to rank the highest. There are millions of stores selling products so whilst adoption will be staggered, it's going to be vital to create an optimisation strategy that maximises the chances of your products being suggested by AI chatbots.

As one of the first AI models to natively surface real-time product suggestions, ChatGPT is signalling a shift in how shoppers find, evaluate, and choose products. Whether you sell fashion, tech, skincare, or furniture, being part of this new ecosystem early could give your brand a meaningful head start.

Shopify X ChatGPT: What we know so far

The future of eCommerce is shifting — and the growing connection between Shopify and ChatGPT is at the heart of it. While no official partnership has been confirmed yet, recent code discovered in ChatGPT’s source strongly suggests that Shopify integration is coming.

In May 2025, developers uncovered a code snippet inside the ChatGPT web app containing terms like "shopify_checkout_url", "product_id", and "offer_url". These elements point to a feature that would allow users to browse and buy Shopify products directly within ChatGPT, without ever visiting a traditional online store. Events such as “Product Offer Clicked” are also being logged, further confirming that eCommerce journeys are being tracked and shaped within the chatbot interface.

OpenAI has already started rolling out ChatGPT Shopping, where users can request product recommendations — and receive tailored, structured results. In some cases, a “Buy now” option leads straight to a product checkout flow. A temporary merchant sign-up form hinted that brands may soon be able to sync their product catalogues with ChatGPT, potentially giving Shopify merchants a new channel for high-intent discovery.

This matters because AI is becoming the first touchpoint for many shoppers. Whether users are asking “What are the best running shoes for flat feet?” or “Show me eco-friendly skincare from UK brands,” they may never make it to a Google search or your website — unless your products are embedded in the AI’s product feed. For Shopify brands, the message is clear, if you want ChatGPT to show your products when customers are ready to buy, now is the time to optimise your store for AI Shopping.

Optimising Your Store for AI Discovery

As AI shopping assistants like ChatGPT become the new entry point for product discovery, your Shopify store needs more than just great design and compelling imagery — it needs to be structured in a way that machines understand. The good news is that SEO efforst will likely have a positive impact on ranking well in AI Chatbots from what we know so far.

Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on how humans search, AI discovery relies on clean data, natural language, and semantic relevance. If your product information isn’t optimised for large language models (LLMs), your products may never surface when customers ask the chatbot what to buy.

In this section, we’ll walk through the key areas to focus on — from product data and schema markup to content strategy — so your store stands the best chance of being shown, selected, and purchased via AI platforms.

We'll be exploring the following key areas to optimise your Shopify store for AI discovery:

1. Product Data: Ensure titles and descriptions are clear, rich in detail, and written in natural language.
2. Structured Data & Schema: Use product, review, and offer schema to help AI understand your store content.
3. Collections & Navigation: Organise products in a logical, machine-readable way to support semantic relevance.
4. Search Intent Alignment: Optimise content around how users ask questions in AI tools like ChatGPT.
5. Speed & UX: A fast, accessible store with clean design improves discoverability and user satisfaction.
6. Product Reviews & UGC: Leverage structured reviews and customer content to boost trust signals for AI.
7. Conversational Content: Add FAQs and Q&A-style language across your site to match natural user queries.
8. Feed Readiness: Clean and standardise product data via tools like Google Merchant Center, Klaviyo feeds, or Shopify JSON.
9. General SEO Foundations: Maintain backlinks, user engagement, and strong conversion signals to support overall visibility.

Optimising Product Data for AI

Your product data is the foundation of AI visibility. Large language models like ChatGPT rely on well-structured, descriptive information to understand and surface your products accurately. This means writing product titles that are clear and specific, and descriptions that use natural language — not keyword stuffing or jargon. Include key attributes like size, colour, material, and use case. For example, instead of “Running Shoes,” go with “Men’s Lightweight Trail Running Shoes – Waterproof, Size 10.” Rich, human-readable content increases your chances of appearing when users ask AI questions like “What are the best waterproof running shoes under £100?”.

Optimising Structure Data & Schema for AI

Schema (or structured data) is a type of code added to your site that helps search engines and AI tools understand the content and context of your pages. Most ecommerce brands already use schema markup to educate search engines about pages — but having it isn’t the same as having it done well. As AI tools like ChatGPT begin surfacing products through natural language queries, they’ll likely lean on structured data to understand your catalogue at scale, especially when parsing content through future product feeds or direct integrations.

Now’s the time to audit your schema for completeness and accuracy. Use tools like Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema Markup Validator to check that your markup complies with the latest standards. Focus on clean implementation of Product, Offer, Review, and Breadcrumb schema — and ensure there’s no duplication or conflicting tags.

In short, structured data is likely to become the bridge between your store and AI engines — and brands with clean, crawlable schema will have a major edge when these tools decide what to show users.

Optimising Collections & Navigation for AI

Your store’s collection structure isn’t just for users — it’s also how AI understands product relationships. Organising your products into well-defined, semantically relevant collections helps ChatGPT and other AI models connect the dots between what customers are asking and what you sell. Avoid overly broad or inconsistent groupings, and use clear naming conventions that reflect how people naturally describe products (e.g. “Vegan Leather Handbags” instead of just “Accessories”).

Ensure each collection page includes a strong heading, supporting text, and ideally, schema markup. AI models crawling your site or ingesting future product feeds will use this structure to infer meaning — so the cleaner and more intuitive your navigation, the easier it is for AI to recommend the right products in response to user prompts.

Optimising Content for AI search intent

AI models don’t search the way humans do — they interpret questions and return answers based on context and natural language. That means your content needs to align with how people ask questions, not just what keywords they type into Google. Think about phrases like “What’s the best moisturiser for sensitive skin under £30?” or “Show me durable backpacks for commuting” — these are the types of prompts customers are already using in ChatGPT.

To stay ahead, brands should actively test AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini — ask them questions about your industry, your products, or your competitors. Pay attention to how they respond and what content they surface. This will help you better understand how AI interprets intent and how you can craft content that matches.

Search intent will continue to evolve as AI tools improve, so staying curious and hands-on is key. Optimising your store isn’t a one-off task — it’s about adapting to how discovery works in a conversational future.

Site Speed & AI

AI may be changing how customers discover products, but your store’s user experience still plays a critical role — especially when a user clicks through from a chatbot or AI-generated suggestion. Fast-loading, mobile-optimised stores are more likely to retain users, convert traffic, and rank better across all platforms.

Tools like ChatGPT may prioritise product links that lead to reliable, responsive pages. If your site is slow, cluttered, or broken on mobile, you risk dropping off the discovery journey at the final moment. Prioritise clean design, clear call-to-actions, and an intuitive checkout — especially for mobile users, who may be coming directly from apps like ChatGPT or mobile browsers.

Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to identify quick wins. In an AI-driven landscape, technical performance isn’t just a conversion factor — it’s part of your visibility strategy.

Reviews, UGC & AI

As AI models like ChatGPT begin recommending products, they’ll likely favour listings with clear trust signals — and user-generated content (UGC) and product reviews are a powerful source of that. Reviews provide sentiment, context, and social proof that help AI determine product quality, suitability, and customer satisfaction.

Ensure your reviews are structured using schema (e.g. Review or AggregateRating markup), and avoid burying them inside iframes or third-party widgets that can’t be crawled. Consider using review platforms like Yotpo, Okendo, or Junip that allow easy export and visibility to both search engines and AI crawlers.

The more structured and accessible your reviews, the more context you give AI systems — helping your products stand out when users ask questions like “What are the most highly rated natural deodorants?” or “Which running shoes are best for comfort?”

Conversational Content for AI

AI tools like ChatGPT are trained on conversation — not just keywords. That means content written in a natural, question-and-answer format is more likely to match how users phrase queries in real time. Adding FAQs to product pages, category pages, or landing pages can help AI understand your store more clearly and improve your chances of being recommended in a conversational context.

Think about the common questions your customers ask before buying: “Is this suitable for sensitive skin?”, “Does it come with a warranty?”, or “Can I wear this in the rain?” Answer them on-page in clear, simple language that reads like a helpful dialogue.

This type of content doesn’t just help AI — it also supports human users, reduces bounce rates, and builds trust. It’s a low-effort, high-impact way to align your store with how AI understands and communicates information.

Feed Readiness for AI

While direct product syncing with ChatGPT isn’t fully live yet, all signs point to AI platforms using clean, structured product feeds as a primary way to ingest and understand catalogue data. Preparing now puts you ahead of the curve when these integrations roll out.

Start by auditing the product data you send to tools like Google Merchant Center, Klaviyo product feeds, or your Shopify JSON endpoints. Make sure fields like titles, descriptions, prices, availability, and categories are all consistent, complete, and in plain language. Avoid jargon, vague titles, or missing attributes — these create friction for both AI and feed-based platforms.

Getting your data in shape today ensures that when ChatGPT and similar tools open up product feed ingestion, your brand is ready to plug in and perform — not play catch-up.

SEO Impact to AI

While AI discovery may differ from traditional search, many core SEO principles still apply — and likely contribute to your visibility within tools like ChatGPT. Search engines and AI models alike look for signals of authority, trust, and content quality.

Efforts like building content clusters around specific topics, earning high-quality backlinks, and creating detailed, value-driven content don’t just boost your rankings on Google — they may also influence how AI perceives and recommends your brand. The more consistent and authoritative your presence is across your site and the web, the more likely it is that ChatGPT will recognise your store as a relevant source.

In other words, good SEO hygiene still matters. Investing in your site’s authority, engagement metrics, and conversion performance strengthens your chances of being surfaced — whether a customer finds you through Google, ChatGPT, or something else entirely.

Preparing your team and business for AI shopping

AI isn’t just changing how customers shop — it’s also changing how internal teams need to think, plan, and operate. Forward-thinking eCommerce brands should start preparing their teams now to stay agile and competitive as AI shopping becomes more integrated with platforms like Shopify.

Begin by creating awareness across departments. Your marketing, development, merchandising, and customer service teams all need to understand how AI tools like ChatGPT impact discovery and conversion. Run short internal sessions to walk through what AI shopping is, what’s coming, and how each function can contribute to optimisation — from writing natural product copy to maintaining clean data feeds.

Encourage experimentation. Give your team time to explore tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, asking product-related questions and reviewing how competitors are appearing in results. This helps build practical awareness of how conversational commerce actually works in the real world.

For technical teams, prioritise data hygiene, feed readiness, and schema compliance. For marketing and content teams, focus on intent-led content, conversational copywriting, and Q&A strategies. Make AI optimisation part of your regular workflow — not just a future task.

Lastly, stay informed. This space is moving fast. Nominate someone internally to monitor updates from Shopify, OpenAI, and other key players, and regularly review your strategy based on how the ecosystem evolves.

Preparing your team now means you won’t just adapt to the future — you’ll be ready to lead it.

AI Tools Shopify Brands Can Use Today

While the buzz around ChatGPT Shopping is growing, there’s already a wide range of AI-powered tools Shopify brands can start using right now to deliver better experiences, boost conversions, and stay ahead of customer expectations.

Smart Search & Merchandising
Tools like Klevu and Voyado use AI to optimise on-site search results, personalise product listings, and automate merchandising rules based on customer behaviour. This ensures shoppers see the most relevant products — without your team manually managing collections.

Personalisation Platforms
Solutions like Nosto or Rebuy use AI to tailor product recommendations, pop-ups, and content blocks in real time based on each shopper’s behaviour, location, and preferences. This creates a more relevant, conversion-friendly journey for every visitor.

Image Generation & Asset Creation
AI tools like Midjourney, Runway, or DALL·E can help generate on-brand visuals for campaigns, landing pages, and social content — saving time and creative resource. They're especially useful for lifestyle shots, placeholder content, or seasonal mockups.

Customer Support Chatbots
Platforms like Gorgias, and Zendesk AI offer conversational support that can answer questions, manage FAQs, and assist with orders — 24/7. These tools can integrate directly into your Shopify store and help free up human agents.

AI Copy & Content Tools
AI writing assistants like Jasper, Copy.ai, or even ChatGPT can be used to create product descriptions, blog content, email copy, and meta tags — helping your team scale high-quality content while keeping tone and structure consistent.

Email & SMS Automation
Platforms like Klaviyo now include AI-powered predictive analytics and content suggestions to optimise campaigns and personalise flows based on user behaviour — helping you send the right message, to the right person, at the right time.

Product Discovery & Quiz Tools
Apps like Octane AI or Presidio offer AI-driven quizzes and guided selling tools to help customers find the right product through conversational journeys — aligning perfectly with the direction of AI-powered commerce.

Conclusion: The AI Shopping Shift Has Already Begun

AI is no longer a future trend — it's here, and it's already reshaping how customers discover, engage with, and buy from eCommerce brands. With ChatGPT Shopping rolling out and signs of deep Shopify integration emerging, the brands that act now will be the ones leading tomorrow’s landscape.

Whether it’s optimising your product data, tightening your schema, or preparing clean product feeds, every step you take today helps position your store for visibility in an AI-powered world. But this isn’t just about visibility — it’s about delivering a faster, smarter, more personalised experience that customers are beginning to expect.

Stay curious. Keep experimenting. Bring your team along for the journey. Because in this new era of conversational commerce, brands that adapt will grow — and brands that lead will thrive.

Charle X AI Shopping

At Charle, we’re helping ambitious Shopify brands embrace the future of commerce. From optimising stores for AI discovery to preparing for chatbot-driven customer journeys, we support merchants with a long-term strategy for growth in the age of conversational commerce. Whether you're just getting started or ready to scale, we're here to guide you through the AI shift. If you'd like to discuss how Charle can support the future growth of your store, get in touch today.