People now ask ChatGPT what to buy, and it answers with product cards: a photo, a price and a link to a store. There's no ad slot to buy for those cards. ChatGPT picks them from the product data it can read. If your site blocks OpenAI's search bot, or your product data is thin, you don't show up. This guide checks both, then shows you the channel that gets your catalog in front of ChatGPT.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, Shopping with ChatGPT search; OpenAI crawler documentation. Checked October 2026.
Where to start
Let OpenAI's search bot into your store
ChatGPT search uses a crawler called OAI-SearchBot. OpenAI says sites that block it won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though they can still appear as plain navigation links. It's a separate setting from GPTBot, which is OpenAI's training crawler. You can block training and still allow search. Open yourstore.com/robots.txt, paste it below, and check.
OAI-SearchBot checker Example numbers
Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Paste your robots.txt and a product page path.
The fix: paste this into robots.txt
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot Allow: / Disallow: /checkout Disallow: /cart
Give every product complete, matching data
OpenAI says ChatGPT builds product results from structured product data, such as price and description, from first- and third-party sources. It may weigh available options, price, reviews and ease of use, and it ranks merchants on things like availability, price and quality. So a product with a missing price, no image or a vague title is easy to skip. Make every product complete, and keep price and stock identical on your store, marketplaces and any feed.
Product data checker Example numbers
Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. One product per line: title | price | image URL | in stock (yes/no) | description. Your list is saved on this device.
Turn on the right channel for your store
How your catalog reaches ChatGPT depends on your platform. OpenAI says Shopify products are already integrated through Shopify Catalog, so no extra work is required beyond keeping your store eligible and the ChatGPT channel active. Other merchants can apply for direct product feed access through OpenAI. Pick your setup to get your checklist.
Channel checklist builder
Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Choose your platform and who you sell to.
Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT shopping results?
No. OpenAI says product results are selected independently by ChatGPT and are not ads. Ads in ChatGPT are a separate, labelled product.
If I block GPTBot, will I disappear from ChatGPT shopping?
GPTBot is OpenAI's training crawler. Search uses OAI-SearchBot. You can block GPTBot and still allow OAI-SearchBot.
I'm on Shopify. Do I need a product feed?
OpenAI says Shopify products are already integrated through Shopify Catalog. Keep your products complete and published, and check the ChatGPT sales channel in your admin.
How long until my products show up?
Robots.txt changes take about 24 hours to apply. Whether products then appear depends on relevance, data quality and competition.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, "Shopping with ChatGPT search" (help.openai.com, checked Oct 2026); OpenAI crawler documentation for OAI-SearchBot and GPTBot (developers.openai.com, checked Oct 2026); Google Search Central, Product structured data.