ChatGPT and Gemini compete to sell you clothes directly in chat

Google and OpenAI announced new shopping features almost simultaneously — and this is no coincidence. The battle to become your AI shopping assistant is entering an active phase. Google has partnered with Gap Inc: now the Gemini assistant can not only recommend clothing from the store chain's stores, but also complete a purchase directly in the chat interface. Gap Inc operates under the brands Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta. A user asks what to wear for the weekend — Gemini offers specific products with prices and a "Buy" button. There's no need to go to the store's website.

OpenAI hasn't stayed on the sidelines. The company has updated ChatGPT's shopping interface, making product search and comparison more convenient. OpenAI hasn't revealed the details of its partnerships yet, but the update is clearly aimed at the same segment — users who want to get a recommendation and immediately act on it.

The race for shopping traffic has been underway for several months. Earlier still, Gemini got integration with Walmart and Target — following the same scheme: you see a product in the chat and buy it without leaving Gemini. Now Gap Inc, one of the largest clothing retailers in the US, has joined them.

The model looks attractive to all parties. Retailers get a new sales channel without needing to build their own AI. Google and OpenAI monetize conversational traffic, turning chat sessions into transactions. Users save time — the only question is how much they're willing to trust their purchasing decisions to an algorithm.

The scramble for the position of "AI as a purchase point" is a logical continuation of the battle for search traffic. If previously the path to purchase started with Google Search or Amazon, now both players want to close it on their own chatbot. Whoever builds a sufficiently broad network of retail partners first will get the main shopping channel of the next decade.