ChatGPT has been causing havoc and stirring pots since 2022. So when they announced they were launching Shopping Research in November last year, Amazon had something to say about it. Time to hit that block button!
What is ChatGPT Shopping Research?
OpenAI reports that there are 50 million shopping-related queries per day. Usually in the form of product recommendations, ChatGPT crawls the web to bring their users solutions to their shopping questions. It also memorises shopper preferences across sessions, from past pain points to size requirements, budgets to style preferences. For example, if someone complained of knee pain in a previous conversation, then ask for recommendations for running shoes in the future, ChatGPT will remember and suggest shoes with more support. Even if it’s not mentioned again.
To complete its Shopping Research, ChatGPT scans Reddit conversations, YouTube Videos, TikTok demonstrations, Third-Party review sites and long-form comparison blogs. It collates information based on authentic use of the product rather than listing optimisation.
So what did Amazon do?
Two days after ChatGPT announced their Shopping Research, Amazon blocked its crawlers. They were having none of it! They immediately updated their robots.txt file to block any Shopping Research happening on their site. Why?
To save their $56 billion ad revenue! Amazon Ads generate them a lot of money, and AI product research tools threaten their revenue by bypassing Amazon entirely. Amazon wants to keep shoppers on Amazon, retaining their ad impressions and clicks and ultimately retaining control of product discovery.
What do ChatGPT do now?
Just because Amazon won’t allow ChatGPT access, doesn’t mean they are lost for content. Shoppers are still looking for recommendations. So ChatGPT just uses Walmart, Target, Etsy, review sites, blogs and even influencer content. Amazon sellers don’t appear at all. That means if your brand doesn’t appear on those channels, you’re missing out on AI-driven shopping.
What should you do now?
It’s really important to optimise your content in areas other than Amazon. Here’s where and how:
- Amazon Rufus – Yes, it’s owned by Amazon, but Rufus actually displays ‘Researched by AI’ content above listings, often leading to external sites rather than product pages. Use long titles that detail the product, use and outcome. Structured bullet points that highlight a feature, benefit and proof can also be useful, as well as adding tables and FAQ sections. AI pulls heavily from FAQs.
- Google AI overviews – You’ll certainly have noticed the AI suggestions at the top of Google search results nowadays. This section pulls heavily from FAQs, blog posts with comparison tables and step-by-step buying guides. This is on your pages outside of Amazon.
- Review sites – as they prioritise authenticity, getting on review sites is important. Have a presence on Reddit, features on review sites, YouTube product demonstrations and even TikTok.
- YouTube – These should be ‘How to’ videos, detailed comparisons or long-term testing content.
- Reddit – Having conversations with people is important. Answer real questions, share helpful insights and build credibility.
- TikTok – Authenticity on TikTok is important. Reacting to people’s comments in earnest, asking questions, and creating honest, helpful videos. They work best as 60 second product use videos with text overlays detailing features.
- Review sites and influencers – Get yourself featured by trusted reviewers and influencers. This will help you build topical authority and earn citations from AI.
Half the battle is finding the time to implement the optimisation, but it’s important to do it to ensure you don’t miss out on the 50 million daily AI shoppers. AI is not something that’s going to disappear any time soon. You should and need to adjust your marketing strategies accordingly to keep up with the modern market. Amazon is not the only selling platform, and ignoring others is only dampening your potential revenue in the long-term.
If you need some extra help organising your optimisation or marketing strategy, get in touch with the team at Brand Monkey today.