ChatGPT's influence on the brand funnel🔎

Over the past week, there’s been a buzz in the industry ⚡️– and it’s not just media hype. Developers at TestingCatalog uncovered code suggesting Shopify may soon be integrated into ChatGPT 🤖🛒. If it launches, users could search, browse, review and purchase directly within ChatGPT, without ever needing to leave the platform 🧵.

It’s a big deal – not just for OpenAI, but for any brand focused on reducing friction from the path to conversion 🚀. This week, Nakisa Gamble-Beresford, Senior Online Performance Director at The Specialist Works, is feeding your media geekery by:

Reporting on how Shopify may integrate with ChatGPT, letting users search, browse, and buy without leaving the platform

Delving into why this could transform customer journeys by combining discovery, reviews, and transactions in one AI-powered thread

At The Specialist Works, we’ve been expecting this evolution for a while 🔮. It’s the next logical step. Conversational AI already sits at the top of many consumer journeys 📍. The idea that it could soon handle discovery and transaction within the same thread is a real milestone ✅. For brands trying to outsmart rather than outspend, this opens up entirely new ground.

Fewer touchpoints means faster decision-making, higher conversion rates, and potentially stronger loyalty ❤️ – especially if reviews and recommendations are baked into the response 📢. It's a potential dream for marketers who’ve already embraced AI in content creation or performance media 🎯 — now, there’s a chance to own the full journey from consideration to conversion 🔁.

ChatGPT isn’t the first AI platform to test transactional tools. Microsoft launched its CoPilot Merchant Programme in April 💻, enabling in-app purchasing, and Perplexity’s ‘Buy with Pro’ quietly went live in late 2024. But what gives ChatGPT the edge is sheer scale: 800 million monthly users, 5 billion visits in February alone, and a user base where, according to YouGov, 32% are aged 18–44 📊.

And let’s not forget Shopify. With over 2 million merchants of all sizes, it’s not just a partner – it’s a retail heavyweight 🛍️. If this integration goes live, the opportunity for entrepreneurial brands is huge.

We're especially intrigued to see how this will interact with other performance channels. Could affiliate, social, or influencer commerce plug into this model? Could content creators drive end-to-end conversion directly through AI? It's speculative for now – but the trajectory is clear 🧭.

This isn't just about adding another channel. It’s about redefining the customer experience around immediacy, relevance, and convenience ⚙️. If AI becomes transactional at scale, marketers will need to evolve fast – and that’s where we can help.

At The Specialist Works, we’re already thinking about how media plans adapt when AI becomes a conversion layer 🧩. This is the type of shift that rewards first movers. If your brand is on Shopify or already leaning into AI, it's time to start thinking seriously about how to test and learn in this space💡.

No confirmation yet on launch – but one thing’s for sure: media never stands still. And neither do we. We’d love to chat if you have any more questions on this topic 💬.

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That’s it for this edition of The Specialist View. We’ll be back soon with more sharp thinking, fresh perspectives, and the kind of media intelligence that helps entrepreneurial marketers turn ambition into action – and impact. Because specialist work is what we do – and as a proudly independent media agency, we’re equally proud of the passionate specialists behind it. Their curiosity, craft and commitment drive everything we deliver, from smarter strategies to standout results. It’s this depth of expertise and energy that sets us apart – helping our clients move faster, think bigger, and demand more from their media.