OpenAI has launched a product carousel format for ChatGPT ads, allowing multiple items from a single retailer to appear in one placement. The update comes just three months after the platform introduced product feed campaigns.
TL;DR
- OpenAI has introduced a product carousel format for ChatGPT ads, enabling multiple items from a single retailer in one placement.
- The update comes just three months after the platform introduced product feed campaigns, designed to stack ads side-by-side.
- The timing of the launch is strategic, with Q4 being the biggest quarter for ad spend, and OpenAI aiming to steer more ad dollars into the business.
What happened
OpenAI has launched a product carousel format for ChatGPT ads, allowing multiple items from a single retailer to appear in one placement. The format is similar to Google's Shopping feed and is designed to make ads more shoppable.
The update comes just three months after OpenAI introduced product feed campaigns, which enabled retailers to bulk create campaigns from their product catalogues. The new carousel format builds on this, allowing OpenAI to pull product information directly from retailers' feeds.
The decision to show a single product ad or carousel is currently made by OpenAI's internal systems, rather than the advertiser. The format is already built to eventually show multiple products from competing retailers side by side.
Why it matters
The launch of product carousels is a notable step forward for OpenAI, which has largely relied on a single ad format since its ad platform launched. The new format is designed to make ads more engaging and shoppable, which could help steer more ad dollars into the business.
The timing of the launch is strategic, with Q4 being the biggest quarter for ad spend. OpenAI is aiming to make sure that products are discoverable in ChatGPT conversations during the holiday shopping season.
OpenAI has reportedly set itself a target of $2.5 billion in ad revenue for 2026, rising 40 times to over $100 billion by 2030. The launch of product carousels could help the company meet these targets.
Key facts
- OpenAI has launched a product carousel format for ChatGPT ads, allowing multiple items from a single retailer to appear in one placement.
- The update comes just three months after OpenAI introduced product feed campaigns, which enabled retailers to bulk create campaigns from their product catalogues.
- The new carousel format is designed to make ads more shoppable and is similar to Google's Shopping feed.
- The decision to show a single product ad or carousel is currently made by OpenAI's internal systems, rather than the advertiser.
- OpenAI has reportedly set itself a target of $2.5 billion in ad revenue for 2026, rising 40 times to over $100 billion by 2030.
- Q4 is the biggest quarter for ad spend, and OpenAI is aiming to make sure that products are discoverable in ChatGPT conversations during the holiday shopping season.
- OpenAI did not respond to Digiday's request for comment.
Context
OpenAI's ad platform has been in development for the past five months, with the company initially launching a single ad format that featured a headline, short description, an image, and a link. The new product carousel format is a notable step forward in the platform's development.
The launch of product carousels comes as OpenAI aims to meet its reported ad revenue targets of $2.5 billion for 2026 and over $100 billion by 2030. The company is likely hoping that the new format will help steer more ad dollars into the business, particularly during the key Q4 shopping season.
The new format is also a sign of OpenAI's growing focus on e-commerce, with the company having introduced product feed campaigns just three months ago. The new carousel format builds on this, allowing OpenAI to pull product information directly from retailers' feeds.
