The news: OpenAI launched an app in Shopify that lets merchants set up ChatGPT ad campaigns without having to leave the Shopify platform.

Within Shopify, merchants can:

• Launch a ChatGPT ad account (or connect to an existing one) and sync product catalogs to ChatGPT Ads Manager.
• Create, run, and manage ad campaigns in ChatGPT.
• Track performance and measure conversions.

The app is available to US merchants and will expand to international markets where ChatGPT ads are available starting September 23.

What this means: OpenAI is going after big ecommerce platforms to pull in fresh advertisers as part of its push to hit $100 billion in ad revenues by 2030. Last week, OpenAI struck a partnership with Amazon Ads, streamlining ChatGPT access to the demand-side platform’s massive pool of advertisers.

Shopify also has a large pool of US brands that OpenAI wants to tap into. Its ChatGPT integration allows merchants to manage those campaigns and track their performance all in one place. That could make the app more compelling for brands.

Implications for marketers: As OpenAI works to meet its ambitious ad revenue goal, ChatGPT advertising is becoming easier to access. But convenience isn’t a good enough reason to launch ads in ChatGPT or increase spend on the platform.

ChatGPT advertising should still be a small part of search ads budgets while its audience is a fraction of the size of Google Search: We forecast that 34.9% of the US population will use ChatGPT in 2026 and 77.7% will use Search. Limit spending until more transformative updates—such as measurement tools—arrive.

Verify that advertising with ChatGPT via an external platform offers the same features and support as doing so directly through OpenAI. For instance, a non-negotiable should be access to new measurement tools as soon as they become available. It’s worth weighing the two options against each other to get the most out of budgets.

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