The news: OpenAI opened up its app store in ChatGPT to all developers, inviting them to create apps that operate directly inside ChatGPT’s user interface, per Engadget.

Rather than downloading separate programs from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, users can run mini apps directly inside the chat window.

Why it matters for marketers: As users adopt these in-chat apps, discovery and engagement could shift to ChatGPT's interface, where brands can place product discovery and shopping tools. Users can search, ask questions, and compare options without the need to go to a standalone website or download another app.

We forecast smartphone users will download 18.17 new apps in 2026, and ChatGPT’s app store could help alleviate the bloat on smartphones.

An increase of apps in the app store will give marketers research, creative, and ideation tools that streamline their own workflows. Housing these capabilities in one interface positions ChatGPT as a central marketing workspace—not another tool to manage.

Looking ahead: This doesn’t inherently offer a path to monetization for OpenAI, which is projected to accrue $143 billion in negative cumulative free cash flow through 2029. For now, developers can link out from their ChatGPT apps to their own webs or native apps to complete transactions.

However, the company said it’s exploring “additional monetization options” for the future, including digital goods. These could hypothetically include paid feature upgrades within apps, premium prompt or template packs, or shoppable branded AI experiences built directly into ChatGPT.

What brands should do: ChatGPT is growing as a content marketplace and shopping platform, offering a fresh surface for brand engagement. See where conversational AI fits into user acquisition strategies, and identify branded content or tools that could eventually be packaged as digital goods.