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ChatGPT Now Has Ads: What It Means for Cross-Border E-Commerce

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What happened

On February 9, OpenAI started showing ads in ChatGPT’s Free and Go subscription tiers. Ads appear at the bottom of AI responses, matched to the current conversation topic.

Six weeks in, ad revenue crossed $100 million.

In early March, Criteo became the first ad tech platform to integrate with ChatGPT ads. Target, Adobe, and Williams-Sonoma joined the early pilot. OpenAI is now expanding to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

For contrast: Perplexity announced in February that it was abandoning its ad model entirely, citing user trust concerns. OpenAI went the other direction, and so far the bet seems to be paying off. Their disclosed metrics show no measurable drop in user trust and low ad dismissal rates.

What the ads look like and how they trigger

ChatGPT ads aren’t banners or pop-ups. They appear below the AI’s answer in a format that blends with the rest of the response, marked “Sponsored.”

The trigger is conversation content. If you’re chatting with ChatGPT about running gear, a sponsored product ad for athletic equipment might appear below the response. It doesn’t happen every conversation. OpenAI is keeping the frequency restrained for now.

Some topics never trigger ads: health discussions, political topics, mental health conversations. Users under 18 don’t see ads. Everyone else can dismiss ads, give feedback, see why an ad was shown, and manage personalization settings.

Can cross-border sellers advertise on ChatGPT now

The honest answer: most can’t yet.

ChatGPT ads are in an invite-only pilot phase. Current participants are mainly large retailers and established brands. OpenAI runs the ads through Criteo’s platform, meaning you’d need to be a Criteo advertiser to have a chance at early access.

This won’t last forever though. Following the trajectory of Google and Facebook ad platforms, the path from brand pilot to open self-serve advertising typically takes one to two years. Given how fast ChatGPT ad revenue is growing, OpenAI has strong incentive to expand advertiser access sooner rather than later.

What’s worth watching

Even if you can’t advertise directly right now, a few things are worth tracking.

ChatGPT shopping feature development. OpenAI recently updated ChatGPT’s e-commerce experience, partnering with Walmart and integrating Shopify’s Agentic Storefronts. When ads and shopping functionality converge, advertisers will be able to complete the entire journey from awareness to purchase inside a ChatGPT conversation.

Performance data from early advertisers. Public information is limited so far, but as more brands join the pilot, data on ChatGPT ad conversion rates and cost per click will start appearing in industry reports. Those numbers will help you decide whether this channel makes sense for your product category.

Competitor activity. If competitors in your space are already running ChatGPT ads (especially if you see their products recommended in category comparison or buying guide conversations), someone in your industry is already investing in this channel.

What to do now

No immediate action required, but two things are worth preparing.

First, create a Criteo account and familiarize yourself with their ad products. When ChatGPT ads open to more advertisers, going through Criteo is likely the fastest path in.

Second, periodically search your product category topics in ChatGPT’s free tier. Note whether competitor ads appear, and observe how the AI recommends products in its answers. This gives you a sense of what kind of product descriptions and brand signals the AI favors in this channel.

AI advertising is still very early, but $100 million in six weeks suggests this market is arriving faster than most people expected.

阅读本文中文版: ChatGPT 开始卖广告了：跨境电商的新投放渠道来了吗

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