OpenAI is stepping up its efforts to court both everyday shoppers and major retail brands on its conversational AI platform by introducing a new virtual try-on feature for clothing and accessories within ChatGPT.
Under the newly rolled-out functionality, users interacting with product listings for apparel and accessories inside ChatGPT will notice a dedicated "try on" button. By clicking this option, shoppers can either take a fresh selfie directly through the application or upload an existing photo from their device. The system then uses generative image capabilities to produce a customized visual representation, allowing consumers to see precisely how garments, outfits, and accessories look on them before making a purchasing decision.
This latest development marks another significant milestone in OpenAI’s ongoing strategy to transform ChatGPT from a standard conversational assistant into a robust commercial hub and shopping destination. As the artificial intelligence pioneer introduces an increasing number of shopping-focused features, a growing roster of prominent retailers has begun experimenting with the ecosystem to capture tech-savvy consumers.
The retail integration trend has accelerated notably over the past year. In April, David’s Bridal established a commercial presence on Shopify’s Agentic Storefronts for ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. This integration empowered shoppers to seamlessly sift through the bridal retailer’s extensive assortment by specific silhouettes across both AI platforms, bridging the gap between conversational search and transactional retail. Shortly thereafter, in May, digital marketplace Etsy debuted its own dedicated application directly on ChatGPT, further cementing the platform’s viability as a mainstream channel for product discovery and e-commerce transactions.
These retail partnerships build upon foundational e-commerce tools launched by OpenAI last year. Previously, the company introduced a comprehensive shopping research feature designed to intelligently recommend, filter, and compare products based on natural language search queries entered by users. The addition of the new virtual try-on tool represents a direct evolution of these capabilities, positioning OpenAI to compete more aggressively in the burgeoning market for AI-powered visual commerce.
With this release, OpenAI is effectively catching up to the product visualization milestones pioneered by Google in recent years. Google has steadily built out its own suite of generative artificial intelligence shopping tools, beginning in 2023 with the debut of a virtual try-on tool that allowed consumers to virtually view women’s tops on various body types. Google subsequently expanded this technology the following year to encompass dresses through partnerships with brands like Simkhai, and extended the capability to footwear last year, establishing a high benchmark for visual realism in online retail.
The rapid race among tech giants to integrate virtual try-on features highlights a broader, urgent demand within the retail industry for advanced product visualization tools. Retailers are increasingly looking toward artificial intelligence and augmented reality to solve perennial e-commerce challenges, such as high return rates and customer hesitation regarding fit and styling.
Data from the industry underscores the powerful commercial impact these technologies can deliver. Brands that have successfully implemented virtual try-on technology experienced a dramatic boost in their performance metrics, with sales conversion rates more than doubling, according to a 2024 study conducted by Perfect Corp. Furthermore, consumer sentiment heavily favors these immersive digital experiences. The survey revealed that more than a third, specifically 38.4% of respondents, consider virtual fitting rooms and try-on tools to be the ideal method for recreating authentic physical shopping experiences within the online environment, proving that shoppers actively crave the confidence that visualization tools provide before committing their hard-earned dollars to a purchase.