OpenAI has launched two new shopping features globally for the ChatGPT bot, the first of which allows users to virtually try on fashion and accessories using their personal photos. The innovative feature is powered by the advanced Images 2.5 image-generation model while also enabling users to save their favorite products.
- Interactive shopping features roll out globally to users
- How virtual try-on and library saving work
- Capabilities and visual advantages of the Images 2.5 generation model
- Accuracy notices, sizing limitations, and data security
- Intensifying competition with tech giants and shifting consumer behavior
- FAQs
Interactive shopping features roll out globally to users
OpenAI announced on Thursday, October 1, 2026, the gradual rollout of two innovative features to enhance the digital shopping experience through the ChatGPT chatbot for all users worldwide. The first feature is the “virtual try-on” tool, which allows users to view and test various clothing items and accessories directly on their personal photo before making a purchase decision. The second feature, named “favorites,” enables users to save and categorize products in dedicated folders within the application’s library.
These two features rely on the company’s latest image generation and editing model, known as “ChatGPT Images 2.5.” This move is the company’s latest effort to turn ChatGPT into a primary launchpad for millions of users to start their shopping journeys and product searches across the internet, especially after the company rolled back a previous feature that allowed direct instant checkout following reports highlighting poor performance and a lack of required public adoption.
How virtual try-on and library saving work
Users will now see an icon and a button labeled “Try” next to clothing, fashion, and accessory listings displayed within shopping search results inside ChatGPT. When clicking this option, the user is prompted to take or upload a portrait photo of their face or a full-body photo, allowing the system to generate a realistic composite image showing them wearing the selected item with striking accuracy. Users can also take a screenshot of any clothing item they like from an external e-commerce site and ask ChatGPT to overlay and try it on their photo.
The application retains the reference photo uploaded by the user for subsequent fitting and try-on operations, while giving users complete freedom to replace the image or delete it permanently from their records by accessing personalization settings in their account. The favorites feature allows items to be stored and categorized in dedicated folders within the app’s library, alongside the ability to write a description for a specific fashion style so the AI assistant can search for its components, or even upload celebrity fashion photos and search for matching apparel available for immediate purchase.
Capabilities and visual advantages of the Images 2.5 generation model
OpenAI confirmed that the upgraded “Images 2.5” model represents a qualitative leap in graphic processing accuracy, as it features more realistic simulation of natural lighting and delivers rich textures and details for various clothing fabrics and embroideries. The new model also excels at preserving the original facial features and physical traits of the user shown in the reference photo without distortion, responds exceptionally to complex and multi-part editing instructions across ongoing conversational sessions, and boasts ultra-fast image processing and generation speeds compared to previous versions.
Accuracy notices, sizing limitations, and data security
Despite this advancement, the company included a disclaimer warning users that images generated via the virtual try-on feature may not reflect the true appearance of the product or the user’s appearance with 100% accuracy, emphasizing that it provides no definitive guarantees regarding the actual physical fit of the clothing. Specialized tech platforms reported that OpenAI has not published benchmark data regarding color and fabric matching accuracy, nor has it specified the total number of products eligible for this experience or the list of approved stores. Meanwhile, the company confirmed in its help center that shopping results appear objectively and independently and are not paid advertisements or marketing partnerships.
Intensifying competition with tech giants and shifting consumer behavior
These smart additions put ChatGPT—which exceeds 1.2 billion weekly active users—in direct competitive confrontation with Google, which launched its virtual clothing try-on feature in 2025, and with Pinterest, a platform renowned for fashion discovery. The move coincides with a growing reliance on artificial intelligence in purchasing decisions; a report by Adobe revealed that shoppers who reached e-commerce stores via AI tools in May 2026 achieved purchase rates 54% higher than traditional visitors, compared to less than half the previous year, despite rising criticism from users who fear AI assistants turning into intrusive and annoying advertising platforms.
FAQs
Question: How can a user benefit from the virtual clothing try-on feature inside ChatGPT?
Answer: The user clicks on the clothing try-on option and uploads their personal photo to see how apparel and accessories look on them with enhanced visual accuracy.
Question: Does the virtual preview feature guarantee accurate clothing sizing and an exact match?
Answer: OpenAI confirmed that the preview provides an approximate image and offers no final guarantees regarding exact sizing or absolute appearance matching.
Question: What is the software model responsible for generating the fashion try-on images?
Answer: The feature relies on OpenAI’s new ChatGPT Images 2.5 model, which delivers natural lighting and rich fabric details.