Study · October 17, 2026 · 180 ChatGPT answers · 18 product categories
Where does ChatGPT tell you to shop?
We asked ChatGPT where to buy everyday products online, recorded every store it named, and compared its answers with Google's first page for the same products.
of ChatGPT's shopping answers named Amazon. On Google, Amazon was on page one for 50.9% of searches in the same categories.
144 answers to neutral shopping questions on chatgpt.com (US, logged out), October 16, 2026. Google figures come from our study of 281 Google page ones in the same categories: different units, so read them as a direction, not a ratio. Read every answer in full.
Using these figures
Free to use. A mention of Sauron and a link back is appreciated.
Source: Sauron study of ChatGPT answers collected on chatgpt.com, https://sauron.so/research/chatgpt-shopping-recommendations
- Every answer: places named and sources cited (CSV)
- Every answer in full, with ChatGPT's text (CSV)
- Categories (CSV)
- Every place named, type and strength (CSV)
- Charts (PNG and embed code)
- All headline figures and the chart pack
Laurence Tuchin, founder
press@sauron.so
Need a category, a state or a different cut? Email us.
ChatGPT and Google send shoppers to different places
Google's first page leans on Amazon and small stores. ChatGPT leans on established brands and Etsy.
Where ChatGPT and Google send shoppers
Share of 144 ChatGPT answers, and of 281 Google page ones, in the same 18 product categories.
Show the numbers
| ChatGPT answers | Google page ones | |
|---|---|---|
| Names Amazon | 15.3% | 50.9% |
| Names at least one small store | 20.8% | 65.1% |
| Names Etsy | 32.6% | 3.2% |
Download or embed this chart
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<a href="https://sauron.so/research/chatgpt-shopping-recommendations"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/chatgpt-vs-google.png" alt="Paired bars: ChatGPT named Amazon in 15.3% of answers, against Amazon on 50.9% of Google page ones; a small store in 20.8% against 65.1%; Etsy in 32.6% against 3.2%." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/chatgpt-shopping-recommendations">Sauron Research</a></p>The two can't be compared number for number. A ChatGPT answer is a list of places to buy (6.5 on average); a Google page one is about eight organic results for one search. Our Google study checked 281 searches in the same 18 categories on October 16, 2026. Read the gaps as a direction, not a ratio.
Who ChatGPT names
More than half of the 967 places it named were established stores and brands. Small stores were 4.3%.
Who ChatGPT names when you ask where to shop
Share of 967 places named in 144 answers. Number at the end: small stores' share.
Show the numbers
| Type | Share of places named | Places named |
|---|---|---|
| Established stores and brands | 57.4% | 555 |
| Big retailers | 25.7% | 249 |
| Etsy and makers' marketplaces | 7.1% | 69 |
| Small stores (site strength under 25) | 4.3% | 42 |
| Amazon and other marketplaces | 2.5% | 24 |
| Publishers | 1.4% | 14 |
| Other | 1.4% | 14 |
Download or embed this chart
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<a href="https://sauron.so/research/chatgpt-shopping-recommendations"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/chatgpt-who-it-names.png" alt="One stacked bar of the 967 places ChatGPT named: established stores and brands 57.7%, big retailers, marketplaces and Etsy 35.3%, small stores 4.3%, publishers and other 2.5%." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/chatgpt-shopping-recommendations">Sauron Research</a></p>ChatGPT named 6.5 places per answer on average. Its first pick was an established store or brand 59.7% of the time, a big retailer 33.3%, and a small store 1.4%.
Where you draw the line matters. With a cut-off of 20 instead of 25, 11.8% of answers named a small store; with 30, 52.1%. Many of the stores ChatGPT names sit just above 25.
Category by category
Amazon came up in 3 or more of 8 answers only for bike accessories, pet treats, stationery and supplements, and in none for 9 of the 18 categories. Etsy was in every answer for candles, and for wall decor and art.
| Category | Amazon | Etsy | Small store | Named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bike accessories | 6 of 8 | 0 | 0 | REI, Jenson USA, Amazon |
| Candles | 2 of 8 | 8 of 8 | 3 of 8 | Etsy, P.F. Candle Co., Brooklyn Candle Studio |
| Coffee | 0 | 0 | 0 | Counter Culture Coffee, Onyx Coffee Lab, Trade Coffee |
| Dog collars and leashes | 1 of 8 | 4 of 8 | 4 of 8 | Chewy, Ruffwear, Wild One |
| Hats | 1 of 8 | 0 | 1 of 8 | New Era, '47, Lids |
| Jewelry | 0 | 7 of 8 | 1 of 8 | Ana Luisa, Mejuri, Etsy |
| Leather goods | 0 | 1 of 8 | 2 of 8 | Nordstrom, Bellroy, Coach |
| Linen | 0 | 2 of 8 | 5 of 8 | Quince, MagicLinen, Brooklinen |
Show all 18
| Category | Amazon | Etsy | Small store | Named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pet treats | 3 of 8 | 0 | 4 of 8 | Chewy, Petco, PureBites |
| Plant pots | 2 of 8 | 6 of 8 | 0 | The Home Depot, The Sill, West Elm |
| Skincare | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Dermstore |
| Soap | 0 | 6 of 8 | 6 of 8 | Etsy, Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild, Dr. Bronner's |
| Socks | 0 | 0 | 4 of 8 | Darn Tough, Smartwool, Bombas |
| Stationery | 3 of 8 | 5 of 8 | 0 | JetPens, Paper Source, Etsy |
| Supplements | 3 of 8 | 0 | 0 | Thorne, iHerb, NOW Foods |
| Swimwear | 0 | 0 | 0 | Cupshe, Nordstrom, Summersalt |
| Tea | 0 | 0 | 0 | Rishi Tea, Adagio Teas, Harney & Sons |
| Wall decor and art | 1 of 8 | 8 of 8 | 0 | Etsy, Minted, Society6 |
Answers naming each, out of 8 neutral answers per category. With 8 answers a category, treat these as examples, not rates.
Ask for a small business, and everything changes
Same ChatGPT, same products, a different question. Asked for a small independent business, it named a small store in almost every answer and put one first in 4 out of 5.
No Google figures here: both numbers in each card are ChatGPT. “Any shopping question” is 144 answers to questions like “Where should I buy candles online?”; “asked for a small business” is 36 answers to questions like “Where can I buy candles online from a small independent business?”. See every question and answer.
The wording of a neutral question mattered too. “What are the best online stores for…” named a small store in 27.8% of answers; “Where should I buy… online?” in 13.9%.
Related research
What this means for a small store
ChatGPT rarely names a small store unless the shopper asks for one, and when it does, it names stores it can find and read about on the web. The stores it picked had clear pages for exactly what was asked. Sauron writes those pages for Shopify stores, so search engines and AI assistants can find them.
More from this study
The places ChatGPT named most
Share of the 144 neutral answers that named each place at least once.
The places ChatGPT named most
Share of 144 answers to neutral shopping questions that named each place.
Show the numbers
| Item | Share of answers |
|---|---|
| Etsy | 32.6% |
| Target | 16% |
| Amazon | 15.3% |
| Nordstrom | 15.3% |
| Quince | 12.5% |
| Chewy | 11.1% |
| REI | 8.3% |
| Walmart | 8.3% |
| Petco | 6.9% |
| Wayfair | 6.9% |
| West Elm | 6.3% |
| Ana Luisa | 5.6% |
Download or embed this chart
Download PNG (1600px) Free to use. A link back to this page is appreciated.
<a href="https://sauron.so/research/chatgpt-shopping-recommendations"><img src="https://sauron.so/research/charts/chatgpt-most-named.png" alt="Bar chart: Etsy 32.6%, Target 16.0%, Amazon 15.3%, Nordstrom 15.3%, Quince 12.5% of answers." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
<p>Chart: <a href="https://sauron.so/research/chatgpt-shopping-recommendations">Sauron Research</a></p>How much the answers change
ChatGPT doesn't give the same answer twice. Asked the same question a second time, its lists shared 46% of the places they named, on average. Amazon appeared in both answers for 6 questions and in only one of the two for 11 more. Across the first round of questions it named Amazon in 19.4% of answers; across the second, 11.1%.
So read this study as a snapshot of where ChatGPT pointed shoppers on one evening, not as a ranking any store holds.
How we did it
We asked chatgpt.com 90 shopping questions, each twice, on October 16, 2026 (US, English, logged out; ChatGPT searched the web for every answer). 72 questions were neutral (“Where should I buy candles online?”, “What are the best online stores for candles?”); 18 asked for a small business. We recorded every place it named and classed each with the same rules as our Google study. Answers vary: the same question asked twice shared 46% of the places it named.
Full method · Every answer: places named and sources cited (CSV) · Questions
Using these figures
Free to use. If you cite these figures, a mention of Sauron and a link back to this page is appreciated.
Suggested credit
Source: Sauron study of ChatGPT answers collected on chatgpt.com, https://sauron.so/research/chatgpt-shopping-recommendations
Download the data Every answer: places named and sources cited (CSV) Every answer in full, with ChatGPT's text (CSV) Categories (CSV) Every place named, type and strength (CSV)
Full method
- Questions: 90 questions across 18 product categories, the same categories as our Google study. Each category had two neutral questions (“Where should I buy [product] online?” and “What are the best online stores for [product]?”) and one asking for a small independent business. Every question was asked twice, in two rounds, for 180 answers.
- Collection: chatgpt.com in a fresh, logged-out session, US, English, on October 16, 2026 (20:32–21:03 UTC). ChatGPT searched the web for every answer. The model, as ChatGPT reported it: gpt-6. Read every answer in full: the question, what ChatGPT said, the places we counted and the sources it cited. Product images and ChatGPT's inline source links are left out of the text.
- What counts as named: every store, retailer or marketplace an answer recommends as a place to buy, wherever it appears in the answer (967 in the 144 neutral answers). Brands mentioned only as a product, not as a place to buy, aren't counted. Product cards appeared in 4.9% of neutral answers.
- Small and established stores: the same rules as our Google study. Site strength scores run from 0 to 100 and are based on links from other sites. A small store is a store under 25; a store owned by a large company is never small, whatever its score. At 20 and 30, 11.8% and 52.1% of neutral answers named a small store.
- Headline figures use the neutral questions only. The small-business questions are reported on their own, never pooled with them.
- Comparison with Google: Google figures are from our study of 281 US product searches on October 16, 2026 (Google US, desktop, signed out). A ChatGPT answer and a Google page one are different units, so we compare direction, not size.
- Limits: one snapshot from one place and time. Answers change between sessions (same question asked twice: 46% of places shared). Logged-in users, other countries and other models may see different answers. Category figures rest on 8 answers each.
- Full data: every answer in full, plus CSV downloads in the “Using these figures” box above.
Questions (4)
Which stores does ChatGPT recommend?
Mostly established stores and brands (57.4% of the places it named) and big retailers (25.7%). The places it named most often were Etsy (32.6% of answers), Target (16.0% of answers), Amazon (15.3% of answers) and Nordstrom (15.3% of answers) (Sauron study, 144 answers on chatgpt.com, October 16, 2026).
Does ChatGPT recommend Amazon?
Less often than Google shows it. ChatGPT named Amazon in 15.3% of its answers to everyday shopping questions. On Google, Amazon was on page one for 50.9% of product searches in the same categories. The units differ, so it's a direction, not a ratio.
Does ChatGPT recommend small businesses?
Rarely, unless you ask. A small store appeared in 20.8% of answers to neutral questions, and in 97.2% when the question asked for a small independent business.
Is ChatGPT shopping the same every time?
No. Asked the same question twice, ChatGPT's answers shared 46% of the places they named, on average.