“Blend Commerce deliver real value from day one. The practical, actionable information they share in their emails is remarkable.
- Subscription sign-ups increased by 61%.
- Overall store conversion rate improved by 14%.
The most impressive part is that we achieved all of this purely by using the data and tools Blend make freely available.”
We all knew it was coming… OpenAI has announced it will start testing ads in ChatGPT.
It’s aimed at the Free and new Go tiers.
The premium tiers (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise) stay ad-free.
OpenAI says ads will appear at the bottom of answers, clearly labelled as sponsored… and based on the context of your conversation.
Here’s my prediction…
- Reach will be low
- Cost per click will be high
- Conversion rates will be high
Why?
Because this is about as close as you get to purchase intent.
People open ChatGPT to solve something, with context.
They do something like this:
“I’ve got a half-marathon in 10 weeks, my knees hurt, I overpronate, and I don’t want to waste money. What should I buy?”
Historically, that person would have typed this into Google:
“Best running shoe for overpronation”
Then it would have been shopping ads… then articles… opening 14 tabs… and doing the research yourself.
In ChatGPT, they give a more complete brief:
- the problem
- the constraints
- the fears
- the deadline
Then they ask ChatGPT to do the research and just tell them what to do.
Way less research friction and decision fatigue.
And possibly the scariest part…
People trust ChatGPT.
A lot.
So the best ads won’t be the ones with the prettiest ad creative.
They’ll be the useful ones that match the intent.
The ones that match what the person is trying to achieve in that chat.
Tomorrow, I’ll share a resource that helps you start identifying these high-intent “moments”.
Chat soon,
Peter
About the author
Peter Gardner Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Peter Gardner is the Australia-based co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Blend Commerce, the specialist Shopify CRO agency named Global CRO Agency of the Year 2026. He helps established Shopify brands improve conversion rate, average order value and repeat purchase by combining quantitative data, qualitative customer insight and structured experimentation.
Peter writes the Shopify CRO Newsletter and is known for the Buy Trifecta®, a framework focused on helping customers Buy Now, Buy More and Buy Again, while using prioritisation models such as PECTI to help brands focus on the highest-impact CRO opportunities.
Peter also co-founded the eCom Collab Club®, a dynamic eCommerce community that connects and empowers eCommerce professionals through events, networking opportunities, and educational resources.
“Blend Commerce deliver real value from day one. The practical, actionable information they share in their emails is remarkable.
- Subscription sign-ups increased by 61%.
- Overall store conversion rate improved by 14%.
The most impressive part is that we achieved all of this purely by using the data and tools Blend make freely available.”
