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- ChatGPT sells products đ§˘
ChatGPT sells products đ§˘
Perplexity Shop, spendings going up, TikTok Shop cashes in.

Hey there, eComm legend.
AI isnât just spitting out haikus and trying to sound smart anymore. Itâs hustlingâselling products like a kid peddling overpriced cookie dough. From ChatGPTâs cousin flipping wolf-under-the-moon T-shirts to TikTok turning mindless scrolling into million-dollar shopping sprees, the eCommerce game is evolving. Fast. FAST.
Why it matters: If youâre still treating AI like itâs the future, hereâs the wake-up callâ itâs already the NOW. Whether itâs AI selling your product catalog, Google laying the smackdown on lazy content with AI, TikTok becoming the QVC for Gen Z, or shoppers finally swiping their cards with confidence, your playbook needs to keep up.
Letâs break down whatâs happening, whoâs cashing in, and how you can make these trends your next big win.
In todayâs agenda:
1) ChatGPT's cousin sells t-shirts đ
2) Googleâs war on lazy content: round 2 đĽ
3) Finally! Shoppers want to spend again.
4) While Congress debates, TikTok Shop banks $100M on Black Friday (this is nuts)

1) ChatGPT's cousin sells t-shirts đ

If ChatGPT and Google had a baby, itâd probably be Perplexity AIâexcept this baby skips the diaper phase and goes straight to reading Nietzsche. Itâs a hyper-intelligent search engine built to answer your questions directly, with receipts (real citations, none of that âYes, lasagna is an Italian cake introduced in 1926 by Charlemagneâ).
Now, itâs entering the eCommerce ring with tools like âSnap to Shopâ and in-app purchasing, making it look like the lovechild of ChatGPT and Amazon. And hereâs why you (𫵠YOU), dear eCommerce maven, should start paying attention.
Why people will shop there: With 50M+ global visitors, Perplexity is a rising player you should integrate into your marketing strategy now. Its new shopping features integrate with Shopify, Walmart, and other major platforms. It delivers unbiased recommendations and seamless direct purchasingâmaking it a serious contender in the eCommerce space.

I asked Perplexity: 'Help me find cool white eco-friendly kicks for my wife for Xmas'â.
How to show up: If you have a Shopify⌠youâre already in. Everyone else: youâre on the waitlist like itâs Taylor Swift concert.
Specificity wins: SEO for conversational AI is a brand new field. It still feels like dark magic, but optimizing for Perplexity just requires understanding deeply your shoppers, their pain points and their needs. This isnât Google; this is AI search. Tactics you need, in bite-sized form:
Title Perfection: Short, clear, and full of keywords (but not spammy). Think, âStainless Steel Water Bottle - Leakproof & BPA-Free.â
Answer Real Questions: Craft product descriptions and blog posts that directly respond to specific user queries. For example, instead of âYoga mats,â write, âWhatâs the best yoga mat for beginners with bad knees?â
Context is Key: Understand the intent behind user searches and tailor your content accordingly. If someone asks about âyoga mats for bad knees,â highlight features like extra cushioning or joint support.
Prioritize Schema Markup: Add structured data to products so AI understands them better. For example AI needs to know your "Red Running Shoes" are size 10, $75, and in stock.
Update Often: Perplexityâs algorithm loves fresh content. Update your product page often, write blog articles every day, and make it conversational so AI search knows it addresses super specific problems.
Embrace Multimedia: Include images, video demos, and even upload on Youtube if possible. More formats = better ranking.
Claim Your Space: Create your business presence using Perplexityâs Pages feature. Write guides with Perplexity to answer specific questions, and include links to your store in the content.
Winning here is about creating content that Perplexity canât resist. Itâs not Google; donât play like it is. Treat every page like a virtual handshake. Itâs your shot to make shoppers think, âWow, they really get me.â
The bottom line: eCommerce is changing faster than the plot of a prestige TV drama, and Perplexity AI is writing the next season. By acting now, youâre not just keeping up; youâre getting ahead. Because when your products are the ones people find first, youâre not just survivingâyouâre thriving.

$2.5M Growth Stack of the Week: Judy
đ Platform: Shopify
𧹠Page Builder: Builder.io
âď¸ Email Marketing: Klaviyo
đ
Social Commerce: Paloma
đ˘ Ads: Meta Ads + Microsoft Ads
âď¸ User-Generated Content: Yotpo
đââď¸ Post-Purchase: Route
đ Tracking: Aftership
đŹ Customer Service: Zendesk
đ Analytics: Hotjar + Google Analytics
You can also peek behind ANY 8-figure Shopify store's success with our Chrome extension to reveal their growth apps & tech stack.

2) Googleâs war on lazy content: round 2 đĽ

"I am inevitable" - Google, probably, as it unleashes its AI-powered snap on third-party content freeloaders. High-profile offenders reportedly include CNN Underscored, Forbes Advisor, and WSJ Buy Side. What used to be a manual process is now automated with AI. eCommerce owners relying on these tactics, take note: Google's watching.
Hereâs the twist: Gone are the days of playing whack-a-mole with sneaky sites. Googleâs latest update claims it can algorithmically identify âindependent or starkly differentâ sections within a site and treat them like theyâre separate domains.
Translation: Your third-party content wonât just lose its ranking mojoâitâll be cut off from the âmain siteâ authority youâve been banking on. Worse yet, thereâs no escape hatch. Don't even think about playing hide-and-seek with subdomains. That's like trying to outrun the Terminator.
Forget about recovery: Googleâs spam policies explicitly state thereâs no coming back from this penalty. If youâre trying to salvage spammy articles, thatâs like putting lipstick on a Gremlin after midnight. No amount of editorial polish will save you, nor will moving to a different corner of your site. The message is clear: stop relying on outsourced, low-effort traffic bait.
The only viable response is to pivot now: Focus on building first-party content thatâs meaningful, original, and serves your audience directly. Think high-quality blog posts, in-depth product guides, or customer-generated reviews that earn clicks the hard way.
If your SEO strategy involves third-party fluff to manipulate rankings, your countdown has already started. At best, these penalties target sections of your site. At worst, Google could roll this policy into its core algorithm, punishing your entire domain. Do yourself a favorânoindex the junk, double down on authentic content, and get ahead of the storm before it hits. Googleâs watching, and this time, thereâs no cheat code.

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3) Finally! Shoppers want to spend again.

Break out the confetti cannons - the retail drought is officially over! The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports household expectations for the year ahead are the brightest since February 2020. In other words: those "maybe later" carts are about to become "treat yo'self" receipts.
Hereâs the cherry on top: Household income growth expectations ticked up to 3.1%, and spending growth forecasts dipped to 4.7%. That might sound like cautious budgeting, but for eCommerce owners, it means consumers feel confident enough to spend smarterânot necessarily less. Bonus: the risk of missed payments dropped to its lowest point since June. If fewer wallets are at risk of falling behind, eCommerce brands have a prime opportunity to scoop up shoppers who are ready (and able) to check out with confidence.
Meanwhile: Employers added 227,000 jobs in November, outpacing forecasts. Combine that with the biggest boost in employment trends since 2022, and youâve got the perfect backdrop for a spending rebound. A growing job market means more paychecks to go around, and eCommerce businesses could see those extra dollars finding their way into carts instead of mattresses.
Consumers arenât breaking out the party hats yet, but theyâre laying the groundwork for a solid Q4. For eCommerce players, this is the time to strike: optimize your checkout flows, refine your email marketing, and be ready for shoppers who are looking for reasons to say âyes.â Okay, itâs happening, everybody stay calm⌠STAY CALM.
Sources: pymnts.com, newyorkfed.com, jpmorgan.com, mckinsey.com

What's your primary e-commerce business model? |

4) While Congress debates, TikTok Shop banks $100M on Black Friday (this is nuts)

TikTokâs future in the U.S. might be under fire, but its impact on eCommerce is impossible to ignore. The platform just hit $100 million in Black Friday sales, proving that live shopping isnât just a Chinese phenomenon anymoreâitâs a global force.
If youâre not streaming, youâre already behind: With 30,000+ live streams and home goods, beauty, and fashion leading the charge, brands like Canvas Beauty pulled a "shut up and take my money" moment, scoring $1M in just two hours.
Whatâs driving this boom: TikTok Shop has redefined shopping as entertainment, combining product discovery and impulse buying in a scroll-worthy package. âWe want people to discover new products, to make shopping different,â says TikTok Shopâs U.S. chief, Nico Le Bourgeois. Small businesses reaped the rewards too, with a third of Black Friday purchases supporting SMEsâa reminder that TikTok levels the playing field, unlike Amazonâs overcrowded marketplace.
Still, the clock is ticking: Legal and political hurdles threaten TikTokâs future in the U.S., but for now, the opportunity is wide open. Sellers tired of fighting for attention on saturated platforms are flocking to TikTok, where discovery isnât just possibleâitâs inevitable.
Hereâs the takeaway: TikTok Shop isnât just a shiny new channelâitâs a shopping revolution. With platforms like TikTok, Shein, and Temu expected to claim 20% of holiday eCommerce sales this season, brands that adapt quickly will thrive. The question isnât whether TikTok Shop will work for your businessâitâs whether youâll grab the spotlight before your competitors do.

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* Executive Cheat Sheet
Snap to Shop: A tool that lets users take a picture of a product and instantly find and purchase it online.
Schema Markup: Code added to your website that helps search engines and AI understand and display product details, like price, size, and availability.
First-Party Content: Original content created by your business, such as blogs, guides, or reviews, instead of relying on third-party sources.
Live Shopping: A real-time video stream where businesses showcase products, answer questions, and sell directly to viewers.