More and more people ask an AI assistant before they ask a search engine: "Which store sells this?", "Does this service ship to my area?", "What's their return policy?" If your business comes up in those answers, you want the details to be right. OpenAI's new Businesses in ChatGPT program is built for exactly that: it lets owners claim their business inside ChatGPT, keep their information current, and see how customers find them there.
This guide explains what the program includes, who can use it, how the optional Business Agent works, and how to get started, including the quick route for Shopify stores.
Official page: openai.com/business/businesses-in-chatgpt
What Is "Businesses in ChatGPT"?
It is a set of free tools, managed from a dashboard called Business Hub, that gives a business owner some control over how their company appears in ChatGPT conversations. It has three parts:
- Manage your information: update key business details so ChatGPT has current facts when customers ask about you.
- Business Agent: an assistant that answers customer questions using your own product and policy information.
- Insights: see how often your business is mentioned in ChatGPT and in which kinds of conversations.
1. Shape How You Show Up
Once you claim your business, you can update its key details in Business Hub. Retailers can go further and upload product feeds that include pricing and availability. ChatGPT may then use this information when customers ask questions about your business or products.
The practical benefit is accuracy. Without a claimed profile, an AI assistant relies on whatever it can find about you online, which may be outdated. Supplying the information yourself makes it far more likely that customers see your current prices, stock and policies.
2. Turn Interest into Action with a Business Agent
The Business Agent is the most interesting part of the launch. It answers customer questions using your product and policy information, following guidelines you control. Customers can explore their options and then take the next step with your business, such as moving toward a purchase.
You can test the agent in a preview first and publish it only when you are happy with how it responds.
Availability: Business Agents are currently offered to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the US, with OpenAI saying access will expand to more business types over time.
3. See How Customers Find You
Business Hub also shows how often your business is mentioned in ChatGPT and lists discovery topics: the conversation themes where your business appears. That is useful market research. It tells you what people associate you with, which products draw attention, and where there may be new ways to reach customers.
Shopify Stores: Set Up in 3 Steps
Shopify merchants get a shortcut, although a Shopify store is not required to claim a business.
- Connect your store. Link it to ChatGPT from the ChatGPT app in your Shopify admin or from ChatGPT Business Hub.
- Review your information. Your product details, pricing and availability come across automatically through Shopify's catalog.
- Preview and publish your agent. Test the Business Agent, then publish it when you are ready.
Who Can Claim a Business?
- The business must be eligible and located where ChatGPT is offered. Eligibility depends on industry, location, and OpenAI's verification and integrity checks.
- You must own the business or be authorised to represent it.
- The full rules are in the Businesses in ChatGPT policy.
- Larger companies that already work with an OpenAI account executive can claim their business through them.
How to Get Started
- Go to ChatGPT Business Hub and choose to claim your business.
- Complete the verification steps to show you own or represent the business.
- Fill in or update your business details; retailers can add a product feed.
- If you are eligible, set up and preview a Business Agent, then publish it.
- Check the insights regularly to see how often you are mentioned and in what context.
Is It Worth Doing?
For most businesses, claiming the profile is a low-effort step with a clear upside: the information an AI assistant gives about you becomes your own, current information rather than a guess. The mention and topic insights are also a new kind of signal that traditional analytics tools do not offer.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Claiming a profile does not guarantee that you will be recommended; it helps ensure that what is said about you is accurate.
- The Business Agent is US-only for now and limited to ecommerce and online services.
- Keep your feed and details up to date. Stale prices in an AI answer frustrate customers just as much as on a website.
If your customers already use AI assistants to research purchases, this is a sensible place to make sure your business is represented properly. Looking for more AI tools for your business? Browse the Humbaa AI tools directory.