I Bought a Fridge Using ChatGPT
AI helped me choose a fridge — faster and better than any website. Here’s why that changes how your business needs to sell.
I used ChatGPT to find and buy a fridge based on highly specific constraints.
The buying journey bypassed traditional e-commerce and search entirely.
Generative AI is now the front door to product discovery — and CEOs must adapt.
I Bought a Fridge Using ChatGPT — and Discovered the Future of Search
When my fridge died, I had exact replacement specs:
Width: ≤ 700mm
Depth: ≤ 800mm
Height: ≤ 1850mm
Minimum 300L fridge + 100L freezer
Available in Melbourne, Australia
Normally, this would mean multiple web browser tabs, filters, PDFs, and a few frustrating hours comparing dimensions in a spreadsheet.
Instead, I described my needs to ChatGPT. It parsed the criteria, clarified the edge cases, searched real-time listings, and filtered against specs, prices, and reviews. Then it presented the best options, side by side, with links.
I didn’t browse. I didn’t compare.
I conversed — and bought.
This is Not Just a Better Search Tool.
It’s a New Interface for Buying.
What I experienced is now being replicated across industries.
Platforms like Shopify have launched AI-powered assistants like Sidekick that help retailers find and manage products using chat.
OpenAI’s own vision for product discovery shows that conversational buying is here, not coming.
Meanwhile, ChatGPT plugins are already working with Klarna, Instacart, and Shop to complete end-to-end transactions in the chat window.
Search is Splitting
Visibility Up, Clicks Down
There’s clear evidence that AI summaries are reshaping the customer journey. A recent LinkedIn post by Brian Dainis visualised this split using real Google Search Console data:
His insight?
“We’re losing casual browsers — and gaining serious buyers.”
The implications:
Impressions are up because Google’s AI Overviews and summaries are surfacing more content.
Click-through rates are down because users get what they need without visiting your site.
Conversions may rise because the people who do click are deeper in the funnel.
Search Isn’t Dying
It’s Mutating
Let’s look at what’s happening across the market:
Klarna’s AI assistant is handling 2.3 million chats per day and improving CSAT by 25%.
Amazon launched Rufus, an AI assistant that integrates product research directly into shopping.
Instacart’s AI helps users plan meals and order groceries through natural dialogue.
Google’s own AI Overviews are providing answers before users even scroll.
If SEO was about “ranking,” the new game is about answering.
What CEOs Need to Know
This is no longer a marketing team experiment. It’s a boardroom issue.
Old Funnel Metrics Are Misleading
Tracking impressions and traffic alone will lull you into thinking your strategy’s working — when AI is skimming the top off your funnel.
Data is Now Your Discovery Layer
Product specs, features, shipping info, FAQs — if it’s not structured, it won’t be seen. AI assistants rely on machine-readable context, not your landing page layout.
Conversations, Not Clicks
Buyers no longer follow paths. They ask questions. Your business must be able to listen and respond inside the interface they prefer — which increasingly means AI, not Google.
So What Should You Do?
1. Implement AIO (Answer Engine Optimisation)
Structure product data, mark up pages with schema, and make sure your business is part of what AI summarises.
2. Design for Discovery Through Dialogue
Whether through integrations with ChatGPT, Shopify Sidekick, or your own chatbot, build experiences that let customers ask instead of click.
3. Shift KPIs to Qualified Interactions
Move beyond top-of-funnel traffic and start measuring sales-qualified engagement: leads, conversions, product match accuracy, time-to-purchase.
Final Thought
The fridge I bought is just a white good. But how I bought it? That’s the blueprint for the next era of commerce.
If your brand isn’t part of that first conversation — with the AI, not the customer — you’re already a step behind.
PS Read
from great write-up of ChatGPT Shopping.