TL;DR
- OpenAI's Try on button appears only on clothing and accessories listings in ChatGPT shopping results, and works from a selfie or full-body photo.
- The reference photo is saved for future try-ons and can be changed or deleted in Settings > Personalization > Reference photos.
- Shoppers can also upload a screenshot of an item from any store and ask ChatGPT to try it on, so a product does not need to be listed in ChatGPT.
- OpenAI says both features run on ChatGPT Images 2.5; the sources gave no usage figures and no merchant opt-out for Try on.
OpenAI announced on Thursday 1 October 2026 the global launch of two new shopping features in ChatGPT: a "Try on" button that shows how clothing and accessories might look on you, and a Favorites function that saves products to your ChatGPT Library. Both work on web and mobile, and OpenAI says they run on its newly launched ChatGPT Images 2.5 model. For fashion and accessories brands, it means ChatGPT shopping results are now a place where shoppers can try a product on and keep it for later, not only read about it.
The news was reported by TechCrunch, which described the release as OpenAI "again experimenting" with how ChatGPT can help people shop online. This article sets out what OpenAI actually launched, what it did not say, and what Thai retailers should check before the feature reaches their own customers.
What OpenAI launched in ChatGPT on 1 October 2026
OpenAI released two features at once on 1 October 2026. Both sit inside ChatGPT's existing shopping results, the product listings ChatGPT shows when someone asks it to find or compare things to buy.
The Try on button
According to OpenAI's announcement, a "Try on" button now appears on product listings for clothes and accessories in ChatGPT. When a user taps it, ChatGPT asks them to take or upload a selfie or a full-body photo. ChatGPT Images then generates an image of that person wearing the item.
The photo is not a one-off. OpenAI says the reference photo is saved for future try-ons, so the user does not have to upload it again for the next product. It can be changed or deleted under Settings, then Personalization, then Reference photos.
There is a second route that does not depend on ChatGPT's own listings at all. TechCrunch reports that a user can upload an image of an item, for example a screenshot from a retailer's website, and ask ChatGPT to try it on for them. In practice this means a shopper can take a picture of a product from any online store and see it on themselves inside ChatGPT, whether or not that store's product shows up in ChatGPT shopping results.
Favorites and the ChatGPT Library
The second feature is Favorites. Users can save any product they find in ChatGPT to Favorites, or create a folder to organize what they have found, inside their ChatGPT Library. TechCrunch notes that these saved items sit alongside the user's try-on images, so a shopper's Library becomes a mix of products they liked and pictures of themselves wearing them.
The model behind it: ChatGPT Images 2.5
OpenAI said both features use the newly launched ChatGPT Images 2.5 model. The company claims the model produces more natural lighting and richer textures, follows editing instructions more reliably, and reduces image generation latency. These are OpenAI's own claims. TechCrunch did not publish an independent test of image quality, and OpenAI did not give a figure for how much faster generation has become.
The facts at a glance
The table below collects the details OpenAI and TechCrunch confirmed about the 1 October 2026 launch.
| Item | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Launch date and reach | Announced Thursday 1 October 2026 as a global launch, on web and mobile |
| Try on button | Appears on clothing and accessories listings in ChatGPT shopping results; uses a selfie or full-body photo |
| Reference photo | Saved for future try-ons; change or delete it in Settings > Personalization > Reference photos |
| Favorites | Saves products to the ChatGPT Library, with folders, alongside try-on images |
| Model | ChatGPT Images 2.5, which OpenAI claims has more natural lighting, richer textures, more reliable edits and lower latency |
Other ways OpenAI says ChatGPT can help people shop
OpenAI used the launch to point to shopping behaviour beyond the two new buttons. According to TechCrunch, a user can describe a style they would like to try and ask ChatGPT to shop for the pieces needed to complete the look. A user can also upload photos of celebrities' outfits and ask ChatGPT to find the items they are wearing that are available to buy.
TechCrunch's reading of that second example is that ChatGPT is moving into territory where Pinterest and Google have been the main sources of fashion inspiration and discovery that converts into sales for online retailers. That is the outlet's analysis, but it is a fair description of the direction: a shopper who once saved an outfit photo to a board and then searched for each piece can now ask ChatGPT to do both steps, then try the result on.
Why this launch follows a retreat on checkout
The try-on release did not come out of nowhere. TechCrunch points out that OpenAI already had to pivot away from one of its earlier shopping ideas, an instant checkout feature that ended up not performing well. The outlet also mentions that the agentic AI startup Instinct recently began pushing product recommendations to users, and that some people felt those proactive suggestions were an overreach, closer to ads than to help.
Read together, those two points help explain the shape of this launch. Try on and Favorites keep the shopper in control: the user chooses to press the button, and the user chooses what to save. Neither feature, as described by the sources, pushes products at people or completes a purchase inside ChatGPT. That reading of the design is analysis, not something OpenAI stated, but it fits with what TechCrunch reported about the checkout pivot.
Competition is the other context. TechCrunch notes that Google launched virtual try-on last year, and says it remains to be seen whether ChatGPT will become people's first choice for this kind of activity. In other words, ChatGPT is not first to the idea. What it adds is the conversation around the try-on: the same assistant that suggests a product can show it on the shopper and then keep it in a saved folder.
What the sources did not say
Several questions that matter to retailers and advertisers were not answered in the coverage of the 1 October 2026 launch. It is worth listing them so nobody plans around details that do not exist yet.
- Merchant controls. Neither OpenAI's announcement, as reported, nor TechCrunch said whether a retailer can opt its products into or out of the Try on button.
- Usage figures. No numbers were given for how many people use ChatGPT shopping, how many try-ons have been generated, or how Favorites affect purchases.
- Advertising. The sources did not connect Try on or Favorites to ChatGPT Ads, sponsored listings or any paid placement.
- How listings are chosen. The coverage did not explain how ChatGPT decides which products appear in shopping results, or whether that changed with this launch.
- Country limits. The launch was described as global. No country exclusions were named, and no Thailand-specific detail was given.
- Fit and sizing. Nothing in the coverage suggests the try-on image reflects garment size or fit. It is an image generated by ChatGPT Images, and should be treated as a visual impression.
What this changes for fashion and accessories retailers
The direct effect is on product presentation inside ChatGPT. If a shopper can press Try on against a listing, the quality of the product image that ChatGPT has for that listing becomes part of the experience. A product shown with a clean, well-lit image of the item itself is likely to give the model more to work with than a cluttered lifestyle shot or a low-resolution thumbnail. That is an inference from how image generation tools generally work, not a rule OpenAI has published, but it is a cheap thing to get right.
The second effect is on consideration. Favorites gives ChatGPT a place to hold products between sessions. A shopper who saves three jackets into a folder may come back days later and buy one, and that later visit to the retailer's site may not look like it came from ChatGPT at all. For brands that already track AI referrals, this is one more reason to expect attribution from ChatGPT to be incomplete.
The third effect is that the screenshot route lets shoppers try on products from any store. A brand does not need to appear in ChatGPT shopping results for its products to be tried on there. It does need to appear in those results, though, if it wants ChatGPT to be the one suggesting the product in the first place. That second job is where ChatGPT visibility work, often called ChatGPT SEO, comes in.
What to check in your own store this month
None of the following requires waiting for OpenAI to publish more detail. Each item is a sensible step for a fashion or accessories seller given what was announced on 1 October 2026.
- Ask ChatGPT about your own products. Search for your best-selling categories in ChatGPT the way a customer would, and note whether your products show up in shopping results and whether a Try on button appears on them.
- Audit your product images. Make sure each clothing and accessories product has at least one clear image of the item on a plain background, at a decent resolution, on the product page itself.
- Tidy product data. Titles, colours, materials, sizes, prices and stock status should be consistent between your site, your marketplace listings and any product feeds you run. Assistants that build shopping results rely on structured product information they can read.
- Check that your pages are readable by machines. Product structured data and pages that load without heavy client-side rendering make it easier for AI systems to understand what you sell. This is part of generative engine optimization.
- Watch referral data. Look for traffic from chatgpt.com in your analytics and compare it month over month, while accepting that Favorites may delay or hide some of that influence.
What this means for Thai marketers
OpenAI described the 1 October 2026 launch as global, and neither source named any country where Try on is unavailable. Thai shoppers using ChatGPT on web or mobile should therefore be in scope, although the sources did not confirm a Thailand-specific date and rollout can vary by account. Thai fashion and accessories sellers, whether they sell through Shopee, Lazada or their own direct-to-consumer site, should not assume ChatGPT is irrelevant to them.
The timing also lines up with paid activity. OpenAI opened ChatGPT Ads to advertisers in Thailand on 23 September 2026, a week before this launch. The try-on coverage did not link the two, and there is no sign that ads get a Try on button. But for Thai brands weighing whether ChatGPT deserves attention, the platform now has both a paid route and an organic shopping route that are live in the same month. The organic route, with clean product data and images, is the cheaper place to start. Retailers that already run ecommerce marketing on marketplaces can reuse much of the same product content.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT's Try on feature available in Thailand?
OpenAI announced Try on as a global launch on 1 October 2026, and no country exclusions were named, so it should be available to Thai users. The sources did not give a Thailand-specific rollout date, so individual accounts may see it at different times.
How does ChatGPT virtual try-on work?
The user taps the Try on button on a clothing or accessories listing in ChatGPT shopping results, then takes or uploads a selfie or full-body photo, and ChatGPT Images generates an image of them wearing the item. Users can also upload a picture of an item, such as a screenshot from a store's website, and ask ChatGPT to try it on.
Can I delete the photo ChatGPT uses for try-ons?
Yes, the reference photo can be changed or deleted in Settings > Personalization > Reference photos. OpenAI says the photo is otherwise saved so it can be reused for future try-ons.
Can retailers opt out of the Try on button?
The sources did not say. Neither OpenAI's announcement, as reported, nor TechCrunch's article mentioned any merchant opt-in or opt-out for the Try on button.
Do I need to change anything on my store?
No action is required by OpenAI, but it makes sense to check how your products appear in ChatGPT shopping results and to make sure product images and data are clean. Because Try on works from product images, clear item photos on your product pages are a sensible priority.
The bottom line
OpenAI's 1 October 2026 release turns ChatGPT shopping results into a place where people can see a product on themselves and save it for later. The sources leave real gaps, especially around merchant controls and usage, so the right response is measured: check how your products appear in ChatGPT today, clean up the images and data that feed those listings, and keep an eye on what OpenAI publishes next. If you want help getting your products seen and recommended inside ChatGPT, Relevant Audience's ChatGPT SEO team can review your catalogue and product pages.
