The day ChatGPT advertising arrived in Italy. For anyone selling online, it's the first truly new advertising channel in years: a place where customers don't search for keywords, but ask for advice.
OpenAI rolled out ads on ChatGPT across 31 European markets at the same time, Italy included. From August 31, the ad manager is open to everyone: any company can create its own account and launch a campaign, without needing exclusive agreements reserved for big brands.
In this guide I'll explain how it works, who sees the ads, how much it costs, and most importantly, what we still don't know. Because on a channel that's only weeks old, anyone promising you precise numbers is just guessing.
How a ChatGPT ad works
On Google, people type two words: running shoes. On ChatGPT, they describe their situation: "I've been running for three months and my knee hurts, what shoes would you recommend under 150 euros?"
ChatGPT risponde, e sotto la risposta può comparire un annuncio scelto in base a quella conversazione. È chiaramente segnalato come sponsorizzato e resta separato dalla risposta: nessun inserzionista può comprare o modificare quello che ChatGPT dice.
Proprio per questo le persone leggono la risposta con attenzione, e l'annuncio arriva nel momento in cui stanno decidendo cosa fare.
For an ecommerce, the interesting part is that the ad can show a product from your catalog directly, with photo and price. Basically it works like a Shopping ad, but inside a conversation.
Who sees the ads, and who doesn't
- See them: users of free ChatGPT or the affordable Go plan.
- Don't see them: people on Plus, Pro, or enterprise subscriptions, and minors either.
- In Europe they're not personalized. The ad is chosen based on the topic of the ongoing conversation, approximate location, device, language, and time of day. Not based on chat history or the person's profile.
The last point has two sides: fewer targeting options than Meta or Google, but no privacy issues. And for those selling products that require consideration, the conversation itself is already a powerful signal.
Why it's different from Google Ads
Google intercepts people who are searching. ChatGPT intercepts people who are thinking: those comparing options, asking pros and cons, describing a problem and wanting a solution. These are two different moments in the same purchase journey.
Per questo non lo vedo come un sostituto: se Google Ads ti porta vendite, non spegnerlo. ChatGPT Ads è un canale in più, che raggiunge le persone in un punto della decisione dove prima non si arrivava con la pubblicità.
È lo stesso principio della GEO, che lavora per farti citare dentro le risposte: la GEO costruisce presenza gratuita nel tempo, gli annunci ti mettono sotto la risposta da subito.
How much it costs
You can bid on a cost-per-click basis, cost-per-thousand-impressions basis, or with conversion optimization. There's no longer a minimum spend: initially, in the United States, participation required hundreds of thousands of dollars, today anyone can run a test.
In Italy, there's no reliable public data yet on cost-per-click rates. As a reference, in the United States when the self-service manager opened, clicks cost around $3-5. For an initial test that gives you readable data, I recommend starting with at least €500 in the first month.
There's also an incentive: OpenAI is offering new advertisers an ad credit, currently $500 after spending $500. It's not automatic, the amount can change, and the credit must be used within 90 days, but if it comes through it effectively doubles your test budget.
What we don't know yet
Here I need to be honest with you, because in the coming months you'll read many promises.
- No track record exists. ChatGPT Ads is only a few weeks old in Italy: no one has a full year of data, not even the biggest agencies.
- There are no official benchmarks. OpenAI doesn't publish benchmark data, and the first numbers circulating contradict each other.
- Click rates are lower than Google. Often readers ask questions instead of clicking immediately after seeing the ad.
- Measurement is still in its infancy. Tools exist to track sales, but they need to be set up correctly from day one—otherwise, at month's end you won't know what worked.
None of these points is a reason to wait. They're reasons to run a structured test instead of throwing budget at the wall.
ChatGPT Ads and Shopify
OpenAI ha scelto Shopify come primo partner ecommerce. L'app ufficiale ChatGPT Ads collega il negozio all'account pubblicitario, sincronizza il catalogo, crea gli annunci dai prodotti e traccia le vendite, tutto da dentro Shopify.
Negli Stati Uniti è già attiva, e OpenAI ha annunciato che arriverà nei mercati internazionali in cui ChatGPT Ads è disponibile a partire dal 23 settembre.
In Europe, there's one detail worth your attention: the app requests access to your store's browsing data and pixel, so you'll need to configure your privacy consent settings carefully, case by case. Not using Shopify? No problem—OpenAI's tracking works on any platform.
How to run your first test without burning money
- Set up tracking first, ads second. If you don't measure sales from day one, after a month you'll only have opinions.
- Pick the right products. Products that customers research before buying perform best: technical items, gifts, niche products, catalogs where navigation is hard.
- Give the test time to speak. Thirty days with a reasonable budget, without changing everything every two days.
- Compare cost per sale against your other channels. That's the only number that really matters.
- Decide with data. If it works, scale it; if it doesn't, stop—even a negative test on a new channel is valuable insight.
