ChatGPT Ads expands: Advertising in 89 countries, new image ads and Shopify integration

OpenAI is expanding its advertising business within ChatGPT. The advertising platform is now available in 89 countries. At the same time, the company is introducing new ad formats and making it easier to connect online stores through Shopify. For e-commerce businesses and online marketers in particular, this creates new opportunities to reach potential customers while they are researching products.

ChatGPT is increasingly becoming a platform where people not only search for information, but also compare products and prepare to make purchasing decisions.

This is precisely where OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT Ads.

According to the company, more than 100,000 advertisers have already run campaigns through the platform. On 21 October 2026, OpenAI announced its expansion into 26 additional countries, bringing the total number of supported markets to 89.

There are also updates to ad formats, store connections and the way advertising appears within the ChatGPT interface.

ChatGPT Ads is now available in 89 countries

With its latest expansion, OpenAI is extending its advertising platform particularly across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

New markets include Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Nigeria, South Africa, Serbia and Ukraine.

Businesses in Germany can already advertise through ChatGPT as well. Access was introduced there in August 2026.

Depending on the country, advertisers can manage their campaigns directly through Ads Manager or through relevant technology and agency partners.

This gives businesses another advertising channel alongside established platforms such as Google Ads, Meta Ads and TikTok Ads.

New ad format: Up to six images in one ad

Since 26 October 2026, a new multi-image ad format has been available to advertisers in open beta.

Previously, businesses primarily used individual images in their ads.

The new format allows advertisers to combine four to six images within a single ad.

The images must be square, with a 1:1 aspect ratio.

In Ads Manager, advertisers can select “Multiple images” under “Ad format”.

The format could be useful for online stores that want to showcase several products, or for businesses that want to highlight different aspects of a service visually.

These ads could be particularly interesting in e-commerce because potential customers can discover several products or variants within one ad format.

However, it is not yet possible to say generally whether multi-image ads actually achieve higher click-through or conversion rates.

Shopify integration makes product advertising easier

Another update concerns Shopify connectivity.

Online retailers can connect their Shopify store to ChatGPT Ads Manager.

This can synchronise product catalogues and certain commerce events, among other things.

As a result, product information no longer has to be transferred to the advertising platform entirely by hand.

For example, the integration allows retailers to:

• Synchronise product information with ChatGPT Ads.
• Create product ads based on their store catalogue.
• Apply changes to their product range more easily.
• Transfer certain conversion events for performance measurement.

Measurement can include the OpenAI Pixel for Shopify.

OpenAI is expanding the integration’s international availability. However, retailers should check whether the Shopify app and the relevant features have actually been enabled for their specific market.

Important for retailers operating in Germany: If personal data or usage events are transferred for advertising purposes, the applicable data protection requirements must be considered. A technical integration does not replace an assessment of the necessary consent and privacy notices. This passage refers to the German/EU context; requirements and the availability of features may differ elsewhere.

ChatGPT is getting wider ads

The appearance of ads is also changing.

OpenAI is gradually rolling out a wider standard ad format that occupies more space within the ChatGPT interface on desktop devices.

This is intended to give advertising content greater visual prominence.

Existing advertising campaigns do not require adjustments.

The new format uses existing ads and creative assets.

Businesses therefore do not need to recreate their campaigns.

How does ChatGPT advertising differ from Google Ads?

A key difference lies in the context in which people use the platforms.

With Google Ads, search advertising is often based on specific search queries and keywords.

Within ChatGPT, users can have longer conversations, refine their questions and compare different options.

For example, someone might ask about suitable software for their business, then compare features and finally look for particular providers.

Relevant ads can appear during these decision-making situations.

OpenAI considers various relevance signals, including the context of the conversation and the user’s apparent intent.

However, this does not mean advertisers gain access to private ChatGPT conversations.

According to OpenAI, conversations remain private from advertisers. Ads are also separately labelled and do not influence the AI assistant’s answers.

Who could benefit from ChatGPT Ads?

The platform could be particularly interesting for businesses whose products or services are frequently researched and compared.

Examples include:

• Online stores selling products that require explanation
• Software and SaaS providers
• Service businesses
• Digital product providers
• Businesses targeting international audiences

This gives online marketers an additional channel that is more closely aligned with conversations and purchasing decisions.

However, the platform is still at a relatively early stage of development.

Anyone testing ChatGPT Ads should therefore start with clearly defined campaign objectives and carefully evaluate results such as cost per click, conversion rates and actual revenue.

Conclusion: ChatGPT is becoming an increasingly interesting advertising platform

With its expansion to 89 countries, new multi-image ads and international Shopify connectivity, OpenAI is continuing to develop its advertising platform.

Interesting opportunities could emerge, particularly for online stores and businesses offering products or services that need explanation.

At the same time, it remains to be seen how ad prices, reach and actual advertising effectiveness will develop.

Online marketers therefore have good reason to monitor ChatGPT Ads as an additional advertising channel and, where appropriate, test their first campaigns.

After all, AI-powered search and advice systems are increasingly changing how people research products and make purchasing decisions.