Now that Norwegian customers will soon be able to shop directly through ChatGPT, we are facing one of the most significant market shifts in decades. Not only because the technology is new, but because the boundaries of trust, visibility, and choice are moving from websites, search engines, and social media to conversations between humans and machines. This introduces entirely new demands for anyone selling products or services on digital platforms.
A new marketplace
We have entered a new marketplace. It is currently the fifth most visited website in the world and is rapidly outpacing all others. It is, of course, ChatGPT. It is used daily by most people in Norway for everything from spell checking and recipes to wedding speeches. But now, the chatbot giant is also taking a clear step toward shaping how real online transactions happen. Already, both American and British customers can shop directly within the chat. Norwegian customers are reportedly next in line.
This means that “Generative Search Optimization” – visibility and optimization for being chosen in generative conversations – becomes the new competition for the customer. However, visibility and price alone are not enough. When the decision is being made, the brand becomes decisive, especially for products and services with a high level of involvement.
In marketing, involvement refers to how much time, thought, and emotion a customer invests in a purchase. If you are buying a charging cable, price and delivery time matter most. If you are buying a new car for 700,000 kroner, brand and reputation suddenly become the deciding factors.
Products with low involvement must, of course, be highly visible in ChatGPT. Here, visibility and price work together. But for products and services with high involvement, where emotions, safety, and trust play a bigger role, visibility is not enough. The brand must carry the choice.
Let’s take buying a car as an example.
Imagine you are in ChatGPT and type:
Which electric car is best for a young family living in the city?
You might see suggestions from several brands: Tesla, Volkswagen, and Volvo. All are visible. All have competitive prices and range. But when you actually make a choice, something else happens. You start to consider whom you really trust. Which brand feels safe? Who has a reputation for quality, service, and reliability?
In a generative search, visibility gets you into the conversation, but the brand gets you chosen. Tesla may be listed first, but if you associate Volvo with safety and family friendliness – as many do – that is the one you will click on, and perhaps even purchase directly through ChatGPT.
This is exactly where the competition shifts. From being visible to being chosen. When the customer no longer scrolls through Google or visits your website but instead speaks with an assistant, your brand must be strong enough to win trust without the customer ever seeing an ad. That is brand in practice.
The brand is more than a logo and a campaign
A strong brand is not built on a color palette alone, but through consistency, experience, and trust. It is the sum of everything a customer feels, expects, and experiences when they think of you, from your website and product to your customer service, tone of voice, and ethics. PR professionals might prefer the word “reputation” here, but that is a different discussion.
When generative models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini learn from customer reviews, product descriptions, and ratings, it means that everything your business says, does, and delivers becomes part of your brand – literally. It is trained into the machine that customers later ask for advice.
Customers will no longer even see your brand in your online store, because the transaction no longer takes place there. It happens inside the chatbot – from research to shopping cart, payment, and home delivery.
The brand has therefore found a new home: In the models’ training data.
AI does not change what brands are, but how they are built and managed
AI does not change the essence of brand building, but it accelerates the consequences of doing it poorly.
Previously, weak brands could compensate with large advertising budgets. Now, algorithms reward trust and relevance. A clear position, an authentic voice, and consistent customer value are no longer just competitive advantages. They are prerequisites for being shown, considered, and chosen.
What does this mean for everyone building brands?
For everyone working in marketing, communication, branding, and commerce, this is a turning point.
In facing generative AI, online retailers and marketers must ask themselves three questions.
Are we visible where customers search, even when the search happens in a conversation?
If ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini is the new store entrance, the question is no longer whether you are found on Google, but whether you are recommended by the algorithm.What are AI models learning about us, and is that what we want to stand for?
AI learns from everything said, written, and shared about you. Every product review, customer comment, and press release becomes part of the brand’s digital DNA.Is our brand strong enough to be chosen, even when no one sees our ads?
In a world without banner ads or search results, trust and credibility are what get you chosen.
The battle for visibility will never disappear. But in a generative economy, your brand must withstand being evaluated by a machine that has learned everything about you – and by customers who expect everything to be explained in seconds.
