Retail takes 39% of ChatGPT ad slots on 24% of queries
Adthena analyzed nearly 850,000 US and UK AI search queries from March to May 2026 and found retail and fashion queries drew 39% of observed US ad placements despite making up only 24% of query volume, per PPC Land. Ads overall appeared on 4.47% of US queries at an average of 1.06 items per response, well below the 3.53-item average Adthena measured on Google’s AI surfaces; logistics, home-and-garden, and beauty categories had the highest ad frequency, at 12.41%, 11.99%, and 10.03% respectively.
Why it matters: OpenAI's ad placements are already concentrating in retail and fashion well beyond their share of query volume, an early signal for which categories are seeing the ad product pay off first as it scales.
Via PPC Land ↗
Posted to the wire August 24, 2026.