Why does ChatGPT give a different answer when you ask the same shopping question twice?

Each new chat can search again and pick up different sources. In our test, 14 of 20 products got a different store or price when asked a second time.

Updated

Each new chat can run a fresh search and draw on different sources, so the same question can return a different store or price minutes later. In Core dna's October 2026 test, 14 of 20 products got a different answer on the second ask. The Kindle Paperwhite was recommended at Officeworks, then Myer, then JB Hi-Fi across three asks.

For retailers, this means a single check tells you very little. Track how often you are named and recommended across several asks of the same question, and at what price. How do you measure AI visibility? covers what to record.

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