# Fanatics and OpenAI build AI shopping tool for sports fans

> Fanatics uses OpenAI's Codex to recommend coordinated team merchandise, boosting product engagement by 10 percent.
- Title: Fanatics and OpenAI build AI shopping tool for sports fans
- Summary: Fanatics uses OpenAI's Codex to recommend coordinated team merchandise, boosting product engagement by 10 percent. Fanatics launched Shop the Look, an…
- Keywords: fanatics, openai, codex, ai shopping, e-commerce, sports merchandise, retail technology, business, finance, build, shopping, tool
- Source: CNBC — https://cnbc.com/2026/10/26/fanatics-openai-codex-sports-merchandise-shopping.html
- Author: Ian Thomas
- Published: 2026-10-26T13:02:37+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: fanatics, openai, codex, ai shopping, e-commerce, sports merchandise, retail technology, business, finance
## Fanatics offers 1.5 million products
Fanatics operates hundreds of e-commerce sites offering more than one point five million unique product SKUs, from jerseys and hats to team-branded streetwear and socks.
## The shopping problem
Justin Tsai, chief product officer for Fanatics Commerce, said customers routinely spent over thirty minutes searching the large catalog. Fanatics releases upwards of a thousand new products each week.
## Shop the Look launches
Fanatics created Shop the Look with OpenAI's Codex. The feature suggests coordinated outfits on product pages, matching items with other in-stock items based on team and intended style.
## Why AI matters for sports fans
Traditional curation strategies have long lead times that don't work with Fanatics' rapid product releases.

> Nobody who is a Los Angeles Dodgers fan wants to be matched with a San Francisco Giants item.
## Team merchandise drives revenue
Team merchandise remains Fanatics' biggest revenue source. Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin said the commerce business will exceed seven billion dollars in revenue this year, compared with roughly five point five billion for collectibles.
## OpenAI's retail strategy
OpenAI has experimented with shopping tools for ChatGPT since launch. The company ended its Instant Checkout effort and now works directly with retailers to create dedicated apps within ChatGPT, according to CNBC reporting.
## How Codex powers recommendations
Shop the Look uses OpenAI's Codex to parse product and catalog data, find compatible items, and reevaluate recommendations. The tool suggests hats, socks and accessories to go with a jersey a fan is considering purchasing.
## Results show 10 percent boost
After rolling out Shop the Look, Fanatics saw a ten percent increase in views of recommended items. Tsai said suggested items help shoppers have more conviction about items they're thinking of buying.
## Key takeaway

Fanatics launched Shop the Look, an AI-powered feature built with OpenAI's Codex that recommends coordinated team merchandise and increased product engagement by 10 percent.