ChatGPT for retail and wholesale
For shops and online sellers, ChatGPT is mostly a fast writer and a patient analyst.
- Share of NZ employees
- 14%about 351,000 people, Feb 2025
- Highest local share
- 32%Woodend, Canterbury
- Highest region
- 17%Auckland, 143,000 employees
Where we start
For shops and online sellers, ChatGPT is mostly a fast writer and a patient analyst. Descriptions, promotions and sales data all get easier.
Listings and promotions
Generate product descriptions, email campaigns and social posts from a spec sheet and your brand voice.
Sales data questions
Upload a POS or Shopify export and ask what sells, when, and what to reorder, then check the numbers.
Customer service macros
Create a custom GPT with your returns, shipping and warranty policy to draft replies for staff to send.
Take care: Check product claims and pricing before anything goes live. Fair Trading Act obligations do not change because a tool wrote the copy.
Where the jobs are
Retail and wholesale accounts for 14% of paid employees in New Zealand. These are the towns and regions where its share is highest. Towns need at least 400 employees to be ranked.
Towns with the highest share of jobs in retail
| Town | Chart | Share | NZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodend | 31.5% | 14.3% | |
| Amberley | 29.0% | 14.3% | |
| Ōhakune | 29.0% | 14.3% | |
| Waiuku | 28.8% | 14.3% | |
| Warkworth | 24.0% | 14.3% | |
| Cable Bay | 24.0% | 14.3% | |
| Gore | 23.7% | 14.3% | |
| Geraldine | 23.4% | 14.3% | |
| Whitianga | 23.3% | 14.3% | |
| Pukekohe | 23.0% | 14.3% |
Share of paid employees at business locations in the town. The tick marks the national share.
Source: Stats NZ, Business Demography Statistics, February 2020 and 2025.
By region
| Region | Chart | Share | NZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 16.6% | 14.3% | |
| Canterbury | 14.9% | 14.3% | |
| Nelson | 14.8% | 14.3% | |
| Tasman | 14.7% | 14.3% | |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | 14.1% | 14.3% | |
| Northland | 14.0% | 14.3% | |
| Bay of Plenty | 13.6% | 14.3% | |
| Waikato | 13.2% | 14.3% | |
| Otago | 13.2% | 14.3% | |
| Southland | 13.2% | 14.3% | |
| Hawke's Bay | 13.0% | 14.3% | |
| Marlborough | 12.0% | 14.3% | |
| West Coast | 12.0% | 14.3% | |
| Taranaki | 11.6% | 14.3% | |
| Gisborne | 10.5% | 14.3% | |
| Wellington | 10.3% | 14.3% |
Source: Stats NZ, Business Demography Statistics, February 2020 and 2025.
Courses
1Introductory
ChatGPT essentials workshop
A practical session for the whole team: prompting, files, data analysis and Projects, using tasks from your own business.
2Organisation
ChatGPT Business and Enterprise rollout
Set up ChatGPT properly for a team: workspace, sharing, policies, a custom GPT library and adoption that lasts past week two.
3Advanced
Custom GPTs, agents and the OpenAI API
For power users and developers: custom GPTs with actions, agent workflows, the OpenAI API and Codex.
Other industries
Questions
Is ChatGPT safe to use in retail?
With the right plan and rules, yes for most tasks. Check product claims and pricing before anything goes live. Fair Trading Act obligations do not change because a tool wrote the copy.
Can training use our own retail examples?
Yes. We ask for a few real, non-sensitive examples beforehand, or anonymised versions, and build the exercises around them.
Train your retail team
- Send us a few linesHow many people, where you are, and the jobs that eat your week.
- We reply with a planA suggested session and format, plus what to bring: real quotes, emails and questions.
- Your team does the workAt your place or over video. They finish with ChatGPT doing real tasks, not demos.
- In person
- Remote
- Half-day workshop
- Full-day workshop
- Team rollout
Independent training by TheColab. Not affiliated with OpenAI.
Enquire
Tell us about your team. We reply by email with a suggested course and format.