OpenAI turns ChatGPT into a personal shopping assistant

OpenAI is taking the first steps toward turning ChatGPT into a personal shopping assistant, allowing users to complete purchases directly in chat. The feature, called Instant Checkout, is powered by the newly introduced Agentic Commerce Protocol, co-developed with Stripe.

Starting this week, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users in the US can buy from Etsy sellers without leaving the chat, with Shopify merchants including Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx and Vuori coming soon.

Initially, Instant Checkout supports single-item purchases, with plans to expand to multi-item carts, more merchants, and additional regions. The Agentic Commerce Protocol, which OpenAI is open-sourcing, acts as an open standard for AI commerce, enabling AI agents, users, and businesses to collaborate on transactions while keeping merchants in control of payments, fulfillment, and customer relationships.

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When users ask shopping questions such as “best running shoes under $100” or “gifts for a ceramics lover”, ChatGPT shows relevant product results ranked purely on user relevance, with no paid preference for Instant Checkout items.

If a product supports the feature, users tap “Buy”, confirm details, and complete the purchase. Payments and fulfillment remain under the merchant’s control. Merchants pay a small fee per transaction, users face no additional cost, and ChatGPT does not favour Instant Checkout listings in search results.

OpenAI emphasised that users remain in control, explicitly confirming each step before purchase. Payment information is encrypted, limited to the required details, and shared only with user consent.

Merchants will get to integrate the protocol without overhauling existing systems. Those using Stripe can enable agentic payments in a single line of code, while others can adopt it through Stripe’s Shared Payment Token API or the protocol’s Delegated Payments Spec.

OpenAI describes Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol as foundational steps toward “agentic commerce”, where AI does more than guide purchases, it helps complete them seamlessly. The company expects the technology to expand globally and support more complex shopping experiences over time.

"Stripe is building the economic infrastructure for AI. That means re-architecting today’s commerce systems and creating new AI-powered experiences for billions of people. We’re proud to power Instant Checkout in ChatGPT and co-develop the Agentic Commerce Protocol to help businesses and AI platforms build the future of commerce," said Will Gaybrick, president, technology and business, Stripe.

In tandem, Rafe Colburn, chief product and technology officer at Etsy said: "It’s Etsy’s job to help shoppers discover special items our sellers offer, even when they don’t think to come to Etsy. ChatGPT helps us meet buyers where they are."

Vanessa Lee, VP of product at Shopify added: "Bringing Shopify merchants into ChatGPT lets indie brands to household names reach customers in entirely new ways, meeting high-intent shoppers in relevant conversations. From search to social media and now to agent-assisted shopping, our goal is always to make sure our merchants are at the forefront."

The launch comes as consumers are increasingly warming up to AI in shopping and everyday life. Nearly half (47%) approve of retailers’ early uses of the technology, according to VML’s ninth annual "Future shopper" report, which surveyed more than 25,000 consumers across 16 countries.

Overall AI adoption is high, with 68% of global shoppers reporting they have used ChatGPT or alternatives such as Google Gemini or Microsoft Bing Chat, particularly among 16- to 34-year-olds (78%). Usage declines slightly with age, from 72% among 35- to 44-year-olds to 41% among those 55 and above.

Interest in agentic AI, technology that can act autonomously on a shopper’s behalf, is strong. Nearly half (48%) say they are excited by the idea of AI interacting with brands to secure the products and prices they want, while 52% look forward to AI acting for them in personal shopping.

The new feature also builds on OpenAI’s efforts earlier this year to enhance shopping in ChatGPT. In April, the company introduced a new shopping feature aimed at helping users discover products in a more personalised way.

In an X post, OpenAI announced several updates to ChatGPT search, including enhancements aimed at creating a faster, simpler, and more personalised shopping experience. The improvements are designed to help users find, compare, and buy products directly in ChatGPT, with better product results, visuals, pricing, and reviews.

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