OpenAI wants to expedite the process from chat to conversion.
The technology giant announced Monday that it has partnered with Shopify and Etsy to integrate checkout directly into ChatGPT’s shopping function. Salesforce data shows that one-fifth of consumers rely on artificial intelligence at some point during their shopping journey, and OpenAI’s ready to capitalize on that reality as it grows further.
As of Monday, ChatGPT users—whether on the free or paid version of the popular chatbot—can purchase items directly from U.S. Etsy sellers in the chat. While OpenAI is actively working to do the same with Shopify merchants, those brands and retailers’ products aren’t yet available for checkout; according to OpenAI, brands like Spanx, Vuori and Kim Kardashian’s Skims are coming soon.
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For instance, a consumer might ask ChatGPT for help finding “the best gifts under $50 for book lovers.” If an item from Etsy pops up in the mix of products ChatGPT serves to the user, they can use ChatGPT’s new Instant Checkout feature to purchase and confirm the product in question.
Rafe Colburn, chief product & technology officer at Etsy, said the integration will position Etsy in front of additional consumers, some of whom may not be familiar with its offerings.
“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,” Colburn said in a statement.
If a consumer is already a ChatGPT member, they can use the card associated with their subscription to make the purchase, or add another payment method. As of Monday, Instant Checkout only allows a user to purchase a single product, but OpenAI said the functionality to purchase multiple items is on its way.
OpenAI said ChatGPT is effectively a suave middleman for digital purchases, at least where the user’s personal information is concerned. The merchant handles its own payment and fulfillment processes, and OpenAI’s partnership with Stripe helps ensure users’ personal information is protected and that consumers confirm transactions before they’re made. The company said merchants that use Stripe for other processes will most easily be able to turn on the ChatGPT Instant Checkout feature for consumers, but noted that companies not currently using Stripe will be able to use tokenized payments via Stripe, if they opt in.
Will Gaybrick, president, technology and business, Stripe, said the company is among the payment providers hoping to be on the precipice of agentic shopping.
“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,” Gaybrick said in a statement.
Other payment platforms, like Visa and Mastercard, have announced partnerships with major AI players for agentic commerce.
OpenAI and Stripe companies built an open-sourced Agentic Commerce Protocol that works to protect users by ensuring their data is directly connected to the merchant as much as possible, and, per the announcement, are hopeful that other technology providers and merchants will adopt the framework to streamline the AI-based shopping experience.
While users don’t pay any inflated fees to purchase items directly in ChatGPT’s interface, the merchants that benefit from the sale pay “a small fee on completed purchases.” OpenAI did not immediately disclose whether that fee would be a flat fee or a percentage of the sale, but that decision confirms summer reports that the company would monetize the shopping function.
However, it seems OpenAI is staying true to its initial plan not to allow pay-for-play rankings in its search results. The company said companies that apply for and integrate Instant Checkout don’t receive a preferential ranking by default.
“When ranking multiple merchants that sell the same product, ChatGPT considers factors like availability, price, quality, whether a merchant is the primary seller and whether Instant Checkout is enabled, to optimize the user experience,” the company said in a blog post.
Vanessa Lee, vice president of product at Shopify, said the integrations mark an exciting new chapter in AI-based commerce; most notably, she said, it helps consumers discover and conveniently purchase items that they may not have otherwise encountered, which could give merchants a boost.
“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,” Lee said in a statement.
