Why You Care
Ever wish you could just buy that item the moment you find it online, without switching apps? What if your AI assistant could do more than just recommend products? OpenAI has just taken a significant step towards making this a reality, according to the announcement.
This new feature, called Checkout, means you can now purchase items directly within ChatGPT. This could fundamentally change how you shop online. It streamlines the entire process, moving from product discovery to purchase in just a few taps. For businesses, it opens up a massive new channel to reach potential customers.
What Actually Happened
OpenAI officially rolled out Checkout within ChatGPT, as mentioned in the release. This new capability allows users to buy products directly from sellers without leaving their chat conversation. It marks the initial phase of what OpenAI calls “agentic commerce” – where AI agents actively help you complete purchases.
The feature is powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol, built in collaboration with Stripe. Initially, U.S. ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users can buy from U.S. Etsy sellers. The company reports that over a million Shopify merchants, including well-known brands like Glossier and SKIMS, will be integrated soon. Currently, Checkout supports single-item purchases, but multi-item carts and expanded regions are planned for the future, the team revealed.
Why This Matters to You
This creation is significant for anyone who uses ChatGPT for product discovery. Imagine asking ChatGPT for “gifts for a ceramics lover” and then being able to buy a suggested item immediately. This eliminates the friction of navigating to external websites, filling out forms, and re-entering payment details. Your shopping experience becomes much smoother and faster.
For example, if you’re chatting about hiking gear and ChatGPT suggests a specific backpack, you could tap “Buy” and complete the purchase right there. This convenience is a major benefit for you as a consumer. How much time could you save by eliminating extra steps in your online shopping?
“For shoppers, it’s : go from chat to checkout in just a few taps,” the company states. This highlights the focus on user convenience. Merchants also maintain control over their payments, systems, and customer relationships, according to the documentation.
Here’s a quick look at the benefits:
| For Shoppers | For Merchants |
| , purchases | New channel to reach 700M+ users |
| No need to leave ChatGPT | Full control of payments & fulfillment |
| Free to use, no price increase | Easy integration with existing systems |
The Surprising Finding
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this new system is that product results are entirely organic and unsponsored. When you ask ChatGPT for recommendations, the products shown are ranked purely on their relevance to your query, the research shows. This goes against the common assumption that AI-driven commerce might prioritize sponsored listings or products from partners.
” Checkout items are not preferred in product results,” the paper states. This means that enabling Checkout doesn’t give merchants an unfair advantage in search rankings. Instead, ChatGPT considers factors like availability, price, quality, and whether a merchant is the primary seller to improve your user experience, according to the announcement. This commitment to unbiased product recommendations is a refreshing approach in the world of online retail.
What Happens Next
OpenAI plans to expand Checkout beyond single-item purchases to include multi-item carts, as detailed in the blog post. We can expect to see more merchants and regions added to the system in the coming months, likely within the next 6-12 months. This expansion will broaden the range of products you can buy directly through ChatGPT.
Developers and merchants can access the Agentic Commerce Protocol documentation today to begin integrating their systems. This means we could see a rapid increase in available products. For example, a small business selling handmade jewelry on Shopify could soon make their entire catalog available for purchase within ChatGPT. This creates a new sales channel for them.
This move positions ChatGPT as a significant player in agentic commerce, transforming it from a mere information provider to an active transaction facilitator. The industry implications are vast, potentially redefining the role of AI in e-commerce. You should keep an eye on how other AI platforms respond to this new capability.