ChatGPT Throws Its Hat in the E-Commerce Ring

Back in November 2022, ChatGPT launched as a tool to answer questions, spark ideas and help us make smarter decisions. But it’s quickly evolved. Increasingly, people are using it to discover products, asking things like “What’s the best running shoe under £100?” or “Can you suggest a gift for a 33-year-old?”

Until now, discovery and purchase were separate steps. You could get recommendations in ChatGPT, but you still had to click away to buy. That’s starting to change.

What’s known today

According to the OpenAI Help Center, ChatGPT already shows product options in response to shopping-related queries. These listings include images, details, reviews and outbound links to the retailer’s website.

But OpenAI recently introduced something bigger: Instant Checkout. In their release notes, they confirm that U.S. ChatGPT users can now buy directly from U.S. Etsy sellers without leaving the chat.

Here’s how it works: ChatGPT surfaces organic, unsponsored products. If Instant Checkout is enabled, users can tap “Buy”, confirm shipping and payment details, and complete the purchase within ChatGPT itself. OpenAI built this using the Agentic Commerce Protocol, developed with Stripe, and have open-sourced the framework so merchants can integrate.

OpenAI also clarified in their blog announcement:

• Merchants, not users, pay a small fee per transaction.
• Products with Instant Checkout are not ranked preferentially.
• The experience starts with single-item checkout, but multi-item carts are on the roadmap.

Where it works today

At the moment, Instant Checkout is:

• Live for U.S. users only
• Limited to U.S. Etsy sellers

The OpenAI blog also confirms that Shopify integration is “coming soon”, giving access to over a million merchants.

Meanwhile, the broader ChatGPT Search/Shop interface is available more widely, showing shop-able results with outbound links, but full in-chat checkout is not yet available outside the U.S.

What it means if you are outside of the US

There’s no official timeline yet outside of the US and OpenAI hasn’t confirmed dates for Instant Checkout beyond the U.S. The roadmap mentions expansion to more merchants and regions, but with no specifics.

That said, the phased approach is clear:

1. U.S. Etsy first
2. Shopify merchants next
3. Wider merchant base and international rollout “coming soon”

So for now, the US remains the testing ground, but brands should treat this as imminent rather than hypothetical.

How brands can prepare

Even without a confirmed launch date here, there are clear steps to take:

• Review product feeds and schema: Rich, accurate data will determine whether your products surface in chat.
• Sharpen imagery and copy: With limited space, product visuals and descriptions need to work harder.
• Re-think measurement: We will have to rethink how we measure and show the impact of this channel. One thing is certain, it will be far from traditional attribution. We will have to await the roll out of analytics from OpenAI before recommending best practices.
• Keep watch on the U.S. rollout: Learn from early adoption – which products resonate, which don’t – so you’re ready when it goes live in the U.K.
• Diversify your advertising plan: We are also expecting ads to launch on ChatGPT in 2026, and no doubt we could expect shopping-style ads powered by these feeds.

Final thoughts

As OpenAI themselves put it, Instant Checkout is still in its early stages, but it signals a future where asking and buying happen in the same breath.

For brands, readiness is everything. Those who act now, by optimising product data, adapting creative and embracing experimentation, will be best placed when conversational commerce lands in the U.K.