Ecommerce has finally come to ChatGPT.
OpenAI announced today that it’s launching Instant Checkout, a new feature that allows users to purchase products directly within the chat interface, marking a significant evolution in how AI assistants facilitate commerce. The feature, powered by the newly unveiled Agentic Commerce Protocol developed in partnership with Stripe, is initially available to U.S. users across ChatGPT’s Plus, Pro, and Free tiers. Starting with over a million products from Etsy sellers, the platform will soon expand to include major Shopify merchants including Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx, and Vuori.
From Search to Purchase in Seconds
The shopping experience integrates seamlessly into ChatGPT’s existing conversational interface. When users ask product-related questions—whether searching for running shoes under a specific budget or gift ideas for a hobbyist—ChatGPT surfaces relevant products from across the web. For items that support Instant Checkout, users can complete their purchase with just a few taps, confirming order details, shipping information, and payment without leaving the chat.
OpenAI emphasizes that product results remain organic and unsponsored, ranked purely on relevance rather than commercial considerations. The company states that Instant Checkout availability doesn’t influence product rankings, though it may be considered alongside factors like price, availability, and product quality when multiple merchants sell identical items.
Open Standard for AI Commerce
In a move that could shape the future of AI-powered shopping, OpenAI is open-sourcing the Agentic Commerce Protocol that powers Instant Checkout. The protocol establishes a standardized framework for AI agents, consumers, and businesses to collaborate on transactions, designed to work across different platforms, payment processors, and business models.
The protocol keeps merchants firmly in control of customer relationships, maintaining their status as merchant of record throughout the entire purchase journey—from payment processing and fulfillment to returns and customer support. Orders and payments are handled through merchants’ existing systems, with ChatGPT acting as an intermediary that securely passes information between user and merchant.
Quick Integration for Merchants
For businesses already using Stripe for payment processing, enabling agentic payments can reportedly be accomplished with as little as one line of code. Merchants using alternative payment processors can still participate through Stripe’s new Shared Payment Token API or by adopting the Delegated Payments Spec within the Agentic Commerce Protocol, all without switching their existing payment infrastructure.
Merchants pay a small fee on completed purchases, but the service remains free for users and doesn’t affect product pricing. Existing ChatGPT subscribers can use their card on file, while other payment methods and express payment options are also supported.
The Road Ahead
While today’s launch focuses on single-item purchases, OpenAI plans to expand functionality to support multi-item carts and extend availability to additional merchants and geographic regions. The company has made the protocol and documentation available for interested merchants and developers to begin building integrations.
With over 700 million weekly users turning to ChatGPT for everyday tasks, and the site becoming the fifth-most visited website in the world, e-commerce could be a lucrative direction for OpenAI. Like with Google, queries on ChatGPT are high-intent, and could result in high conversions, as opposed to ads as seen on YouTube, Instagram or Facebook. And if users begin regularly making purchases through ChatGPT, it could end up hitting Google search revenues in the years to come.