Shopify and OpenAI Partner to Bring Shopping Directly Inside ChatGPT

A big game changer for all the Shopify merchants out there. Conversations can now be turned into sales.

With the new Shopify and OpenAI partnership.. shoppers can directly make a purchase without leaving the chat. Previously, ChatGPT used to provide shoppers with links to different websites so that shoppers could click on those website links, check options and make a purchase on the website only, but now.. shoppers can directly see product options in ChatGPT and can make a purchase from there… no links, no redirection, just a seamless, hassle-free shopping experience.

In the recent update from OpenAI, they mentioned that “we are taking the first step towards agentic commerce in ChatGPT with new ways for people, AI agents, and businesses to shop together.” (https://openai.com/index/buy-it-in-chatgpt/)

And it’s not just OpenAI.. the co-founder and CEO of Shopify, Tobias Lütke, also shared a vision where he mentioned that… “A future where Shopify merchants can sell anywhere AI conversations happen. Today, we’re taking another step toward that vision through our partnership with OpenAI.” (https://www.shopify.com/news/shopify-open-ai-commerce)

So yeah… this new integration is going to be crazy and definitely will turn heads around. Read on to learn and understand more about this partnership!

The Boom of AI

I feel like without AI, life would be impossible now, because countless people rely on it every week for their basic day-to-day needs. They seek answers, ideas, party preparation lists, and even suggestions for gifts. And with the new partnership, shoppers will be able to not only ask best gift suggestion, they will be able to make a purchase right there in the chat box from millions of Shopify merchants. This Instant Checkout currently supports single product purchases, but soon shoppers will be able to make purchases of more than one item.

We know that shopping patterns and the e-commerce world are changing rapidly. Ads and Facebook have become outdated as users are now directly finding products in ChatGPT, which helps merchants appear directly in the chat and allows shoppers to make a purchase without disrupting the flow. This is a huge shift.

According to the data, over 2.5 billion people send daily prompts to GPT, with approximately 330 million of these coming from the USA. ChatGPT has also reached more than 700 million active users weekly in September 2025.

So here is how it works… imagine you are chatting with ChatGPT and you type “Best leather handbag under $100.” Instead of sending you off to ten websites, ChatGPT shows you relevant product listings right inside the chat so that you can scroll through options, see prices, images, and if a product supports Instant Checkout… you can tap Buy, confirm your order, payment, and shipping, and complete the purchase without ever leaving ChatGPT. It’s that simple… no redirects, no bouncing between tabs.

For users… this feels like having a personal shopping assistant who not only recommends products… but also checks out on your behalf. If you are already a ChatGPT subscriber.. You can use your saved card or other express payment methods and be done in seconds. For users without a saved method, they can enter their payment info once and move forward.

Now, if we see behind the scenes… Shopify merchants will handle orders, payments, and fulfillment the exact same way they always have. ChatGPT will just act like a messenger… it will securely pass the order information back and forth between you and the merchant. And do not worry…. ChatGPT doesn’t store or process payments itself. It simply connects you to the merchant’s systems.

Merchants pay a small fee only after a purchase is completed. For users.. Instant Checkout is free, doesn’t change product prices, and doesn’t affect how products are ranked or displayed. ChatGPT’s product results are organic and unsponsored. When ChatGPT ranks similar products, it considers price, availability, seller reputation, whether Instant Checkout is enabled, and other factors. So.. having Instant Checkout does not guarantee you are shown first… but if everything else is equal, it can help!

Image Source – https://openai.com/index/buy-it-in-chatgpt/

The Agentic Commerce Protocol is All About AI & Merchants Hand-in-Hand

Shopify + ChatGPT’s integration is the Agentic Commerce Protocol. Let me explain to you this way.. Think of it as the “language” or set of rules that lets AI agents (ChatGPT) and merchants communicate during a purchase… so they can complete an order without you ever knowing the technical efforts behind the curtain.

This protocol was built in collaboration with Stripe and major merchants, so it can:

• Work across platforms, payment processors and different business types without forcing merchants to rip up their backend.
  
  
• This lets merchants stay in full control of orders, fulfillment, returns and customer relationships… ChatGPT does not become the merchant. You place the order, the merchant processes it, ships it and handles support.
  
  
• Implementation can be done quickly, sometimes with just one line of code, especially if the merchant already uses Stripe. Even if they use another payment provider, they can integrate Instant Checkout via Stripe’s Shared Payment Token API or adopt the Delegated Payments spec in Agentic Commerce. All of this without changing their current setup.

So when your customers hit “Buy” in ChatGPT, what happens is – ChatGPT takes order details, sends them via the Agentic Commerce Protocol to the merchant backend. The merchant accepts or rejects the request, charges the customer via the Shopify store’s existing payment provider, then handles fulfillment and support as usual. For ChatGPT,  merchants and customers, it’s all completely seamless.

Integrating Millions of Shopify Products to ChatGPT

What makes this really powerful is scale. Shopify powers product discovery inside ChatGPT by supplying real-time data – inventory, pricing, images and variants. That means when you ask ChatGPT for a recommendation, it’s pulling from hundreds of millions of Shopify products, instantly. You get up-to-date availability, correct prices and real images… all inside one chat window.

For merchants, this is huge as their store name is clearly displayed.. so you always know who you are buying from. Orders show up in Shopify admin with full attribution.. so merchants retain control, remain the merchant of record and manage everything from fulfillment to support. As Shopify says.. this allows merchants to stay in control.

Colleen Waters, VP of eCommerce at Steve Madden, sums it up – being integrated into ChatGPT means their store can automatically be wherever customers are shopping.. even in AI conversations. That means less hassle, more reach.

Redefining The Era of eCommerce for AI

More and more people are turning to AI for shopping help. Instead of googling, they ask ChatGPT. Instant Checkout + Agentic Commerce means that these chats do not end in a link. They become real purchases.

What’s cool here is that Shopify didn’t try to replace how merchants sell… it just made it smarter. Every store owner still runs their shop, manages their customers, handles returns and stays in full control. ChatGPT just helps people find what they want faster and check out more easily. It’s like adding a digital personal shopper that never sleeps.

And this is not just for the big brands. Even small Shopify stores can be part of this shift. If you are already using Shopify, your products can show up when someone chats with ChatGPT – powered by real-time data like inventory, pricing, and images. That means your store could show up in front of someone searching for exactly what you sell, in the most natural, conversational way possible.

Shopify and OpenAI are making AI practical… not just hype. They are turning everyday conversations into real shopping experiences. Merchants don’t have to spend months building AI tools or custom systems. Shopify’s handling that part. Merchants just need to focus on what they already do best: creating amazing products and keeping customers happy.

This is just the beginning as AI becomes a bigger part of how people search, discover and buy, Shopify merchants are already ahead of the curve. They are not waiting for the future of commerce. They are part of it right now!

Start your eCommerce business or Shopify store today.. and let our Shopify experts help you through the process.

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