ChatGPT becomes an online shop, takes fees from retailers
Why still surf online shops when you can simply task a chatbot with buying a product? This is exactly the direction ChatGPT is currently developing in, at least for users in the US. OpenAI has announced a purchasing function for ChatGPT that allows users to buy products directly in the chat. The feature called “Instant Checkout” is based on the newly developed Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which was created in collaboration with payment service provider Stripe.
The feature is now available for ChatGPT users (Plus, Pro and Free) in the US. Initially, products from US Etsy sellers can be purchased. Over a million Shopify merchants, including brands like Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx, and Vuori, are expected to follow shortly. Currently, single purchases are supported; multi-item carts and expansion to more merchants and regions are planned for the future.
How It Works
When users ask shopping questions, ChatGPT displays relevant products from the internet. According to OpenAI, the product results are organic and not sponsored, sorted exclusively by relevance. For products with Instant Checkout support, users can complete the purchase with just a few clicks directly in the chat without having to leave the application.
Order processing, payment, and delivery are handled through the merchants’ existing systems. ChatGPT acts as an intermediary between user and merchant. Merchants pay a small fee for completed purchases, while the service is free for users and has no price impact. How much merchants must pay to OpenAI is currently unknown.
The Agentic Commerce Protocol
The underlying Agentic Commerce Protocol is being published as an open-source standard under the Apache 2.0 license. It was developed to:
- Work across platforms and payment service providers
- Enable quick integration without changes to backend systems
- Allow merchants to maintain control over customer relationships
According to OpenAI, merchants who already use Stripe can activate the feature with just one line of code. Other payment service providers can be integrated via Stripe’s Shared Payment Token API or the Delegated Payments Spec in the Protocol.
Merchant Participation
The integration is open to all merchants in principle. Interested parties must apply, provide a product feed, implement an Agentic Checkout API, and establish a payment integration. After successful certification by OpenAI, they receive production access. Etsy and Shopify merchants are already automatically eligible and do not need to apply separately.
