"ChatGPT users in the U.S. can now make Etsy and Shopify purchases within conversations, marking a next step towards the future of online shopping - both for consumers and the platforms that control product discovery, recommendation, and payments. In other words, OpenAI might be on the path to reshaping who holds power in e-commerce. OpenAI's new "Instant Checkout" feature is available to ChatGPT Pro, Plus, and Free logged-in users buying from U.S.-based Etsy sellers, with more than 1 million Shopify merchants like Glossier, Skims, Spanx, and Vuori "coming soon," per OpenAI."
"Instant Checkout builds on previous shopping features on ChatGPT that surfaced relevant products, images, reviews, prices, and direct links to merchants in response to shopping questions like "what should I get my friend who loves ceramics?" or "best sneakers to wear to the office." Now, instead of having to leave the conversation, users can just tap "Buy" to confirm their order, shipping, and payment details (options include Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe, or credit card) to complete the purchase."
"This type of frictionless experience has the potential to spark a new movement in how people shop online - one that moves away from search engines like Google and e-commerce platforms like Amazon towards conversational agents with curated recommendations, comparisons, and easy checkout experiences. It's also setting the stage for new power brokers to emerge in e-commerce. Google and Amazon have long been the gatekeepers for retail discovery. If more purchases start inside AI chatbots, the firms behind them will suddenly have more control over what products are surfaced and what commissions or fees they charge."
OpenAI launched Instant Checkout so ChatGPT users in the U.S. can buy from Etsy sellers and soon from over one million Shopify merchants directly within conversations. The feature completes orders, shipping, and payments using Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe, or credit card without leaving the chat. Instant Checkout builds on earlier ChatGPT shopping capabilities that surfaced products, images, reviews, prices, and merchant links. Competitors like Perplexity and Microsoft already offer similar in-chat commerce features. Increased in-chat purchasing could shift retail discovery and fee-setting power away from Google and Amazon toward AI-platform operators.
Read at TechCrunch
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