ChatGPT Shopping: What Merchants Need to Know About Instant Checkout
Last Updated:
Sep 29, 2025
On September 29, 2025, OpenAI transformed ChatGPT from a conversational AI into a complete commerce platform. With the launch of Instant Checkout, ChatGPT's over 700 million weekly users can now ask questions, discover products, and complete purchases, all without leaving the chat interface.
This isn't a minor feature update. It's a fundamental shift in how online commerce works, and it's happening right now with Etsy sellers and soon with over a million Shopify merchants, including brands like Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx, and Vuori.
If you sell products online, this new channel demands your attention. Here's everything you need to know about ChatGPT Shopping, how it works, and what you need to do to participate.
Agentic Commerce: From Discovery to Purchase in one Conversation
ChatGPT has been helping people research products for months. From protein bars to butter to army miniatures, we at Azoma have been helping our clients appear in those searches. Though we anticipated agentic commerce coming soon - there was always speculation about OpenAI's collaboration with Shopify and Stripe - the exact timing of this launch was a welcome surprise.
Previously, when someone asked ChatGPT "best running shoes under $100" or "gift ideas for a ceramics lover," the journey ended with links to merchant sites. Users had to click out, navigate to a new site, and complete checkout elsewhere.
Instant Checkout eliminates that friction entirely. When ChatGPT recommends a product that supports the feature, users see a "Buy" button right in the chat. One tap brings up an inline checkout where they confirm their order, shipping address, and payment details. If they're already a ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscriber, their payment information is already on file. The entire transaction happens without ever opening a new tab.
For shoppers, the experience is seamless. For merchants, it represents access to one of the largest and fastest-growing user bases in consumer technology: 700 million weekly active users, up fourfold from just a year ago.
Does Instant Checkout Affect Product Visibility?
OpenAI claims product recommendations are "organic and unsponsored, with visibility dependent purely on relevance to the user." When someone asks for product suggestions, ChatGPT analyzes the query and surfaces items from across the web based on how well they match what the user described.
But here's where it gets interesting: when multiple merchants sell the same product, ChatGPT considers several factors to determine which merchant to show first: availability, price, quality, whether the merchant is the primary seller or maker of that item, and whether Instant Checkout is enabled.
OpenAI states that enabling Instant Checkout doesn't boost your product in the initial recommendation results. However, when a user has already decided on a specific product and multiple sellers carry it, having the buy button enabled gives you an advantage in merchant ranking. The logic is straightforward: enabling Instant Checkout improves user experience, so ChatGPT factors it into the decision of which merchant to surface.
Whether this advantage is substantial or marginal, we don't yet know—the feature launched just days ago. But OpenAI built a revenue model around taking a commission on completed purchases. It's reasonable to assume that over time, merchants who enable frictionless checkout will be positioned favorably, and favoring those merchants will drive more adoption.
What Actually Determines ChatGPT Shopping Recommendations
Since ChatGPT Shopping launched, we've been tracking which products appear in recommendations across hundreds of queries. Here's what we're seeing:
The Dominant Factor in ChatGPT Shopping: Price
Despite OpenAI's emphasis on relevance, price consistently determines which products get recommended. When ChatGPT shows options in the same category, lower-priced items appear first. If you're competing on premium positioning rather than price, you'll need exceptional product differentiation and context to break through.
The Winners Are Different From Traditional Search
There's little overlap between top-performing products in ChatGPT Shopping and those dominating Microsoft Bing's shopping or Google Merchant Center. Though traditional SEO is beneficial, it is not the end all be all of ChatGPT shopping visibility.
Editorial Coverage Drives Recommendations
Products featured in "best of" lists, buying guides, and editorial reviews from authoritative publications appear more frequently in ChatGPT's suggestions. Third-party validation matters - ChatGPT relies on these signals to determine product quality and relevance.
Context-Rich Product Pages Perform Best
Generic product descriptions don't cut it. ChatGPT needs to understand who the product is for, what problems it solves, and how it compares to alternatives. The PDPs that perform best include:
Detailed use cases and specific scenarios
Clear user personas the product serves
Comparative information versus similar products
Rich descriptive content about materials, features, and specifications
Context about sizing, compatibility, or usage requirements
This matters because ChatGPT Shopping is persona-driven. When someone asks "best running shoes for flat feet" or "gifts for a ceramic artist," ChatGPT needs contextual information to match products to those specific needs.
The Cross-Platform Effect
Optimization work done for Amazon Rufus (Amazon's AI shopping assistant) carries over to ChatGPT performance. Both systems rely on similar context signals. At Azoma, we optimize product listings for Amazon Rufus by enriching them with persona-specific context - describing not just what the product is, but who it's for and why they need it. When that same approach is applied to product pages on merchant sites, we see improved performance in ChatGPT recommendations.
What Merchants Should Focus On
Getting recommended in ChatGPT Shopping requires more than enabling Instant Checkout:
Competitive pricing - or compelling differentiation that justifies premium pricing
Third-party validation - editorial reviews, rankings, authoritative mentions
Context-rich product information - detailed descriptions that help AI understand who should buy this and why
Persona-specific content - explicit information about use cases, user types, and problems solved
Simply having great products isn't enough. ChatGPT needs the context to recommend them to the right people at the right time.
Where ChatGPT Instant Checkout is Supported
As of launch, Instant Checkout supports:
Users: U.S. ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users
Merchants: U.S. Etsy sellers (live now), Shopify merchants (rolling out)
Scope: Single-item purchases only
Geography: United States only
OpenAI has confirmed that multi-item shopping carts, expanded merchant categories, and international availability are all coming in 2026. The company is also onboarding additional merchants on a rolling basis through an application process at chatgpt.com/merchants.
The Agentic Commerce Protocol: An Open Standard
Powering Instant Checkout is something OpenAI and Stripe co-developed called the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). Think of it as a shared language that lets AI agents facilitate purchases between buyers and businesses.
The protocol is open-source under the Apache 2.0 license, meaning any platform or developer can implement it. OpenAI and Stripe designed ACP to be payment processor-agnostic, work across different commerce platforms, and keep merchants in control as the merchant of record throughout the entire purchase journey.
When a shopper initiates a purchase through ChatGPT, here's what happens:
The user confirms they want to buy
Stripe generates a Shared Payment Token (SPT)—an encrypted, scoped token that only works for that specific merchant and cart amount
ChatGPT passes the token to the merchant's backend via the Agentic Commerce Protocol
The merchant processes the payment through their existing payment processor
The merchant handles order fulfillment, customer service, and the post-purchase relationship exactly as they do today
ChatGPT never becomes the merchant of record. It acts as a facilitating layer, securely passing information between shopper and seller. Merchants retain full control over accepting or declining orders, processing payments, calculating taxes, handling returns, and managing customer relationships.
Implementation: Agentic Commerce Protocol
Your path to enabling ChatGPT Shopping depends on which e-commerce platform you use.
ACP Implementation for Shopify Merchants
Shopify merchants are automatically eligible, no application or integration work required. Shopify is handling the backend implementation and rolling out access in phases. Orders from ChatGPT will flow directly into your Shopify admin with proper attribution showing the ChatGPT source. You'll retain full control over customer relationships, fulfillment, and whether shoppers complete checkout through ChatGPT or your own store. Major brands like Glossier, SKIMS, and Spanx are among the first wave, with a broader rollout to Shopify's million-plus merchant base coming soon.
ACP Implementation for Etsy Sellers
Etsy sellers are already live. If you're a U.S.-based Etsy seller, your products can already be purchased through ChatGPT Instant Checkout. Orders process through your existing Etsy seller dashboard.
ACP Implementation for non-Shopify and Etsy Merchants
You'll need to apply through chatgpt.com/merchants and implement the Agentic Commerce Protocol. This involves:
Submitting your product catalog in OpenAI's required feed format
Building the Agentic Checkout API integration (REST endpoints and webhooks)
Connecting your payment processing (easier if you already use Stripe)
If you're on platforms like Kibo, Miva, or BigCommerce, check with your platform provider about their plans to support ACP. Major e-commerce platforms are likely developing native integrations. If you have a custom-built site with developer resources, you can implement the protocol directly using OpenAI's commerce documentation.
Questions About Instant Checkout
Do I need Stripe to participate in ChatGPT shopping?
No. If you already use Stripe, implementation is simpler ("as little as one line of code" according to OpenAI). But merchants using other payment processors can participate either by using Stripe's Shared Payment Token API for just the ChatGPT integration, or by adopting the Delegated Payments Spec within the Agentic Commerce Protocol with their existing processor.
How do I track which sales come from ChatGPT shopping?
Orders from ChatGPT flow into your existing order management system with proper attribution. Shopify merchants will see orders tagged with their ChatGPT source in the admin panel. Other platforms receive order metadata through the Agentic Commerce Protocol that identifies ChatGPT as the sales channel.
Can any e-commerce platform use the Agentic Commerce Protocol?
The Agentic Commerce Protocol is open-source and platform-agnostic. Etsy and Shopify have automatic support. For other platforms, check with your provider about ACP integration plans. Major platforms should add native support soon. Custom-built sites with developer access can implement the protocol directly using the technical documentation.
What data does ChatGPT shopping share with OpenAI?
Only the information required to complete the order: product details, pricing, shipping options, and payment processing. OpenAI emphasizes that data sharing is minimal and permission-based. You remain the merchant of record and own the customer relationship. However, OpenAI prohibits merchants from signing up customers for marketing emails from ChatGPT orders.
Prepare Your Store for Instant Checkout
If you're an Etsy seller or Shopify merchant in the U.S., users can either currently purchase your products in ChatGPT or will be able to soon. Monitor your Shopify admin for ChatGPT orders and track performance as the channel scales. Pay attention to which products get recommended and how conversion rates compare to other channels.
If you're on other platforms, contact your e-commerce provider to ask about their Agentic Commerce Protocol integration plans. If you have developer resources and want to move quickly, review OpenAI's commerce documentation and apply through chatgpt.com/merchants.
At Azoma, we're tracking which brands appear in ChatGPT Shopping recommendations and how product visibility evolves across AI platforms. As this channel matures, understanding your presence in AI-powered shopping will become as important as tracking your search rankings or marketplace performance. If you want visibility into how your products appear in ChatGPT and other AI shopping assistants, contact us.
Article Author: Max Sinclair