Instant Checkout: OpenAI Bringing E-Commerce to ChatGPT

AI systems are levelling up, with OpenAI introducing a checkout system within ChatGPT that enables users to complete purchases without leaving the chat interface.

The feature, called Instant Checkout, launches initially for US users across the platform’s Plus, Pro and free tiers. 

So what will this new feature look like, and what does it mean for the industry?

Inside Instant Checkout

In partnerships with Etsy and Shopify, the OpenAI system begins with products from Etsy, before expanding to over one million merchants using Shopify, the Canadian e-commerce platform. 

Brands including cosmetics company Glossier, shapewear manufacturer SKIMS and activewear brand Vuori are also preparing to join.

When someone asks a shopping question, ChatGPT shows products ranked by relevance. 

If a product supports Instant Checkout, users can tap buy, confirm their order details and complete the purchase in the chat. 

So far, OpenAI reports 700 million people use ChatGPT weekly for tasks including product discovery.

“Orders, payments and fulfillment are handled by the merchant using their existing systems,” OpenAI says.

“ChatGPT simply acts as the user’s AI agent – securely passing information between user and merchant, just like a digital personal shopper would.”

The role of Stripe in OpenAI’s open-sources Agentic Commerce Protocol 

OpenAI has developed the underlying technology in partnership with payments processing company Stripe, and has released it as open-source software. 

The Agentic Commerce Protocol establishes a technical standard for how AI systems can facilitate transactions between users and businesses while allowing merchants to maintain control over customer relationships and payment processing.

The protocol also functions across different payment processors and business models. 

When a user completes a purchase, ChatGPT forwards order information to the merchant’s backend system using the protocol. 

The merchant then accepts or declines the order, processes payment through their existing provider and manages fulfilment through their current systems.

Merchants already processing payments with Stripe can activate the system with one line of code, and companies using alternative payment processors can participate through Stripe’s Shared Payment Token API or by adopting the Delegated Payments Spec within the protocol.

“Stripe is building the economic infrastructure for AI,” says Will Gaybrick, President of Technology and Business at Stripe.

“That means re-architecting today’s commerce systems and creating new AI-powered experiences for billions of people.”

Merchants pay a fee on completed purchases, but the service carries no cost for users and does not affect product pricing. 

When someone asks a shopping question, like: “best running shoes under US$100” or “gifts for a ceramics lover”, ChatGPT shows the most relevant products from across the web. 

OpenAI says Instant Checkout availability does not influence product ranking in search results, with product results remaining “organic and unsponsored, ranked purely on relevance to the user.”

Future plans for Instant Checkout

The current version supports purchases of individual items. 

In the future, OpenAI plans to introduce shopping carts for multiple items and expand merchant participation and geographic availability.

Already, the company has published technical documentation and opened applications for merchants interested in making their products available through the system.

Users must confirm each step before actions occur. 

Payment tokens are encrypted and authorised only for specific amounts to specific merchants with user permission, with data sharing limited to information required to complete orders.

Will says Stripe is “proud to power Instant Checkout in ChatGPT and co-develop the Agentic Commerce Protocol to help businesses and AI platforms build the future of commerce.”