Your next online purchase could happen entirely in ChatGPT
What's the story
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, appears to be working on a collaboration with Shopify, according to a report by Testing Catalog. The potential partnership was hinted at new code strings discovered in the public web bundle of ChatGPT. The codes include "buy_now," price and shipping fields, product-offer ratings, and a "shopify_checkout_url." These elements indicate that OpenAI is adding a native purchase flow into its AI assistant.
Shopping integration
ChatGPT's new feature: In-chat shopping
The integration of a native purchase flow into ChatGPT would let users complete their purchases right within the chat interface. This way, instead of being redirected to external sites for shopping, users could buy products directly through their conversation with the AI assistant. The code strings also hint at a transition to Shopify's hosted checkout, which means a formal partnership, not just an affiliate link.
User advantage
Benefits of ChatGPT's in-chat shopping feature
The new in-chat shopping feature would turn ChatGPT into an all-in-one shopping tool. This would give Shopify's massive merchant base instant access to ChatGPT's user base of around 800 million-1 billion, without any additional integration efforts. The feature is likely to be integrated within the answer panel, along with other recently added system modules like weather and market data.
Market competition
OpenAI's e-commerce initiatives and competitive landscape
OpenAI has been testing e-commerce capabilities in its Operator research agent, which already manages travel bookings and grocery orders for Pro users. The move follows a wider trend in the tech industry, with Microsoft launching its Copilot Merchant Program on April 18. The program brought an in-chat storefront for eligible sellers. Meanwhile, Perplexity AI introduced a one-click "Buy with Pro" feature last November and launched its own merchant API.
AI integration
Shopify's AI-first approach and potential collaboration with OpenAI
Shopify, too, is moving toward an AI-first approach. A memo from CEO Tobi Lutke, dated April 7, urged staff to "hire an AI before you hire a human," emphasizing the company's vision of embedding AI throughout its platform. A joint launch between Shopify and OpenAI would fit Shopify's push for agentic commerce and OpenAI's plan to make ChatGPT act, not just respond.