OpenAI is taking strategic steps toward transforming ChatGPT from an AI assistant into a commerce-enabled platform. This could disrupt traditional marketplaces, but OpenAI is not the only player moving in this direction.
ChatGPT with a checkout option
According to the Financial Times, OpenAI is developing an integrated checkout system in collaboration with Shopify. The goal: to enable users to make purchases directly within ChatGPT, with OpenAI collecting commissions on sales completed via the feature. Currently, product recommendations merely link to retailers, but this is expected to evolve into in-chat transactions. The shift has already been previewed to brands, with financial terms under discussion. OpenAI signed the deal with shopping platform provider Shopify as early as April.
This would mark a new revenue pathway for OpenAI, which currently relies primarily on its subscription model. The platform is generating an estimated $10 billion in annual revenues as of June 2025 – up from $5.5 billion in December 2024 – but is still incurring around $5 billion in annual losses, according to Reuters, so this new monetization channel is strategically significant.
OpenAI’s current shopping experience
At present, product suggestions on ChatGPT are based on relevance and metadata from third-party providers. Offers are displayed in a carousel, with explanations for why they were selected (see screenshots). Officially, OpenAI states: “ChatGPT can display relevant product options in visually rich carousels, provide additional product details, and link users to websites where they can learn more or make a purchase – available in GPT-4o and 4o-mini. Products are selected by ChatGPT independently and are not ads.”
Some product images also include feature labels, such as “Budget-friendly” or “Most popular.” OpenAI notes: “These labels are generated by ChatGPT based on information available to the model, which may include third-party data.”
“Agentic buying era”
The current proposal would transform ChatGPT into a transactional platform, challenging e-commerce services and marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart and especially Google Shopping. Analysts from Bernstein, cited by Investing.com, suggest this development could boost retail e-commerce growth by 1.5 to 2.5 percentage points annually and usher in a new “Agentic One” era of AI-driven buying.
If there is no need to leave the app, conversion rates could improve significantly – and the shopping experience could become seamless. As a result, the pressure for brands to increase visibility in ChatGPT (and potentially in other LLMs) will rise. General-engine optimization (GEO) or artificial-intelligence optimization (AIO) could soon outpace traditional search-engine optimization (SEO).
Using memory features (e.g., user size or brand preferences) to personalize results, ChatGPT sets itself apart from static search lists. Combined with the rollout of OpenAI’s new “Agent” feature, the model may soon take into account user habits – from calendars to workout apps – offering even deeper personalization.
Yet trust remains a key concern: users may hesitate if AI-generated product recommendations appear biased or opaque. OpenAI is emphasizing that all results are organic and non-sponsored.
Perplexity and Visa: other players entering AI commerce
OpenAI competitor Perplexity introduced its own shopping assistant, Buy with Pro, in late 2024 for US customers. Perplexity describes it as “a first-of-its-kind AI commerce experience […] letting you check out seamlessly right on our website or app for select products from select merchants.” Early offers include free shipping for orders placed via Perplexity.
But Perplexity is just one example. In April, Visa announced the launch of Visa Intelligent Commerce in collaboration with Anthropic, IBM, Microsoft, Mistral AI, OpenAI, Perplexity, Samsung, Stripe and others. The service “opens Visa’s payment network to the developers and engineers building the foundational AI agents transforming commerce.” Visa’s Chief Product and Strategy Officer Jack Forestell has said, “Soon people will have AI agents browse, select, purchase and manage on their behalf.”
