Initial Partnership with Etsy and Shopify
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the operator of the AI conversational model ChatGPT. Photo by Yonhap News
OpenAI announced on its website on the 29th (local time) that it will launch a new feature called "Instant Checkout," which allows users to purchase products directly through ChatGPT.
This feature will first be implemented on the U.S. e-commerce platform Etsy and the Canada-based e-commerce platform Shopify. OpenAI explained that users will be able to purchase single items listed by U.S. Etsy sellers, and support will also be provided for Shopify, which has over one million sellers. This includes popular brands among Gen Z in the United States, such as Glossier and Skims.
With the introduction of this feature, users can view products from Etsy sellers within ChatGPT and make purchases directly inside ChatGPT without having to visit external sites.
The Instant Checkout feature will be available not only to paid subscribers of ChatGPT Plus but also to ChatGPT Pro and free users. OpenAI will charge a fee to sellers for transactions made through ChatGPT, but no additional costs will be imposed on users. OpenAI also plans to add a feature that allows users to add multiple items to a shopping cart and check out all at once. Expansion to regions outside the United States is also being considered.
Michelle Freydin, Head of Commerce Products at OpenAI for ChatGPT, said, "The vision for ChatGPT is not just to provide information, but to help solve real-world tasks."
OpenAI explained that the new feature is based on "Agentic Commerce Protocol," a technology that enables users to complete transactions directly with sellers through ChatGPT. Agentic commerce refers to a method where an AI agent understands user intent, searches for and compares products, and even completes the payment process.
Some observers have suggested that major players in the online shopping market, such as the search engine Google and the e-commerce platform Amazon, could lose market share as a result.
TechCrunch, an IT-focused media outlet, analyzed that "this has the potential to change the way people shop online," adding that "users can enjoy a seamless experience of curated recommendations, comparisons, and payments through a conversational agent, moving away from platforms like Google and Amazon." The report also pointed out that the involvement of AI chatbot operators in the product exposure process could increase.
Regarding this, OpenAI stated, "The product results displayed by ChatGPT are purely organic and based solely on relevance to the user, with no advertisements or sponsorships included," adding, "A small fee will only be charged to sellers when a purchase is actually completed."
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