OpenAI has introduced a new feature, ‘Instant Checkout,’ that lets ChatGPT users purchase products directly within the app during chats. This marks the company’s most significant step into ecommerce to date.
Instant Checkout is powered by Stripe, and at time of launch, it supports purchases from U.S. Etsy sellers. Shopify merchants will be able to make use of the feature over the coming months too, potentially bringing millions of storefronts into the system.
OpenAI says more than 700 million people now use ChatGPT each week, and that the new tool will allow users to move seamlessly from product discovery to purchase.
How the feature works
Up until now, when ChatGPT users entered queries like “best running shoes under $100″ into their chats, they got a list of product results ranked by relevance. Clicking on these would just take them to the relevant websites selling the items.
But going forward, if a website selling a surfaced product supports Instant Checkout, a ‘Buy’ button will appear — clicking this will display a short form where the user can confirm payment and shipping details, without ever leaving ChatGPT.
(And existing ChatGPT subscribers will be able to pay for their purchases with the card already linked to their account, further streamlining the whole process.)
Once orders are confirmed, the details are securely passed to merchants selling the purchased products; they can then fulfill these using their usual systems.
For shoppers, this means a faster, more seamless buying process — the system lets them move from discovery to checkout in just a few clicks. For merchants, the main advantages of Instant Checkout involve product discovery opportunities on ChatGPT, and quick conversions.
OpenAI says purchases will not be influenced by advertising or paid placement. Merchants will pay a fee on completed orders, but the service is free for users.
Underlying technology
The system is built on the Agentic Commerce Protocol, an open-source standard developed with Stripe and merchant partners. The protocol is designed to work across multiple platforms and payment providers, and to let merchants maintain control over customer relationships.
Stripe President Will Gaybrick said the company aims to build “the economic infrastructure for AI” and described Instant Checkout as part of that mission.
Prospects and concerns
The rollout of ChatGPT’s ‘Instant Checkout’ feature could give merchants new access to ChatGPT’s large userbase, while allowing them to retain ownership of their payments and customer data — a marked contrast with marketplaces like Amazon, which doesn’t really give merchants access to either.
But for now limitations remain: the feature only works for U.S. Etsy sellers at launch, supports single-item purchases only, and lacks multi-item carts.
Questions also remain over merchant fees, long-term ranking practices, and whether consumers will trust AI platforms with payment details.
What’s next?
OpenAI plans to expand Instant Checkout to more regions and add cart functionality in future updates. By open-sourcing the Agentic Commerce Protocol, the company hopes to encourage adoption by other AI platforms and developers.
If widely adopted, the technology could shift how online shopping works — moving the point of sale from websites and marketplaces into conversational AI.
Why this matters to merchants
For online sellers, Instant Checkout represents both a new sales opportunity and a potential shift in how customers shop. It can put your products in front of ChatGPT’s 700 million weekly users — a vast audience that goes well beyond the traffic most ecommerce sites can hope to generate organically. And unlike traditional marketplaces such as Amazon, the feature lets you stay in control: payments, fulfillment, and customer relationships all remain tied to your own systems.