TL;DR

• OpenAI launched Instant Checkout in ChatGPT for US users, starting with Etsy sellers and soon over 1M Shopify merchants.
• The feature lets users buy directly inside ChatGPT without visiting external sites.
• Powered by Stripe’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), now open-sourced, enabling broad merchant integration.
• Could challenge Google’s search ads and Amazon’s marketplace dominance by making chatbots the new storefronts.
• OpenAI plans multi-item carts, global expansion, and deeper AI-driven shopping in the future.

Ever wished you could just chat your groceries home or order that perfect rug straight through your chat window? Your prayers may have just been answered.

OpenAI has rolled out Instant Checkout inside ChatGPT, and it’s not a small experiment.

For the first time, the app’s 700 million weekly users can go from asking a question to making a purchase without ever leaving the conversation. No tabs. No redirects. Just ask, pick, and buy.

The feature launches first with Etsy sellers and is set to expand to Shopify’s million-plus merchants.

This isn’t just convenience, it’s a complete rewiring of how online shopping works. Instead of Google or Amazon owning discovery, ChatGPT now holds the keys to product search and purchase in one place.

If AI chat becomes the storefront, who gets disrupted and who gets ahead? That’s where the story gets interesting.

What Exactly Is Instant Checkout?

Instant Checkout is OpenAI’s new in-chat shopping system. Instead of showing you a link to a product page, ChatGPT now lets you complete the entire purchase flow inside the conversation. Here’s how it works:

• You type a natural query like “Best noise-cancelling headphones under $200”.
• ChatGPT shows relevant product suggestions.
• If Instant Checkout is supported, a Buy button appears right inside the chat.
• You confirm payment and shipping details without leaving the app.
• The order is placed, and you get confirmation instantly.

For now, it only handles single-item purchases, but OpenAI has already confirmed plans for multi-item carts and bundled shopping.

Importantly, results remain unsponsored and relevance-driven; no merchant is paying to rank higher.

That keeps trust intact while shifting the entire shopping experience into the AI interface.

Here's what Nick Turley (Head of ChatGPT at OpenAI) had to say:

Background: From Product Search to Full Commerce

The seeds for Instant Checkout were planted months ago. Back in April 2025, OpenAI began quietly testing shopping features inside ChatGPT.

At first, it looked a lot like Google search results. You’d ask for a product, and ChatGPT would show you links to retailers where you could click out and buy. It worked, but it still felt like a traditional search with AI layered on top.

The latest update takes that halfway step and cuts it out completely. Now the discovery, selection, and transaction all happen inside ChatGPT.

This shift is about more than convenience. It marks OpenAI’s clearest move yet into e-commerce. Instead of sending traffic away, the platform becomes the storefront itself.

There is also a financial story here. OpenAI spends billions each year to train and run its models. Subscription revenue from ChatGPT Plus helps, but it is not enough.

With Instant Checkout, OpenAI finally unlocks a direct revenue stream: a transaction fee every time a sale is completed in the chat. For users, the experience stays free.

For merchants, the cost is a small commission. For OpenAI, it is a way to fund the infrastructure that keeps ChatGPT running and expanding.

The Role of Stripe & the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)

Stripe is more than a payments partner here; it’s co-architect of the system powering Instant Checkout.

OpenAI and Stripe built a backend protocol called Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) to handle secure, AI-driven transactions between ChatGPT and merchants.

AI Magazine confirms that ACP is open source.

Here’s how things work under the hood:

• When you tap “Buy” inside ChatGPT, the chat passes your order details securely through ACP to the merchant’s backend. The merchant then accepts or declines the order, processes payment with their existing gateway, and handles fulfillment.
• Merchants already on Stripe can enable Instant Checkout by adding a small amount of code. For merchants using other payment systems, ACP supports a “Shared Payment Token API” or a “Delegated Payments Spec” so they can still connect.
• Payment tokens used in ACP are encrypted and only valid for the specific amount and merchant. This limits exposure of the sensitive details.
• OpenAI emphasizes that it is not the merchant of record. Merchants keep control over customer relationships, payment processing, returns, and support. ChatGPT acts as a conduit — the “AI agent” that communicates between user and merchant.
• Stripe’s leadership sees this shift as part of a broader “economic infrastructure for AI” — meaning payment systems will need to be rearchitected around AI.

Because ACP is open source, developers and merchants can inspect, adopt, or adapt it.

That openness lowers barriers for smaller sellers to join the ecosystem rather than being locked into a proprietary platform.

What Will Change: Impacts Across the Ecosystem

For Users / Consumers

Instant Checkout collapses discovery and purchase into a single step. A shopper asks ChatGPT for “best hiking boots under $150,” sees results, taps “Buy,” and completes the order without leaving the chat.

No more logging into separate sites or re-entering payment details. This has the potential to reduce cart abandonment, one of e-commerce’s biggest pain points.

The gain in convenience comes with new questions around trust. Users need assurance that their payment information stays secure.

For Merchants & Brands

For Etsy sellers and Shopify merchants, Instant Checkout opens an entirely new sales channel: direct discovery and purchase inside ChatGPT.

Fulfillment, returns, and customer service still remain with the merchant, so they keep control of the customer relationship.

But technically, they need to adapt product feeds and checkout systems to be ACP-compatible, similar to how websites had to optimize for SEO in Google’s rise.

The upside is access to hundreds of millions of ChatGPT users, but there are trade-offs. OpenAI charges a commission per transaction (rates not yet disclosed), adding another cost layer.

More critically, merchants risk becoming dependent on an AI-controlled ecosystem. Over time, direct site visits and brand visibility could decline, with ChatGPT acting as the front door for shopping.

For OpenAI & the Platform

For OpenAI, Instant Checkout represents more than convenience, it’s a new business model.

Beyond Plus subscriptions and API usage, OpenAI now earns commission revenue from every transaction completed inside ChatGPT.

The more users shop, the more revenue flows back. This also makes the app “stickier,” keeping people inside ChatGPT for both product search and checkout.

Strategically, it positions OpenAI against the giants. Amazon is the default storefront. Google is the discovery engine. ChatGPT could become both at once: a neutral shopping assistant that reduces reliance on clicks and listings.

And by open-sourcing ACP, OpenAI sets itself up as a standard setter for AI-driven commerce protocols, expanding its influence beyond its own app.

For the Broader E-Commerce Landscape

This launch could reshape digital retail by accelerating agentic commerce, a future where AI agents handle product discovery and checkout on behalf of users.

Instead of browsing marketplace listings or clicking through ads, people will increasingly rely on AI to find, compare, and buy.

That creates direct threats to Google’s search ad revenue, which depends on outbound clicks, and to Amazon’s dominance as the starting point for shopping.

Retailers will adapt by re-structuring product data to feed AI interfaces, just as they once adapted sites for SEO.

Marketplaces may face tough choices: integrate with AI ecosystems and risk losing direct traffic, or resist and risk irrelevance.

Ultimately, discovery power is shifting from centralized platforms to conversational AI, a fundamental rewrite of how online shopping works.

Google vs. OpenAI: Search Advertising at Risk

Google’s revenue engine runs on ads that send users off its platform to merchant sites. In 2025’s Q2, Google pulled in $71.3 billion in ad revenue, with its “Search & other” segment up nearly 12 % year over year.

Instant Checkout threatens that model. If a user buys inside ChatGPT instead of clicking through a Google Shopping ad, the referral traffic (and the ad click) vanishes. That means fewer ad dollars flowing through Google’s ecosystem.

Google is reacting. It’s building its own Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) within Gemini and Search to enable AI-driven transactions. But the path is uphill: many merchants and consumers will need to buy into a new experience.

What could shift:

• Ad budgets may be reallocated from search to AI platforms
• Google’s click-driven monetization could lose effectiveness
• Fewer intermediary clicks means less data for ad targeting

In short, OpenAI’s move isn’t just a feature launch, it’s a direct challenge to Google’s core business in ad monetization.

ChatGPT vs. Amazon: Who Owns the Storefront?

Amazon has been the starting point for countless online purchases. In Q2 2025 alone, Amazon’s e-commerce segment (excluding AWS) generated $147.9 billion in revenues.

Yet with Instant Checkout, Amazon risks losing the “first stop” status. ChatGPT promotes that its product suggestions are “organic and unsponsored”, in sharp contrast to Amazon, where placement often depends on paid ads or fee structures.

If users come to trust ChatGPT’s recommendations, Amazon’s role as the discoverability gateway could erode. Over time:

• Amazon’s reliance on internal search & ads will be tested
• Competing brands could bypass Amazon by appearing directly inside AI assistants
• Marketplace dynamics may shift toward AI-friendly integrations

OpenAI isn’t trying to be a marketplace. It positions itself as a neutral digital shopper interface.

But by capturing discovery + checkout, ChatGPT could gradually claim the storefront ground Amazon once held exclusively.

Consumer Experience and Trust

For shoppers, the headline benefit is convenience. No more jumping between tabs, logging into accounts, or abandoning carts halfway through.

With Instant Checkout, discovery and purchase live in the same chat, cutting the friction that usually makes people give up on a transaction halfway.

But convenience alone isn’t enough. Trust is the wildcard. Users are being asked to let a chatbot process sensitive payment details, and that feels unfamiliar compared to a secure checkout page.

OpenAI is clear that it is not the merchant of record. Sellers still handle payment processing, shipping, and support. The Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) helps here, since its tokenized design limits data exposure and prevents sensitive details from being passed around unnecessarily.

Adoption will hinge on whether everyday consumers believe that protection is enough.

Future Plans and What’s Next

OpenAI has already signaled where Instant Checkout is heading.

Right now, it works for single items, but carts and multi-item purchases are on the roadmap.

A global rollout is planned once Stripe and merchant integrations stabilize. The company is even hinting at something bigger: fully agentic commerce, where you might tell ChatGPT to reorder your groceries, book a flight, or pay a utility bill automatically.

That vision moves shopping from being manual clicks to delegated tasks handled by an AI agent.

These shifts highlight the rise of AI-native innovation, where commerce isn’t bolted onto existing systems but designed directly into conversational experiences.

For startups and merchants, it creates an entirely new layer of technical complexity. Reliable technology partners will matter more than ever.

Companies like epicX, which specialize in building and scaling AI-driven applications with dedicated developer teams, are already helping businesses prepare for this kind of disruption.

It’s not just about building apps anymore; it’s about future-proofing for the agentic era of commerce.

FAQs

Does it cost more to use Instant Checkout?

No. Users won’t see any extra fees or markup for using Instant Checkout. The cost burden falls on merchants. OpenAI charges a small commission on completed transactions, but the user pays the same price they would on the merchant site.

Who processes payments, shipping, returns, and support?

Merchants remain responsible for all backend operations, handling payment processing, order fulfillment, shipping, returns, and customer support. OpenAI does not become the merchant of record. ChatGPT acts as the interface, passing the transaction request securely to the merchant’s systems.

What happens if an order fails or shows a card hold?

A “card hold” is a temporary bank authorization. If, for any reason, the transaction isn’t completed, for example, the merchant rejects or fails to fulfill it, that hold expires and drops off your card. It doesn’t permanently block funds.

Can I see my order history or receipts?

Yes. Your completed orders will appear under “Orders” inside ChatGPT settings, and you’ll also receive standard receipts from the merchant via email. OpenAI retains the interface visibility, so you can check past purchases inside the chat UI.

What if I want a refund or a cancellation?

You’ll need to deal with the merchant directly for refunds or cancellations. Since OpenAI is not the merchant of record, it doesn’t process returns. The merchant’s usual policies and support channels apply.

Is it safe to submit payment details through ChatGPT?

Yes, the transaction is handled through Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). ACP uses encrypted, limited-scope payment tokens so that only the specific merchant and transaction amount can use them. That means your card details aren’t shared openly or stored in insecure systems.

Which payment methods are supported?

In the U.S., Instant Checkout supports all major credit/debit card brands, and express payment options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Stripe’s Link. It works across web, iOS, and Android platforms. (Source: OpenAI’s developer guide for Agentic Commerce)

Does enabling Instant Checkout improve a merchant’s ranking in ChatGPT results?

No. OpenAI emphasizes that the inclusion of Instant Checkout does not grant ranking preference. ChatGPT ranks products by relevance (price, availability, quality), not by which merchants support the instant purchase feature.

Can merchants outside Etsy or Shopify participate?

Yes. While the launch is starting with U.S. Etsy sellers and expanding to Shopify merchants, any business can apply to join the Instant Checkout ecosystem via the ACP integration. Merchants using other payment systems can map into the protocol using shared payment token APIs or delegated payments.

Which users can access Instant Checkout?

All Personal ChatGPT accounts (Free, Plus, and Pro) in the U.S. can use Instant Checkout for supported products. It’s not limited to paid subscribers.