E-commerce

OpenAI launches Instant Checkout in ChatGPT, letting users buy from Etsy and Shopify

Ken Metral

29 Sep 2025 — 2 min read

Credit: OpenAI, Inc.

OpenAI is moving deeper into e-commerce with the launch of Instant Checkout, a new ChatGPT feature that lets users buy products directly inside the chatbot.

How Instant Checkout Works

The feature, announced Monday, allows users to make single-item purchases from U.S.-based Etsy sellers without leaving ChatGPT. The option is available to all U.S. ChatGPT users — Free, Plus, and Pro tiers.

More than 1 million Shopify merchants, including major brands like Skims and Glossier, are expected to join the platform soon. Shares of Etsy and Shopify both jumped about 5% following the announcement.

OpenAI will take a fee from completed transactions, though the company declined to disclose exact rates, citing confidential contracts with Etsy and Shopify. Importantly, Instant Checkout will be free for users and won’t affect product prices.

“Our vision for ChatGPT – and a lot of the technology we create, but especially ChatGPT – is that it’s not just providing you information, it is also helping you get things done in the real world,” said Michelle Fradin, product lead for ChatGPT commerce, in an interview with CNBC.

Powered by Agentic Commerce Protocol

Instant Checkout is built on OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, developed in partnership with Stripe, which already powers ChatGPT subscriptions.

If a user has payment details saved with ChatGPT, they can purchase an item directly without re-entering information. For example, if a shopper finds a product from an Etsy seller through ChatGPT’s search experience, they can now complete the purchase inside the chatbot instead of clicking out to Etsy.

OpenAI is open-sourcing the framework to allow merchants to integrate faster and enable developers to explore other use cases beyond shopping — potentially expanding into different payment types in the future.

E-Commerce Is a Big Bet for OpenAI

The move reflects OpenAI’s effort to create new revenue streams as it scales up costly AI infrastructure. The company is not yet profitable, despite ChatGPT surpassing 700 million weekly active users in August.

Fradin noted that a “huge portion” of ChatGPT queries are commerce-related — whether users are looking for something as specific as a pair of black boots or as broad as planning a kids’ birthday party.

By integrating checkout directly, OpenAI aims to convert product discovery into sales without leaving ChatGPT.

What’s Next

OpenAI plans to add multi-item carts and expand Instant Checkout to more regions over time. With Shopify’s vast merchant base joining soon, the feature could quickly become a significant driver of both user engagement and revenue.

As Fradin put it:

“What we wanted to do is make it even easier for users to complete their journey in ChatGPT, and for merchants and developers to convert those conversations into checkouts.”

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