New code made public by OpenAI suggests that it is working on allowing users to make purchases from Shopify directly inside ChatGPT without visiting the merchant's website. The chat would be able to offer prices, reviews, and embedded checkout to users.
Code additions include:
- buy_now
- price and shipping fields
- product-offer ratings
- shopify_checkout_url
The assumption is that OpenAI is building a Shopify purchase flow directly into ChatGPT through a formal partnership that would integrate ChatGPT as another available sales channel for merchants.
For users, the update would transform ChatGPT into a full-funnel shopping platform. As for merchants, they would gain immediate access to ChatGPT’s audience without needing any additional integration. Although leave it to Shopify to only make the integration available to Plus merchants…
Sam Wright of Blink SEO wrote:
“SEO is the only marketing channel that depends on the structure and content of your own site – rather than working inside someone else’s platform like Meta or Google Ads. That’s why this potential ChatGPT + Shopify integration is such a big deal. If this plays out, it could introduce a whole new product discovery journey – one based on conversation and exploration, rather than interruption and ad formats.”
“This is where good SEO work – such as organising product data and taxonomy – suddenly matter a lot more. Clean tagging. Consistent attributes. Proper schema. If this becomes the backbone of discovery, brands with well-managed catalogues will win. And that’s where Shopify is particularly well placed. Its standardised product model and centralised architecture mean the building blocks are already there.”
Is this type of shopping experience good or bad for merchants?
On a positive note, it becomes a new discovery and acquisition channel for merchants. One consequence, however, is that it takes the merchant's website out of the equation — which may offer features like sizing apps, complementary products, style guides, and other tools to help shoppers make informed purchases.
Whereas buying a product in isolation through an AI chatbot would be more of a sterile experience that takes the website's branding out of the equation. No different than selling on marketplaces though.
Moving forward, merchants will simply have to build their branding into their product images, similar to how sellers do on Amazon, so that their image galleries act as a standalone graphic landing page for the product — assuming ChatGPT is able to display product images too (which I imagine it will).
Either way, e-commerce is moving in this direction quickly, so merchants better adapt.
In recent months I've reported that:
- Amazon began testing a “Buy For Me” feature, which enables its app to make purchases for customers on other websites. Mixed with Amazon's AI capabilities, this could evolve into a full search / discovery / and purchase platform for the entire web (not just for Amazon's marketplaces) that would compete with ChatGPT in the space.
- OpenAI launched Operator, an AI-powered tool that acts as a virtual assistant, autonomously performing tasks across the Internet such as shopping, filling out forms, and booking travel based on users' instructions. A direct integration with Shopify could enhance Operator by being able to directly access Shopify product listings and checkout, as opposed to mimicking the actions of a browser.
- Perplexity AI debuted a new shopping feature for its paid customers that offers shopping recommendations as well as the ability to place an order without going to a retailer's website. If Shopify is going to make a direct integration available to AI platforms, I don't imagine that it will limit the capabilities to just ChatGPT.
What are your thoughts on a Shopify and ChatGPT partnership? A win or a loss for merchants and shoppers?