Retailers split on AI checkout options amid mixed results
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AI shopping interfaces like ChatGPT now let users browse, compare and discover products conversationally. Photo: Courtesy of OpenAI
OpenAI is pushing deeper into shopping with ChatGPT, as retailers like Walmart and Gap split on who should control checkout.
Why it matters: The storefront may be shifting from websites to AI chats — but early indicators suggest shoppers still prefer to hit "buy" the old-fashioned way.
Driving the news: OpenAI on Tuesday announced new shopping features in ChatGPT focused on product discovery, letting users browse, compare and refine purchases conversationally.
- Gap, meanwhile, said it is making its products available to purchase directly within Gemini and AI-powered search, using Google's new commerce protocol.
Zoom out: Other retailers are holding onto more control — allowing users to browse in AI chats, then complete purchases on their own site.
- Walmart is among them, moving to embed its own AI assistant, "Sparky," within ChatGPT and Gemini.
- Sephora is also launching a ChatGPT app that integrates loyalty programs and personalized recommendations, with in-app checkout planned for the future.
What they're saying: "Shopping can start anywhere now, whether that's Walmart or a question in ChatGPT," Daniel Danker, Walmart EVP of AI acceleration, product and design, said in a statement to Axios.
- "Our approach is simple: wherever it begins, customers still get the same personalized Walmart experience, including our assortment, value and speed," Danker said. "With Sparky, we're bringing our trusted experience into more places."
Reality check: The shift is still early — and early results are mixed.
- Conversion rates were three times lower for Walmart purchases completed directly inside ChatGPT than those that redirected to its website, Danker told WIRED.
- OpenAI has also pulled back from earlier efforts to enable native checkout, instead prioritizing discovery and giving merchants more control.
For now, AI is largely shaping how people decide what to buy, not where they complete the purchase — but retailers don't want to miss the shift if and when that changes.
- Shopify said Tuesday millions of merchants can now sell inside AI chats like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini while keeping checkout on their own sites.
- Gap's push into in-chat checkout stands out as an early test of whether that behavior will change.
What we're watching: Will more retailers follow Gap's lead — or double down on keeping checkout in their own ecosystems?
