New discoveries within public code repositories tied to ChatGPT suggest that OpenAI’s flagship assistant may soon take a giant leap into the world of online shopping. Clues such as “buy_now,” “shopify_checkout_url,” and product-specific metadata including pricing, ratings, and shipping options point to the imminent rollout of a built-in e-commerce capability.
This emerging feature would allow users to browse products, receive detailed information—like price, reviews, and delivery options—and complete their purchases without ever leaving the chatbot interface. Checkout would be facilitated through a Shopify payment link, strongly hinting at a strategic partnership between OpenAI and the leading e-commerce platform.
With this shift, ChatGPT could transform from a conversational assistant to a fully transactional platform—guiding users not just in their search for information, but also through the full shopping journey, all the way to payment. It’s a potential game-changer in the evolving landscape of online retail.
This development comes amid rising competitive pressure in the AI space. Microsoft recently unveiled its Copilot Merchant Program on April 18, 2025, allowing select retailers to integrate direct sales into their AI-powered tools. Meanwhile, rival startup Perplexity has offered a one-click “Buy with Pro” feature since late 2024 and now promotes its own merchant-focused API.
OpenAI has already been experimenting with transactional use cases through its internal project, Operator—an AI agent capable of booking trips and ordering groceries. Extending such functionality into ChatGPT suggests a broader ambition to make shopping as seamless and natural as chatting.
Shopify’s involvement also aligns with its broader AI-centric shift. A leaked internal memo from CEO Tobi Lütke, dated April 7, encouraged teams to “hire an AI before a human,” signaling a bold pivot toward automation-first strategy. Integration with ChatGPT could offer Shopify merchants near-instant access to millions of users—with no additional effort on their part.
The fact that these e-commerce elements are already present in production-level code suggests that a public launch could be just weeks away. The key question now is whether users will embrace this new mode of shopping—and how businesses can optimize their presence inside an AI-driven marketplace.
If successful, ChatGPT's move into e-commerce could signal the dawn of a new era in conversational commerce, where AI doesn’t just recommend—but sells.
