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OpenAI takes on Google, Amazon with new agentic shopping system

This type of frictionless experience has the potential to spark a new movement in how people shop online – one that moves away from search engines like Google and e-commerce platforms like Amazon towards conversational agents with curated recommendations, comparisons, and easy checkout experiences.

ChatGPT users in the U.S. can now make Etsy and Shopify purchases within conversations, marking a next step towards the future of online shopping – both for consumers and the platforms that control product discovery, recommendation, and payments. Instant Checkout builds on previous shopping features on ChatGPT that surfaced relevant products, images, reviews, prices, and direct links to merchants in response to shopping questions like “what should I get my friend who loves ceramics?” or “best sneakers to wear to the office.” Now, instead of having to leave the conversation, users can just tap “Buy” to confirm their order, shipping, and payment details (options include Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe, or credit card) to complete the purchase. Both Amazon and Google have previously leveraged their dominance to favor their own products or preferred partners, pushing down competitors in search results or charging steep fees to sellers simply to maintain visibility.

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