AI has not only changed how users search online, but it could also soon impact shoppers’ purchasing decisions and make it easier to buy items online.
Technology companies have been experimenting with how commerce can interact with digital assistants like Gemini and ChatGPT, as the retail market is projected to reach as high as $1 trillion from AI commerce, according to McKinsey.
Leading e-commerce site Shopify says merchants might soon be able to sell their products inside ChatGPT. This could completely derail retailers’ sales and marketing strategies, as AI continues to disrupt nearly all industries.
Shopify to make AI-driven sales the default
The AI-driven sales conversions would happen in Shopify’s agentic storefronts. This allows shoppers to buy products and check out directly through AI channels like ChatGPT and Google’s AI mode.
The storefronts have been in early access mode since December but an email sent to merchants on March 11 indicates it could launch for all stores by the end of the month.
“Buyers can find your products and complete purchases inside ChatGPT. This agentic storefront channel will launch by default for your store, and you will be able to modify settings in your Admin,” the email states.
Buyers could make purchases directly through ChatGPT with a pilot mode which allowed payments through a native checkout on OpenAI’s Instant Checkout, Modern Retail reported.
Shopify: 2006 to 2026 timeline
- 2006: Founded in Canada by friends Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake after they launched an online snowboarding equipment store. Source: The Globe and Mail
- 2009: Shopify launches an API platform and App store, which allows developers to create applications for online stores and sell them on the Shopify app. Source: Shopify
- 2015: Shopify goes public, raising more than $131 million. Source: Wall Street Journal
- 2023: Shopify lays off 20% of its workforce and sells its in-house logistics arm. Source: Techcrunch
- 2025: Shopify transfers its U.S. listing from the NYSE to the Nasdaq. Source: Yahoo Finance
Instant Checkout was rolled out in September 2025 and allows users to make purchases directly through ChatGPT.
Instead, Shopify’s rolled-out AI approach will direct buyers to make purchases on the merchant’s storefront, either through an in-app browser or a separate desktop browser.
OpenAI has scaled back Instant Checkout directly inside ChatGPT and instead is pushing for app-based integrations, which would explain Shopify’s change in strategy.
Transactions will continue to run through Shopify and appear on dashboards like any other sale. Merchants are also automatically opted in, with products automatically discoverable through AI chat models, meaning there is no need for online Shopify retailers to build an AI app.
AI shopping could change retail shopping habits
Shopping with an AI assistant, or agentic commerce, could soon become the norm. Instead of using Google search to determine the best products, an AI agent would anticipate, personalize, and even automate purchasing decisions.
Shopify’s move to embrace AI signals that e-commerce is changing for retailers. The traditional consumer journey of clicking and scrolling may soon no longer apply, as AI assistants help shoppers make purchasing decisions.
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Instead of websites and ads playing a vital role in how shoppers make decisions and which brands they trust and shop from, the AI agent could take on a stronger role in making those decisions.
Businesses will need to adapt and change how they approach marketing and sales, a report from McKinsey states.
Still, it’s unknown how consumers may react to having a robot make their purchasing decisions for them. About half of U.S. adults are wary about the impact that AI is having on daily life, according to Pew Research.
Meanwhile, more Americans distrust AI in retail than trust it, with AI trust highest among younger generations, according to a YouGov survey. Only 14% would trust AI to place orders on their behalf, the same survey showed.
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