Shopify and OpenAI Bring Commerce to ChatGPT and Redefine How Shoppers Buy Online

Shopify just took another major step toward the future of commerce. Through a new partnership with OpenAI, Shopify merchants will be able to sell directly through ChatGPT conversations. No links, no redirects, just seamless commerce inside AI-driven experiences.

Not long ago, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke shared his vision for a world where merchants could “sell anywhere AI conversations happen”, and that vision is now a reality. Millions of Shopify merchants will soon be discoverable and shoppable directly within ChatGPT, marking a defining moment for how consumers engage with brands online.

The Shift: From Search to AI Discovery

For years, product discovery has revolved around search engines, ads, and social media. But that’s changing fast. Increasingly, people are turning to AI assistants for everyday decisions, including planning events, finding gifts, and getting recommendations.

This partnership brings commerce into those high-intent, conversational moments. Instead of leaving a conversation to visit a brand’s site, shoppers can now complete their purchase right inside ChatGPT, simplifying the path to conversion while keeping the experience authentic and uninterrupted.

How It Works

Shopify’s integration with OpenAI enables real-time product discovery directly within ChatGPT. When users ask for recommendations, ChatGPT can surface live product data from Shopify stores, including pricing, inventory, and images, to help shoppers make informed decisions without leaving the conversation.

Throughout this process, merchants remain the Merchant of Record, maintaining full control of their brand, customer relationships, and checkout experience. Orders flow seamlessly into the Shopify admin with proper attribution and transparent fees, while shoppers see clear merchant names that reinforce trust and authenticity.

The result is a frictionless experience for shoppers, powered by the same Shopify ecosystem merchants already know. No additional tools, apps, or setup required.

The First Step Toward Agentic Commerce

The generative AI revolution began with Google’s 2017 research introducing the transformer architecture, the foundation for today’s language models. The public launch of ChatGPT in 2022 brought these breakthroughs to everyday life, driving massive adoption, investment, and innovation.

From there, generative AI has rapidly advanced. Modern systems now process text, images, audio, and video while showing stronger reasoning and contextual awareness. They have evolved from tools that assist to copilots that act, integrated across workflows and applications.

Today, AI’s role in commerce has expanded beyond recommendation and personalization to initiating and completing actions on its own. Shopify’s partnership with OpenAI marks a pivotal point for agentic commerce, where AI not only helps shoppers discover products but also assists them in completing purchases in real time.

We recently explored this shift on the Conversions From Hell podcast with Vito Petruzzelli, Principal Risk Intelligence Analyst at Signifyd, discussing how agentic commerce is redefining how shoppers connect with brands and how merchants can prepare for this next phase of eCommerce, particularly when it comes to fraud protection. It’s a space we’re continuing to watch closely as AI and commerce evolve side by side.

For deeper insights into the future of agentic commerce, explore the full episode.

What This Means for Merchants

This isn’t a new channel to manage; it’s a new way to show up where shoppers already are. By connecting with OpenAI’s ecosystem, Shopify is making it easier for merchants to stay visible, relevant, and competitive in the era of conversational AI.

For brands, this means:

• New visibility in high-intent AI-driven moments.

• Higher conversion potential from frictionless checkouts.

• Full brand ownership and control, backed by Shopify’s trusted infrastructure.

It’s a subtle but powerful shift, turning everyday questions into shoppable moments and making AI a natural extension of the buying journey.

The Future of AI-Enabled Commerce

Shopify’s partnership with OpenAI marks a defining moment in digital commerce. For years, the evolution of online shopping has been about convenience and personalization, but this new phase goes further. It brings intelligence, initiative, and real-time interaction directly into the buying journey. Shoppers will no longer search for products; they will simply ask, and AI will handle the rest.

This shift is already underway, and it will happen faster than most expect. As a Shopify Platinum Partner, Avex helps brands navigate these shifts with clarity and confidence, strategizing and designing experiences that perform.