Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to let customers purchase items directly within ChatGPT, marking a major step in the retailer’s digital transformation and AI integration strategy. The announcement, made Tuesday, underscores Walmart’s bid to stay ahead as consumers increasingly turn to conversational AI for shopping inspiration and product discovery.

“For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses,” said Doug McMillon, Walmart CEO. “That is about to change.” He added that the company is “running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future,” describing the new AI-powered shopping experience as “multi-media, personalized and contextual.”

OpenAI introduced the Instant Checkout feature in late September, initially allowing single-item purchases from Etsy sellers. The company has said the service will soon expand to support over one million Shopify merchants, including brands such as Skims and Glossier.

This partnership marks a new revenue stream for OpenAI, which plans to charge the company partners transaction fees for purchases completed within ChatGPT. While Walmart has not disclosed the financial details of the deal, the integration positions both companies at the forefront of the next wave in conversational commerce.

The collaboration comes as retail shopping habits continue to shift toward AI-driven discovery. Consumers are increasingly using chatbots like ChatGPT for personalized product suggestions, gift ideas, and deal comparisons — replacing traditional search-based browsing.

Walmart’s own in-house AI shopping assistant, Sparky, already helps customers find products through its app. The new ChatGPT integration expands that capability beyond Walmart’s digital ecosystem, giving shoppers a more seamless and conversational path to purchase.

Q1: What does Walmart’s partnership with OpenAI enable?
A: It allows customers to buy Walmart products directly through ChatGPT using OpenAI’s Instant Checkout feature.

Q2: When will ChatGPT users be able to start shopping with Walmart?
A: Walmart has not yet announced an exact launch date.

Q3: What is OpenAI’s Instant Checkout?
A: A new feature that enables in-chat purchases from retailers, first launched with Etsy and expanding to major partners like Walmart.

Q4: How will this change Walmart’s online shopping experience?
A: It shifts from keyword-based search to a personalized, conversational, and multimedia experience.

Q5: Does Walmart already use AI in its shopping tools?
A: Yes. Walmart operates an AI-powered assistant called Sparky in its mobile app to help customers navigate product searches.

The partnership between Walmart and OpenAI marks a defining moment for AI-driven retail — one that could reshape how consumers shop, search, and spend.

By embedding Instant Checkout directly into ChatGPT, Walmart is moving eCommerce beyond static search bars and shopping carts into a new era of conversational commerce. Instead of typing queries into a retail site, shoppers can now engage in natural dialogue — asking questions, comparing options, and completing a purchase all within a single AI interface.

For Walmart, this integration is more than a convenience feature; it’s a competitive safeguard against shifting discovery patterns. As younger and tech-savvy consumers increasingly turn to AI chatbots for recommendations, Walmart’s presence in ChatGPT ensures its products remain visible and shoppable where consumer attention is moving.

For OpenAI, the deal validates a new business model that extends beyond subscriptions and API usage. By powering direct transactions inside ChatGPT, OpenAI is effectively transforming its chatbot into a commerce platform, tapping into billions in potential retail and affiliate revenue.

The implications extend to the broader retail landscape. If the model proves successful, it could accelerate a wave of AI-integrated commerce, where discovery, decision-making, and purchase converge in one conversational thread. That shift could pressure traditional retailers and marketplaces to adapt — making AI fluency a new prerequisite for digital retail success.

Ultimately, the collaboration illustrates how AI is evolving from a recommendation engine to a retail transaction hub. The boundaries between content, conversation, and commerce are dissolving — and Walmart’s early move positions it at the center of that transformation.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant used for research and drafting. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.