OpenAI scales back ChatGPT's shopping ambitions, AI e-commerce monetization faces new challenges.

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OpenAI has abandoned its ambitious plan for direct checkout within ChatGPT, and the monetization path for AI e-commerce is far more arduous than expected.

According to the latest report from The Information, OpenAI is drastically scaling back its plan to enable shopping checkout directly inside ChatGPT, instead relying on third-party apps integrated with the chatbot to complete transactions.

An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed this strategic shift. The spokesperson said, "We are evolving the commerce strategy within ChatGPT to better meet merchants and users where they are. Instant checkout is moving into apps, where purchases can happen more seamlessly." This means users will no longer be able to buy products directly from search results but will need to use the retailer's app or be redirected to their website for payment.

This shift marks a major retreat for OpenAI in the AI e-commerce field, directly affecting market expectations for its commercialization path. Just six months ago, the company saw this as a core business opportunity, planning to profit by taking a cut of sales.

Users "browse but don’t buy," technical hurdles emerge

The main reasons for OpenAI abandoning the direct checkout feature are rooted in user habits and technical challenges. According to a knowledgeable source, OpenAI employees noticed that, although users researched and searched for products in ChatGPT, they did not actually use the chatbot to complete purchases.

The data vividly illustrates this predicament. Shopify President Harley Finkelstein revealed at an investor meeting on Tuesday that, out of millions of merchants collaborating with Shopify, only about a dozen are currently selling through AI tools. He bluntly stated that the stagnation in broader rollout is mainly due to AI companies: "The only limiting factor is we are just waiting for agent applications to continue opening up."

On the technical and compliance side, enabling large-scale chatbot shopping faces many difficulties. Merchants' price and inventory data require high standardization and real-time updates, while payment companies need to build safeguards against AI-initiated fraud or erroneous transactions. Moreover, as of this February, OpenAI had not yet established a system for collecting and remitting state sales tax, indicating its commercial infrastructure remains incomplete.

Although early partners such as Shopify and Etsy were optimistic about AI shopping, actual progress has been slow.

From "handling everything" to retreating to the app ecosystem

Last September, OpenAI made a splash by announcing partnerships with giants like Etsy, Shopify, and Stripe, promising to bring products from millions of online stores into ChatGPT. Etsy even subsidized merchants' commissions paid to OpenAI to help jump-start the project.

Now, strategic contraction means OpenAI has greatly reduced its pool of potential retailers. Currently, only a handful of business companies, such as Instacart, Target, Expedia, and Booking.com, have launched apps for ChatGPT. For example, last December Instacart added a function allowing users to pay in ChatGPT via linking their existing accounts.

Despite giving up direct checkout, OpenAI has not completely withdrawn from building e-commerce infrastructure. According to sources, OpenAI and Stripe will continue developing the "Agentic Commerce Protocol," designed to set rules for merchants, payment providers, and AI companies participating in transactions, to support app-based purchases.

Monetization pressure intensifies, giant players continue to jockey

The setback in e-commerce monetization has directly increased the strategic importance of OpenAI’s advertising business. Faced with a vast user base largely composed of free users, advertising is becoming another major revenue pillar for OpenAI. It is unclear whether OpenAI will take a cut from sales facilitated via ChatGPT apps.

This strategic shift comes as tech giants are ramping up their capital maneuvers in AI. Last Friday, e-commerce giant Amazon announced a $15 billion initial investment in OpenAI. Although Amazon may use OpenAI’s custom models in its consumer-facing apps (like the shopping chatbot Rufus), the announcement did not mention selling Amazon products within ChatGPT.

Last year, Amazon blocked AI apps including ChatGPT from scraping its product information. However, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said if the terms were attractive, he would be willing to cooperate with external AI shopping tools. This suggests that at the intersection of AI and traditional e-commerce, the tussle over traffic entry points and commercial interests has only just begun.

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