OpenAI's Instant Checkout: The Future of AI Commerce?

OpenAI's Instant Checkout: A New Era for AI Commerce

OpenAI has introduced Instant Checkout, a groundbreaking in-app shopping feature that marks a significant shift towards AI-driven commerce. This move, according to marketing experts, is reshaping how products are discovered and purchased, transitioning from traditional search engines to conversational AI platforms.

Instant Checkout allows users to find, shop for, and purchase products directly within ChatGPT, OpenAI's popular AI chatbot. This feature aligns with a growing trend where 68% of global shoppers are already using AI tools like ChatGPT for shopping, as reported by VML. Other major players, such as Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot, are also integrating similar shopping functionalities into their AI models.

The Shift to Agentic Commerce

The introduction of Instant Checkout reflects a broader movement towards agentic commerce, where AI chatbots become central to product discovery and brand visibility. This shift suggests that AI conversations, rather than traditional search engines or marketplaces, will increasingly drive shopping behaviors. Martin Kristiseter, CEO of Digital Remedy, compared this evolution to the early days of optimizing for Google, emphasizing the need for brands to adapt their strategies to stay visible in AI-driven environments.

As AI chatbots become the new arena for brand awareness, marketers are grappling with how to optimize their presence in these platforms. The focus is shifting towards ensuring brands are prominently featured in AI-driven conversations, requiring new strategies for search optimization and product discovery.

Ad Spend and AI Tools

Despite the potential of AI commerce, ad spending has not yet seen significant changes in response to these tools. Agencies are more concerned about staying relevant in the AI landscape than expecting immediate growth. Mike Feldman, SVP of commerce at Flywheel, noted the disruptive potential of AI but cautioned a wait-and-see approach. This cautious stance reflects the early stages of AI commerce, where strategies are still being developed.

Challenges and Uncertainties

Instant Checkout is still in its developmental phase, with a limited number of merchants and a user experience that requires refinement. Marketing executives have raised questions about the level of insight merchants and agencies will have into brand sentiment and product ranking within AI chatbots. OpenAI has stated that only minimal data, necessary for completing orders, will be shared with merchants, leaving marketers uncertain about the depth of available insights.

Marketers are also questioning how to allocate budgets for testing and learning in this new environment. Key concerns include how AI chatbots rank products for shoppers, what data will be available regarding search queries, and whether sufficient consumer adoption will justify the investment. A strong online presence remains critical for brands to ensure visibility in AI chatbots, adding another layer of complexity to their digital strategies.

The Future of AI Commerce

The future of AI commerce hinges on how brands navigate the evolving landscape of AI-driven shopping. According to Zubin Mowlavi, EVP of commerce at Vayner Media, the focus should be on how AI chatbots like ChatGPT perceive a brand's overall web presence, rather than just direct product recommendations. Agency executives report growing client interest in agentic AI and AI commerce, though specific strategies are still in development.

Gartner predicts that over 40% of agentic AI projects will be abandoned by the end of 2027, highlighting the challenges and uncertainties in this rapidly evolving field. Despite this, experts like Simon Poulton of Tinuiti and Brad Jashinsky of Gartner see AI commerce as the start of a transformative journey, where building brands around AI assistants will become increasingly important.

As AI chatbots continue to reshape the commerce landscape, brands must stay agile and informed. The introduction of OpenAI's Instant Checkout is just the beginning of a broader shift towards AI-driven shopping experiences, where zero-click search and conversational commerce become the norm.