ChatGPT is no longer just answering questions, it’s closing sales. With Instant Checkout, users can now browse, choose, and buy products directly in the chat. Backed by OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, this new feature blends product discovery, evaluation, and conversion into one seamless interaction, all without leaving the conversation. 

While Instant Checkout is still in beta and limited to partners like Walmart, Etsy and Shopify, the underlying protocol is open to all. That means marketers and product teams can start preparing now, from formatting product feeds to building checkout logic and payment integrations. 

The opportunity here isn’t just about early adoption. It’s about meeting customers where they’re already engaging with brands, and soon, that could mean completing a purchase within the same chat they used to discover the product. Teams that act now will be ready when access expands, with commerce flows already mapped and aligned. 

Why this matters for business, not just tech 

The idea of completing a purchase inside an LLM might seem like a simple extension of current technology, but it opens the door to an entirely new kind of customer experience. 

Instant Checkout removes the steps that usually cause drop-off: switching tabs, re-entering details, waiting for a slow page to load. Instead, the entire journey happens in one place, in real time. This kind of frictionless flow reduces barriers to conversion and increases the chances of a sale, especially for low-consideration or impulse purchases. 

For marketers, it opens up a new kind of channel: conversational commerce that’s both guided and transactional. And for brands, it means product discoverability no longer depends solely on traditional search or marketplace listings. It happens wherever the customer is already engaged. 

This isn’t about replacing existing ecommerce; it’s about extending it. Teams that recognize this shift can start building experiences that feel natural inside these emerging environments, rather than retrofitting old models into new contexts. 

How to prepare for Instant Checkout access 

Instant Checkout is still in closed beta, but the path to integration is already clear and open. At the core of this experience is the Agentic Commerce Protocol, a framework that lets businesses connect their commerce systems directly to ChatGPT. It’s built around three key components: 

• A product feed, which provides up-to-date product details like title, price, images, and availability. 

• A checkout API, which handles real-time order creation, updates, and fulfillment. 

• A payments integration, connected via a delegated payment spec or a provider like Stripe. 

OpenAI has made the full specs available, meaning any business can start assessing how their existing systems align. You don’t need to build everything today, but you can begin auditing your product catalog, mapping out your checkout flow, and identifying your payment setup. 

The businesses that will benefit most from Instant Checkout won’t necessarily be those with the earliest access, it’ll be the ones who understand how it fits into their infrastructure and are fully prepared when the opportunity arrives. 

Looking ahead: AI-driven commerce is already here 

More than just a new feature, Instant Checkout signals a shift in where and how transactions happen. As AI tools like ChatGPT evolve beyond information and into action, the boundary between conversation and commerce is disappearing. 

This isn’t about replacing traditional channels. It’s about adding a new one; one that’s faster, more intuitive, and embedded directly into the environments where users are already engaging. 

The protocol is public. The specs are live. And while Instant Checkout remains in beta, the opportunity to prepare is real. 

Whether adoption happens quickly or gradually, brands that have already explored Agentic Commerce Protocol will be in pole position to move with confidence, not react under pressure. AI-native commerce isn’t coming. It’s already here. What matters now is how you show up in it.