OpenAI And Walmart Agree To Deal To Let Shoppers Buy Products Through ChatGPT

Walmart and OpenAI have announced a partnership that will shake up the Retail Media landscape. The deal will mean Walmart customers will be able to make purchases using ChatGPT. The feature is predicted to launch before the end of the year, offering an extensive list of Walmart items as well clothing, entertainment and food from third-party sellers.

ChatGPT launched “Instant Checkout” last month. The shopping feature lets users query ChatGPT for things to buy and then buy suggested products within the chat without having to leave the app. Walmart will be the biggest partner to join this feature that “allows customers to plan meals, restock essentials, or discover new products simply by chatting – Walmart will take care of the rest”, the retail giant said this week.

Walmart touts the move as a push beyond traditional e-commerce search tools that retrieve products solely based on consumers requests. "AI will learn and predict customers' needs, turning shopping from a reactive experience into a proactive one — what Walmart calls agentic commerce," the company said Tuesday.

Walmart’s partnership with OpenAI may be the trigger to decide who owns the moment between intent and purchase. If the last decade of commerce was defined by search engines deciding what we see, the next decade may belong to the AIs, helping us decide what we buy.

What this means for Irish advertisers

Retail media is still maturing in Ireland, with the launch of Amazon ads coming earlier this year. It may be a while before we see agentic AI take over e-commerce. However, a successful launch in the US will see this rolled out into other markets. Core has a dedicated retail media team that is focused on progressing the retail media market in Ireland and building strategies for our clients. Please reach out if you would like to find out more.