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Digital shopping is currently experiencing a paradigm shift. ChatGPT, previously known primarily as an assistant for questions and searching for information, is becoming a shopping platform. With “Buy it in ChatGPT”, OpenAI has taken the first steps towards Agentic Commerce presented — i.e. AI-supported shopping.
In the future, ChatGPT will not only be able to recommend products, but also buy them directly for users. More than 700 million people already use ChatGPT every week — the potential for companies is enormous and growing. With the new function, ChatGPT could become a kind of personal purchasing consultant who finds suitable products and handles the entire purchase process directly in the chat. This vision of seamless AI shopping marks the start of a new e-commerce era in which AI agents, customers, and retailers work hand in hand.
Right now, it is worthwhile to work with a specialist Buy it in ChatGPT is the instant checkout. This function allows you to buy products directly in the chat window without having to switch to external online shops. To get started, all ChatGPT users can order products from Etsy sellers directly in the chat. More than one million Shopify retailers are also to be integrated shortly — well-known brands such as Glossier, SKIMS or Spanx are already in preparation.
This is how it works in practice: For example, if a user asks for “gift ideas for coffee lovers,” ChatGPT provides a list of relevant products — organic and not influenced by advertisements. Each suggested item shows whether “Buy” is available. If a product supports Instant Checkout, the user can buy it with one click, confirm their delivery and payment details, and complete the purchase without leaving the chat.
Payment is processed via the card stored with OpenAI or other common options. The entire order processing is carried out in the background by the retailer — ChatGPT only acts as an intermediary. There are no additional costs for the user, retailers only pay a small fee per completed purchase.
This seamless shopping experience offers benefits for both parties: Buyers get from the product idea to the conclusion of a purchase in just a few clicks. Sellers are opening up a new sales channel with hundreds of millions of potential customers while maintaining full control over payment, shipping, and customer service.
This direct purchase in chat is made possible by the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) — a new technical interface developed by OpenAI together with Stripe and the first retail partners. This is an open standard for AI commerce, which enables AI agents and the backend systems of online shops to communicate efficiently with each other and complete orders.
It is reassuring for companies that the integration takes place without major interventions in existing shop systems. Platform independence was a key goal: The protocol works with various shop platforms and payment providers. An online retailer can therefore participate without changing their previous payment system.
If a shop already uses Stripe, a single line of code is enough to activate ACP. But participation is also possible without Stripe — via the ACP's open payment standard. In all variants, the existing checkout process is retained: ChatGPT simply passes order and payment data through to the retailer's system, where they are processed like a normal online order.
Security and trust also play a central role. Users remain in control at all times and must actively confirm every order step. Payment data is only released with express permission via secure tokens. Merchants receive relevant customer data for shipping and support, but without access to full payment information.
In short: ACP creates the infrastructure so that AI assistants and online shops work hand in hand — the technical foundation for the purchasing process of the future.
When purchases are made directly via AI assistants such as ChatGPT, this has a massive impact on the visibility of products online. A new playground is opening up for classic search engine optimization (SEO): In addition to Google & Co., companies must now also be visible in ChatGPT when users search for products.
Here comes Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Into the game — optimizing content for AI-based search systems such as ChatGPT, Google SGE or Perplexity. GEO ensures that content from AI models is understood, trusted, and incorporated into answers. In the era of agency commerce, this means in practice: Product data and content must be prepared in such a way that ChatGPT selects them as relevant recommendations for suitable inquiries.
As with classic SEO, relevance, quality and structure matter. ChatGPT uses product information from the web to generate recommendations — and these are organic, i.e. not paid for. To ensure that their own products are displayed preferentially, companies should implement some GEO best practices in addition to SEO basics:
These measures ensure that a shop is AI-ready. GEO does not replace classic SEO, but extends it with the component of AI visibility. In the future, it will not only be about being number 1 on Google, but also appearing in a ChatGPT answer. Anyone who combines both disciplines at an early stage maximizes their reach and visibility.
Integrating ChatGPT as a sales channel offers companies great opportunities — but also new challenges. On the plus side, there is completely new access to customers: Should chat buying behavior become established, retailers will reach customers where their product search begins — directly in the chat window.
This channel could partially bypass traditional search engines and marketplaces, which is a clear advantage for innovative companies. Early ACP integrators can position themselves as pioneers and use the learning curve while others are still hesitating.
On the other hand, new dependencies arise: When a large part of the turnover is via ChatGPT, a platform dependency is created. In addition, brand presence in the buying process is reduced, as the decision is made directly in the chat. Retailers should therefore develop strategies to make their brand tangible in an AI context — for example through consistent product images, unmistakable texts and high service quality.
Legal and technical issues are also becoming more important: Systems must run stably, inventories must be synchronized, and product data must not contain any errors. Incorrect information in the chat could lead to incorrect orders.
Companies that act early can specifically prepare for the introduction of Agentic Commerce. The most important measures for this can already be implemented today.
The most important steps:
The fusion of conversation and commerce through ChatGPT's Agentic Commerce Protocol is fundamentally changing online retail. SEO remains the basis for visibility, but with GEO and AI commerce, a new dimension is added.
Companies that react to this trend early on secure a clear advantage. With ZUMO, you have an agency at your side that is both a classic SEO agency as well as specialized GEO agency and technology partner acts. We combine search engine expertise with technical implementation — from structured data to API integration — and make your online business fit for the future of AI commerce.
Our team of SEO experts is ready to help you. Discover your SEO potential in a free initial consultation!
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