The Latest AI Development: You Can Now Purchase Through ChatGPT

Another week, another new artificial intelligence development, and this time we’re back with a development within arguably the world’s leading Language Learning Model (LLM): ChatGPT. You can always count on the team at Talking Stick Digital to keep you up to date with the latest and greatest, even when it feels like everything is moving at the speed of light.

OpenAI Announces New Transaction Capabilities Within ChatGPT

In a move that is sure to shake Google’s auction insights and potentially cause an increase in investment in paid shopping from industry giants like Amazon, this week, in collaboration with Shopify, OpenAI announced their latest launch, entitled Instant Checkout. This is just the latest in a long line of revolutionary updates launched by the platform in recent weeks, and is one that fundamentally moves the chatbot from an LLM to a transactional platform, too. Not only does this mean that you can identify products ready for purchase using the platform, but you can go all the way to checkout without leaving the page, too. That’s right, all within the chat interface.

In a revolutionary move that takes the user from discovery all the way to purchase completion, this change in user journey to the eCommerce buying process is sure to shake industries and marketers all over the world.

How Does OpenAI’s Instant Checkout Feature Work?

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as a ‘buy’ button being added to the ChatGPT interface that we all know (and some) love. Behind this industry-disrupting change is a hugely complex core technology, enabling this ground-breaking software development. Using Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which of course was co-developed by OpenAI and Stripe, this is the element that should be of the utmost importance and interest to marketers.

What is the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)?

Agentic Commerce Protocol (or, ACP for short), for those interested in the technology behind it all, is described as the open standard, or typical set of rules and regulations behind big tech such as Shopify and ChatGPT, that allows users to complete actions such as a purchase, through the new Instant Checkout system.

This is essentially the magic behind how and why you will be able to complete an entire checkout process without ever leaving the AI interface. There are four primary components: a product feed, AI checkout, and finally, delegated payment, to allow secure functionality. As, after all, peoples’ payment methods will need to be secure. See the below video from OpenAI highlighting how instant checkout will work from the user side.

Next Steps For Digital Marketers

Crucially, for us as digital marketers, this move introduces an entirely new acquisition channel for our eCommerce clients, and one that we need to be willing to adapt to quickly. Combining discovery and collaboration with a seamless checkout process brings a hugely efficient and novel new process to our target audiences; one of which we are sure many will be eager to trial, so it is more important than ever to ensure your multi-channel strategies align to prioritise AI-visibility.

This change has mammoth conversion potential, so expect to see higher-than-average conversion rates, potentially unusual buyer behaviour, and extremely long-tail (and specific) queries from our customer bases.

What’s The Current Roadmap For OpenAI’s Instant Checkout?

Whilst the product has only just been released, OpenAI have already announced a comprehensive roadmap and plan of action for the product’s development, so we highly advise staying up to date with our blog for the latest developments.

Initially, core next steps include:

Multi-Item Carts

Whilst this feature is currently limited to single-item purchases, OpenAI have confirmed that the technical support software to enable multi-item shopping carts is coming soon.

This is huge news for retailers, meaning that large volume orders with strong average-order-values purchased through ChatGPT are a thing of the very near future, strengthening the overall value of the platform and this new functionality.

International Expansion

This is a big one for anyone like us based in the United Kingdom right now. Currently, the new Instant Checkout functionality is only available in the United States of America, similarly to many large software roll outs. This doesn’t mean we can stay complicit, though, it’s important to take this as your sign to get yourselves ready: as whilst its not here yet, its only a matter of time,

Broader Merchant Integration

Whilst initially the ACP functionality is only compatible with both Shopify and Etsy, the latest press release shows that there are core plans for expansion to other ecommerce platforms and merchant providers, too.

Adapting Your AI eCommerce Approach With Talking Stick Digital

If you’re looking for an agency with a wealth of eCommerce experience and a dedicated SEO team, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our expert team. We’re offering free audits across all of our disciplines to help brands navigate these fundamental digital advancements, in a plethora of industries.