For decades, the rhythm of online shopping has been predictable, if often frustrating: search, scroll, basket, checkout.
Then social platforms dropped products straight into our feeds and called it “social commerce.”
Now? OpenAI and Stripe have just taken it a step further — folding shopping directly into the flow of conversation (who is surprised though really?).
Last week, they announced Instant Checkout inside ChatGPT. You can literally buy products while you chat. No website. No tabs. No friction.
It’s powered by something called the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) — built by OpenAI and Stripe, and launching first with Etsy sellers before expanding to more than a million Shopify merchants (think Glossier, Skims, Spanx, Vuori).
That might sound technical, but here’s what it really means: AI has just become the world’s most accessible shop assistant.
Why this is a big deal
The ACP isn’t just a feature — it’s infrastructure.
It lets ChatGPT (and any AI that adopts it) talk directly to a store’s system — checking price, stock, and delivery options in real time, then completing the purchase instantly.
And because it’s open source, this isn’t just about OpenAI. It means other AI platforms like Claude, Gemini, or even TikTok’s AI could join in — creating a universal shopping layer that sits across the internet.
In other words, the foundations of online shopping are shifting — fast.
What this means for brands
For the first time in twenty years, Google and Amazon’s grip on online shopping isn’t guaranteed.
If conversational shopping takes off, the first interaction a customer has won’t be a search bar — it’ll be a sentence.
AI assistants like ChatGPT will decide what to recommend. Not based on ad spend or SEO hacks, but on clarity, quality, and the richness of your data (yes, this really is big!).
OpenAI’s product lead, Michelle Fradin, put it simply:
“The best way to ensure your product has the best chance of being chosen is to make sure we have the richest information about it.”
That’s not just a technical requirement. It’s a mindset shift. One we at Cognitive Union have been encouraging brands to so for many years.
Brands are already feeding in more product detail than they show on their own websites — because they know if the AI can’t “see” it, it won’t sell it.
Let’s call this what it is: search optimisation. Yes, I know this is a contencous issue – some say its AO, but for me, from a customers perspective its search – regardless of the channel.
Search hasn’t gone away — it’s just evolved.
Whether it’s on social, through AI, or in traditional search engines, the principle is the same: show up where people are asking questions. The difference now is how those questions are being asked — and who is answering them.
Let’s be honest — we’ve all been using it
When I run AI workshops, the first question I ask is simple:
“What are you using AI for right now?”
The answers are always the same — holidays, wedding planning, fitness, where to invest, best hiking jackets, etc.
We’ve already been using ChatGPT to help us decide.
Now it’s helping us act.
That’s the real leap here.
From idea to purchase in seconds.
So, how are you showing up as a brand?
When your customer asks ChatGPT for advice, are you part of that conversation — or not even in the room?
Conversational shopping isn’t new — but it just levelled up
Let’s not pretend this behaviour is brand new.
We’ve been doing conversational shopping for years — it’s just moved platforms.
Think about the ACPL journey — Awareness, Consideration, Purchase, Loyalty – my all time favourite customer centric way to show up.
That’s still how people find, choose, and stay with your brand. The difference now is that AI sits inside every stage.
When someone types into ChatGPT:
“I’m running a marathon in 10 weeks — what should I think about?”
or
“How can I get fit without joining a gym?”
That’s awareness and consideration in action. And that’s where purchase decisions are now happening.
If your content, products, and assets aren’t rich, helpful, and structured enough to show up in that conversation — you’re invisible.
AI isn’t just answering questions. It’s making choices on behalf of the consumer. And your visibility depends entirely on how clearly you’ve told your story through your data.
This isn’t just B2C
Don’t be fooled — this isn’t only a consumer story.
For B2B, the implications are just as big.
Procurement, product comparison, vendor evaluation — these are already conversations happening in ChatGPT. Soon they’ll be transactions too.
Imagine a buyer asking:
“Find me an ISO-certified supplier for sustainable packaging in Europe.”
If your business data isn’t structured and discoverable, you won’t even be a contender. In fact I’ve heard a number of b2b organistions that have said they are now starting to receive more leads from AI than other channels.
This is as relevant to industrial suppliers and manufacturers as it is to beauty brands and lifestyle retailers.
No one’s left out here.
Is your brand keeping up or is leapfrogging critical to survival?
I was talking with someone last week about this very shift.
They asked, “If brands still aren’t getting the basics right — the online journey, search, discoverability — is it already too late?”
It’s not too late.
But it does mean you have to leapfrog now.
If you’re not ready to leap — to really understand your consumer, the questions they’re asking, and how to show up in those moments — you’re going to struggle.
Winning in AI now means showing up around search, questions, and selling.
If your content doesn’t reflect that — on your website or anywhere else — you’ve got a long way to catch up.
My take
E-commerce has always been about reducing friction. This takes it to zero.
Consumers — and businesses — have gone from typing questions to talking them.
From browsing pages to making decisions in a single chat.
And yes, Amazon has blocked ChatGPT’s access for now — but if intent is high and we know what we want fast, we’ll still go there. That next-day delivery isn’t going anywhere (yet).
But if AI starts to chomp away at those high-intent moments — suggesting, sourcing, and checking out before we even reach Amazon — that’s when things get really interesting.
Because while some brands are still wrestling with their online/offline balance, AI has already moved on to owning the next step: the moment of purchase.
In a world where consumers — and business buyers — are using AI assistants daily, this is one space to keep a close eye on. The pace of change over the next few months could be staggering.
What this means for you
The gap between those who adapt and those who don’t is about to widen — fast.
Here’s where to focus:
- Revisit your content. Make sure it answers the questions your audience actually asks. Write for clarity and conversation, not algorithms.
- Structure your data. AI can’t use what it can’t read. Feed it detailed, accurate, and up-to-date product information.
- Audit your visibility. Ask ChatGPT or Gemini the same questions your customers might. Do you show up? If not, why not?
- Upskill your teams. From marketing to sales, everyone needs to understand how AI shapes the path to purchase. Drop me an email – we have a great workshop for this very task!
- Stay curious. This space is changing weekly. Watch it, learn from it, and experiment before your competitors do.
So yes, shopping just changed.
But the real shift?
It’s how you choose to show up in the conversation.
Cognitive Union is a progressive, boutique learning and performance consultancy. We work with forward-thinking businesses. Transforming their people. Shaping their culture. Helping them embrace change and take on the world. Find this blog useful? Sign up to our email newsletter (bottom of this page) where you can receive articles like this and other insights (not publicly published), and you can also follow us on LinkedIn.