The world’s largest retailer embraces conversational commerce, allowing customers to browse and purchase products directly through ChatGPT
Walmart has announced a groundbreaking partnership with OpenAI that will fundamentally transform how millions of Americans shop online, enabling customers to browse, select, and purchase products directly through ChatGPT using a new feature called Instant Checkout.
The collaboration, announced Tuesday, represents the most significant shopping partnership to date for ChatGPT and signals Walmart’s aggressive push into what industry experts are calling “agentic commerce” — where artificial intelligence anticipates customer needs and facilitates seamless purchasing experiences through natural conversation.
A New Era of Conversational Shopping
Under the partnership, Walmart and Sam’s Club customers will soon be able to link their accounts to ChatGPT and complete entire shopping trips through conversational exchanges with the AI chatbot. Whether planning meals, restocking household essentials, or discovering new products, shoppers can simply describe what they need and complete purchases without leaving the chat interface.
“For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change,” said Doug McMillon, President and CEO of Walmart Inc. “There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media, personalized and contextual. We are running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future with Sparky and through partnerships including this important step with OpenAI.”
Sam Altman, cofounder and CEO of OpenAI, emphasized the practical impact of the collaboration: “We’re excited to partner with Walmart to make everyday purchases a little simpler. It’s just one way AI will help people every day under our work together.”
The Instant Checkout Advantage
The integration leverages OpenAI’s recently launched Instant Checkout tool, which eliminates the traditional multi-step online shopping process. Rather than navigating through category pages, applying filters, and completing separate checkout procedures, customers can complete entire transactions within their ChatGPT conversations.
Walmart’s full product assortment will be available through the platform, including apparel, entertainment items, packaged food, and products from third-party sellers. The retailer’s commitment to everyday low prices and fast delivery will extend to purchases made through ChatGPT.
ChatGPT’s Biggest Shopping Partnership Yet
While OpenAI has established similar integrations with Etsy and announced plans to work with Shopify-powered brands like Kim Kardashian’s Skims and athleisure company Vuori, the Walmart partnership represents the largest and most comprehensive shopping collaboration for ChatGPT to date.
The move positions ChatGPT as a legitimate alternative shopping channel alongside traditional e-commerce websites and mobile apps, potentially disrupting how consumers discover and purchase products online.
Walmart’s Broader AI Strategy
The OpenAI partnership represents just one component of Walmart’s comprehensive artificial intelligence strategy. The retailer has been implementing AI across virtually every aspect of its operations, from supply chain management to customer service.
Recent AI initiatives have delivered measurable results. The company has reduced fashion production timelines by up to 18 weeks through AI-enhanced product catalog management, while cutting customer care resolution times by as much as 40 percent. Earlier in 2025, Walmart launched Sparky, its proprietary personal shopping assistant, though more than a year after Amazon introduced its competing Rufus tool.
Beyond customer-facing applications, Walmart is investing heavily in AI literacy among its approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. The company has become one of the first major corporations to embrace OpenAI Certifications and is rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise to teams throughout the organization.
The Race for AI-Powered Retail
The partnership comes as major retailers compete intensely to integrate artificial intelligence into shopping experiences. Amazon, Walmart’s primary rival, has maintained a lead in AI-powered retail tools, though Walmart’s OpenAI collaboration could help narrow that gap.
Industry analysts view the move as part of a broader shift toward “agentic commerce,” where AI systems move beyond simple search and recommendation functions to actively facilitate entire shopping journeys. In this vision of the future, AI assistants learn customer preferences, anticipate needs, and proactively suggest products and complete purchases.
“At the center of this transformation are the everyday moments that define how people shop,” Walmart stated in announcing the partnership. “This is agentic commerce in action: where AI shifts from reactive to proactive, from static to dynamic. It learns, plans and predicts, helping customers anticipate their needs before they do.”
Human-Centered Technology
Despite the aggressive push into AI, Walmart emphasized that its approach remains “people-led and tech-powered.” The company insists that artificial intelligence is meant to enhance rather than replace human connection, removing friction from shopping experiences while maintaining the personal touch that defines customer service.
“The future of retail isn’t about replacing human connection with machines,” the company stated. “It’s about using AI to remove friction and make everyday moments easier, smarter and more delightful.”
What This Means for Shoppers
For the approximately 270 million customers who visit Walmart’s more than 10,750 stores and numerous e-commerce websites weekly, the ChatGPT integration promises a more intuitive shopping experience. Instead of remembering to check specific items or browse through categories, customers could potentially describe their needs in natural language — “I need ingredients for healthy weeknight dinners for a family of four” or “Show me affordable back-to-school supplies” — and receive curated recommendations with immediate purchasing options.
The partnership also raises questions about data privacy, shopping habits tracking, and the role of AI in consumer decision-making. As conversational commerce becomes more sophisticated, retailers and technology companies will need to balance personalization with privacy concerns and ensure that AI recommendations serve customer interests rather than simply driving sales.
The Walmart-ChatGPT shopping experience is expected to launch in the coming weeks, with the Instant Checkout feature becoming available to ChatGPT users who link their Walmart or Sam’s Club accounts. Specific timing and rollout details have not yet been announced.
With fiscal year 2025 revenue of $681 billion, Walmart’s embrace of AI-powered shopping through ChatGPT could influence how the entire retail industry approaches the integration of large language models into consumer experiences, potentially accelerating the shift away from traditional e-commerce interfaces toward conversational shopping assistants.
This is a developing story. Additional details will be added as they become available.
