ChatGPT is turning into a shopping platform with product images, prices, and comparisons, but no checkout

OpenAI is adding visual shopping features to ChatGPT that show products with images, prices, and side-by-side comparisons directly in the chat. At the same time, the company is dropping its own payment system and handing checkout off to retailers.

OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT with visual shopping features. Users will be able to browse products in image tiles, upload their own photos to find similar items, and refine results through conversation. Products show up side-by-side with prices, ratings, and key features in comparison tables.

OpenAI says the update is rolling out to all ChatGPT users this week, including the free version and the Go, Plus, and Pro plans.

ChatGPT now shows actual products instead of generic text tips

OpenAI gives an example: previously, uploading a photo of a shirt and asking for similar products would get you a text response with generic style tips and brand names. Now ChatGPT returns specific products with images, prices, and a tabular comparison of fabric, fit, and price range.

The technical foundation is what OpenAI calls the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which the company is now extending to product discovery. Retailers feed their product catalogs and promotions into ChatGPT via ACP, with several integration channels supported, including third-party providers like Salesforce and Stripe.

According to OpenAI, Target, Sephora, Nordstrom, Lowe's, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Wayfair have already integrated their catalogs through ACP. Shopify retailers are automatically connected via the Shopify Catalog. Long-term, ACP will also support personalization, local availability, and delivery times.

As an example of deeper integration, Walmart is launching its own in-ChatGPT app that takes users from product discovery into a Walmart environment with account linking, loyalty programs, and its own payment methods. The feature is initially available in the web browser, with iOS and Android coming later.

OpenAI gives up on its own checkout and bets on product discovery instead

OpenAI's announcement confirms earlier reports: the first version of its own instant checkout system didn't offer the flexibility retailers needed. In some cases, OpenAI had to connect merchants manually. Now retailers will use their own checkout processes, while OpenAI focuses on product discovery. The company already launched a shopping research agent back in the winter.

Rather than becoming a payment processor, OpenAI is positioning itself as an upstream discovery layer that sends users to the retailers' existing stores. For OpenAI, this means less control over the e-commerce process and potentially less revenue sharing.

It remains to be seen what criteria ChatGPT uses to recommend certain products and whether integrated retailers are systematically favored over non-connected ones. OpenAI  has repeatedly said in the past that ChatGPT's answers shouldn't be driven by commercial interests.