• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, April 23, 2025

Agentic commerce functions identified in lines of code added by OpenAI in ChatGPT suggest the platform will officially host Shopify rather than adding an affiliate link. The report suggests price and shipping fields, buy now option and checkout button have been added.

The move would turn OpenAI's ChatGPT into an ecommerce platform.

The lines of code reported by TestingCatalog, which reports on features of trending apps in AI, web3 and web2, suggest the AI chatbot would offer prices, reviews, and embedded checkout through the AI. The feature also could have the ability to connect with AI agents looking for specific products for consumers. 

TestingCatalog described the bits of code it found. It suggests ChatGPT would become the ecommerce platform and storefront for the purchase. 

It is difficult to interpret how this change will affect investments in search engine optimization, paid advertising and retail platforms, but it could initially mean less traffic to websites.

Rather than clicking through to different websites, Shopify would populate ChatGPT with the suggested products.

The chat would offer prices, reviews, shipping details, and a "buy now" button. The direct integration of Shopify into ChatGPT's interface also would aggregate recommendations and reviews. Some of the code is live, but hidden.

The feature sits alongside added system modules such as weather and market data, so its likely placement will be inside the answer panel. Strings already live in production assets, which historically appear a release or two before public launch, pointing to a near-term rollout.

There is a lot of competition in the ecommerce space with AI chat engines.

Microsoft introduced its Copilot Merchant Program on April 18, 2025. It opens an in-chat storefront to eligible sellers. Perplexity began using one-click “Buy with Pro” last November and opened its own merchant API.

OpenAI has been testing e-commerce actions in its Operator research agent, which already books travel and places grocery orders for Pro users.

TestingCatalog also revealed a leaked Shopify memo from CEO Tobias Lutke. On April 7, Lutke told staff to “hire an AI before you hire a human,” underscoring a drive to embed AI across the platform.