ChatGPT launches visual shopping powered by Agentic Commerce Protocol

ChatGPT stopped being just an advisor — now it can sell. OpenAI launched a visual shopping feature directly inside ChatGPT, using a new open standard called the Agentic Commerce Protocol. Previously, when a user asked ChatGPT "what headphones should I buy," they received a text list with names and sometimes links — then had to go to a browser themselves.

Now the interface has changed dramatically: the response displays visual product cards with photos, prices, ratings, and purchase buttons. You can compare several options side by side without switching tabs or leaving the chat. The key element of the new feature is the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP).

It's an open standard through which online stores and brands directly send ChatGPT an up-to-date catalog: products, prices, inventory status, delivery conditions and timelines. Unlike regular web scraping, ACP delivers data in real-time — if a product runs out or the price changes, ChatGPT sees the actual state immediately. This fundamentally differs from search, which indexes data with a delay.

OpenAI hasn't disclosed the specific merchant partners yet, but said that major retailers are already integrating through the protocol. The feature is rolling out gradually, starting with users in the US — first through ChatGPT's web interface, then in mobile apps. From a user's perspective, the scenario looks like this: you write "I need running sneakers under $150 for asphalt," ChatGPT asks clarifying questions about foot width or brand preferences, then shows several options with visual cards.

Clicking "buy" takes you directly to the merchant's payment page. The entire path from request to cart happens in one interface without unnecessary redirects. For the advertising and e-commerce market, this is a serious signal.

Google spent years building Shopping as a separate product with paid listings. Amazon bet on trust through reviews and a closed marketplace. ChatGPT offers a different model: personalized dialogue that naturally leads to purchase, without pages filled with dozens of ad results.

The monetization question remains open. OpenAI hasn't announced whether it takes a commission on transactions or offers paid placement within results. Analysts assume a mixed model: free basic integration through the protocol and paid promotion for priority display — an evolution reminiscent of Google Shopping's shift from organic listings to predominantly paid ones.

From a technical standpoint, the Agentic Commerce Protocol continues OpenAI's strategy of standardizing agent integrations. Earlier, the company introduced the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for connecting tools to AI agents. ACP works by the same logic: instead of an agent scraping merchant sites itself, merchants publish a structured feed specifically for agents.

Standardization benefits both sides — agents don't need to parse each site individually, and merchants don't need to worry about incorrect data processing. Shopping in ChatGPT is not just a new feature, but a bid for the role of a new layer between the user and online commerce. If OpenAI manages to gather enough merchants in the protocol, the next step is fully completed purchases inside ChatGPT without redirects.

For Google, Amazon, and Perplexity, this is another signal: AI interfaces are rewriting the rules of product discovery and search faster than the market expected.