Big moves are brewing behind the scenes, and Shopify store owners should keep a close eye on this.
Developers recently discovered new code inside ChatGPT, suggesting that in-chat shopping via Shopify may be coming soon.
While there’s no official announcement yet from Shopify or OpenAI, the speculations point to some of these possibilities:
Customers could browse and buy products from Shopify stores without ever leaving a ChatGPT conversation.
ChatGPT could act as a personal shopping assistant, pulling relevant Shopify products based on natural language requests like, "I need a durable shovel for rocky soil under $50."
This is part of a bigger shift toward what many call “agentic commerce.”
Instead of customers doing all the searching and clicking, AI agents like ChatGPT will guide people through the buying journey, based on conversations, needs, and intent. Maybe something similar to how a good in-person salesperson would do it. 😉
Quick Note: What is Agentic Commerce?
Agentic commerce is when AI becomes your shopping assistant — helping customers find, compare, and buy what they need just by having a conversation.
Why this matters for emerging ecommerce brands:
If this becomes widely available, it could open a powerful new discovery and sales channel — one that doesn’t rely on SEO, ads, or social media algorithms. 🙏
It would shift ecommerce toward intent-driven, conversation-powered shopping, and early movers could grab a serious advantage.
What you can do now to get ready:
Start with clear, descriptive product titles.
Think "Stainless Steel Garden Trowel" instead of something vague like "The GrowMaster 3000." Clear beats clever when it comes to helping AI understand what you’re selling. Brainstorm with AI to optimize your titles.Fill out every product detail you can.
Material, color, size, use case — all of it matters. If you sell a garden spade, tag it with terms like "metal handle," "rust-resistant," and "ergonomic grip." The more structured info you give, the easier it is for AI to find and recommend your products.Beef up your product descriptions.
Spell out the features, the benefits, and who it’s for. Don’t just say "durable shovel" — say "Lightweight garden trowel perfect for beginners and weekend gardeners who need reliable tools for planting and transplanting." Use AI as your writing partner to speed this process up and to make things even easier, Shopify’s description field has a built-in AI writing tool.Use alt text for your images.
Instead of leaving it blank, add something simple like "Small stainless steel garden trowel with green handle." It’s an easy way to help AI pick up and classify your products correctly.Add product-specific FAQs if possible.
Short, clear answers — like "Is this trowel good for rocky soil?" → "Yes, it's built for tougher digging" — make it easier for AI to match your products to shopper questions in a conversational search.
Discovery is evolving, and AI is reshaping how customers shop.
Even if full Shopify integration inside ChatGPT takes time, the direction is clear:
Conversations are becoming commerce.
Commerce is becoming agentic.
And brands that know how to connect naturally with customer intent will be the ones leading the next wave of ecommerce.
We’ll keep you posted as this story continues to unfold.
And if you find any good gardening equipment, let me know! 😀
This just got a bit more exciting (posted by Open AI on X - 4/28)
🛒 Update:
Just days ago, OpenAI rolled out a new update that lets ChatGPT include product recommendations in response to shopping questions.It’s not buying for you yet — but it is starting to suggest links to products across the web using its browsing tool.
This marks an early (but important) step toward agentic commerce, where AI doesn’t just answer questions — it begins to guide shopping decisions in real time.
The shift from search to action is happening.
Quietly. But quickly.
Curious to hear your thoughts. Are you excited (or a little nervous) about the rise of agentic commerce? How do you see it changing your ecommerce strategy over the next year?
This article is insightful and also super helpful. I appreciate the suggestions for things I can do NOW to prepare. Thank you!
Wow! Game changer. Now if only I had the knowledge and time to implement your five suggestions. I would think they’d be beneficial regardless of whether Shopify moves forward with this, no?