New code strings in ChatGPT’s public web bundle, “buy_now”, price and shipping fields, product-offer ratings, and a “shopify_checkout_url”, indicate that OpenAI is wiring a native purchase flow into the assistant. The snippet suggests a hand-off to Shopify’s hosted checkout, implying a formal tie-up rather than a generic affiliate link.
For users, the change would let purchases complete inside the chat instead of jumping to external sites, turning ChatGPT into a full-funnel shopping tool. Shopify’s vast merchant base would gain instant distribution to ChatGPT’s audience without extra integration work.
The feature sits beside recently added system modules such as weather and market data, so its likely placement is 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 staged rollout.
Competitive pressure is mounting. Microsoft introduced its Copilot Merchant Program on April 18, 2025, opening an in-chat storefront to eligible sellers. Perplexity shipped 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.
Shopify is moving toward an AI-first culture; a leaked April 7 memo from CEO Tobi Lütke told staff to “hire an AI before you hire a human,” underscoring a drive to embed AI across the platform. A joint launch would align Shopify’s push for agentic commerce with OpenAI’s plan to let ChatGPT act, not just answer.
