OpenAI strikes deal with Shopify, Etsy to allow merchants to sell through ChatGPT

The company logo hangs on the Ottawa headquarters of Canadian e-commerce company Shopify, May 29, 2019. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

Shoppers who turn to ChatGPT for advice on what to buy soon won’t have to leave the chatbot to make a purchase.

OpenAI, the U.S.-based owner of ChatGPT, announced Monday that two new deals it struck will allow American shoppers using the chatbot to more easily make purchases from Shopify and Etsy merchants.

Shopify, a Canadian purveyor of e-commerce software, said its agreement will make hundreds of millions of products sold by its merchants instantly discoverable in a format that AI understands. 

When someone asks ChatGPT for recommendations, the chatbot will be able to access inventory from Shopify merchants and present it — without links or redirects — for immediate purchase.

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Merchants will pay a small fee on completed purchases, but the service is free for users, doesn’t affect their prices and doesn’t influence ChatGPT’s product results, OpenAI said.

Shopify positioned the arrangement as a natural retail evolution, given the recent growth of artificial intelligence.

“Shopping is changing fast. People are discovering products in AI conversations, not just through search or ads,” said Vanessa Lee, vice-president of product at Shopify, in a press release.

“This will let our merchants show up naturally in those moments and give shoppers a way to buy without breaking their flow. It’s a really exciting shift for commerce.”

The move pushed Shopify’s stock price up more than six per cent to $207.46 in trading Monday on the Toronto Stock Exchange. 

In the long run, it could boost how many sales the company induces if the ChatGPT tie-in greatly expands the reach of Shopify merchants and helps them edge out competition that is not recommended by the chatbot. 

Rafe Colburn, Etsy’s chief product and technology officer, said his marketplace for vintage, handmade and custom goods was drawn to the partnership because tools like ChatGPT are increasingly being used for everyday tasks like writing to-do lists and choosing a friend’s birthday gift.

“As a marketplace of over five million creative entrepreneurs, it’s our job to remove barriers for shoppers so they can easily discover and be delighted by our sellers’ special items,” he said in a blog post.

For Shopify, the ChatGPT integration is yet another sign of the company’s commitment to AI.

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Earlier this year, it said it was making a shift toward “declarative commerce, where business owners simply express their goals, and AI handles the rest, freeing entrepreneurs to focus on creativity and growth rather than technical complexity.”

One of the most obvious signs of declarative commerce was when Shopify debuted Sidekick, an AI-based tool for merchants to use to advance their business operations, in 2023.

There has also been an emphasis on AI use internally after Tobi Lutke told his staff the technology is a “fundamental expectation” for all employees and will be embedded into everything from performance reviews to product development.

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Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2025.