The feature will first run on Etsy, a U.S. e-commerce platform, and Shopify, a Canadian-based e-commerce platform.
OpenAI explained that users can purchase a single product posted by Etsy sellers in the U.S., and that it will soon support over 1 million Shopify.
The “Immediate Payment” function is available not only to ChatGPT Plus, a paid subscription service, but also to ChatGPT Pro and free users.
This feature allows users to view Etsy sellers’ goods on ChatGPT and pay directly within ChatGPT without going to an external site if they want to purchase them.
OpenAI earns commissions from transactions made through ChatGPT. However, the commission agreement with Etsy and Shopify has not been disclosed. No additional fees are charged to users.
“The vision of ChatGPT is not just to be informed, but to help solve things in the real world,” said Michelle Freidin, head of ChatGPT commerce products at OpenAI.
In the future, OpenAI plans to put multiple products in its shopping cart and make payments at once, as well as expand it outside the United States.
OpenAI explained that the new feature is based on the “Analytic Commerce Protocol,” a technology that allows you to complete transactions directly with sellers via ChatGPT.
OpenAI has teamed up with fintech company Stripe to build this framework, which also supports the ChatGPT subscription payment system.
OpenAI previously added a feature in April that allows users to shop for products through ChatGPT, and is also reportedly developing its own payment function.
Competition with Google, the world’s largest search engine company, is expected to accelerate as OpenAI also adds payment capabilities to shopping.
Online shopping is one of Google’s most important businesses, and it has been predicted that OpenAI’s payment system could pose a threat to Google’s existing business model.
This is because consumers tend to use AI chatbots more than traditional search engines when searching for product or shopping information, which can reduce the use of Google search engines.
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
