In late September 2025, OpenAI introduced a new feature called Instant Checkout that allows users to buy products directly within ChatGPT's interface - no redirects, no leaving the chat. Initially, the feature supports U.S. Etsy sellers, and OpenAI says over a million Shopify merchants will follow.
Behind Instant Checkout is the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), co-developed with Stripe. ACP functions as a kind of "agent-to-merchant" translation layer: ChatGPT securely passes payment and shipping info to merchants (who remain fully responsible for fulfillment, returns, etc.).
In effect, this transforms ChatGPT from a browsing or recommendation tool into a shopping "assistant agent" that can complete purchases on behalf of users.
But rolling out this kind of embedded commerce is nontrivial. Below, I explore what lies ahead.
What are the key challenges ahead?
1. Trust, Security & Data Privacy
• Handling sensitive payment and shipping data inside a chat interface raises legit trust concerns. Even though OpenAI claims ChatGPT acts as a "pass-through agent" and doesn't itself hold merchant systems, user apprehension may slow adoption.
• GDPR, PCI compliance, cross-border data regulations, and consumer protection rules differ by region (especially in the UK/EU). Any misuse, data breach, or opaque handling could invite scrutiny or backlash.
2. Merchant Integration Complexity
• While OpenAI touts that merchants can plug in via ACP "without changing their backend systems," reality will likely differ: varying e-commerce setups, payment processors, shipping integrations, returns infrastructure, and APIs will complicate onboarding. 
• Maintaining consistency between ChatGPT's view of stock/inventory and the merchant's actual stock will be critical; mis-syncs could lead to cancelled orders and bad UX.
3. Ranking, Fairness & Discovery Bias
• Which products get surfaced in response to a user's prompt? OpenAI says Instant Checkout doesn't get special ranking preference, but ranking will still depend on factors like price, availability, quality, and "whether a merchant is the primary seller." 
• Larger merchants with higher volume, faster fulfillment, better reviews, or more "AI-optimised" data may dominate visibility - pushing out smaller players unless they optimize.
4. Regional Rollout & Localization
• Instant Checkout is currently U.S.-only, with Shopify merchants "coming soon." 
• Localization isn't trivial: payment methods, currencies, shipping carriers, tax/VAT rules, consumer rights, and returns rules differ by country and region. For UK merchants, adapting to local requirements will be a hurdle.
5. UX & Limitations (Cart, Multi-item, Complex Orders)
• Initially, Instant Checkout supports single-item purchases only; multi-item carts are "coming soon." 
• Complex purchases (e.g. bundles, customisations, variants) may not be well supported at first.
• User experience expectations: cancellations, returns, disputes all need well-designed flows mediated via chat contexts.
6. Costs & Margins
• Merchants will pay a transaction fee per sale. While OpenAI says it won't affect product ranking or pricing, some merchants may feel pressured or constrained by the margin hit. 
• For smaller orders or low-margin goods, that fee may tip the economics away from viability.
7. Dependence on Platform Policies
• Merchants will be dependent on OpenAI's evolving policies, changes to the protocol, ranking algorithms, dispute resolution, etc. They may lose direct control over parts of the buyer's journey.
What are the Key Opportunities?
Despite the challenges, embedded commerce in ChatGPT represents a significant opportunity - especially for smaller e-commerce merchants. Here's how SMEs might benefit:
- Seamless Access to High-Intent Users
Instead of hoping customers land via Google or social ads, your products can be surfaced within a conversational prompt at the moment someone says, "What gift should I get for a 10-year-old?" or "Show me sustainable yoga mats." If your product is recommended and "Buy" is available, that could drive impulse conversions with lower friction.
- Lower Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC)
Because the shopping experience is integrated and friction is reduced, SMEs might see better conversion rates from AI referrals versus traditional ad click funnels (if they can optimize for visibility in the AI context).
- Equal Footing (If Optimised)
Even smaller merchants can compete, provided they optimize metadata, product information, fulfillment reliability, and reviews. In theory, you don't necessarily need a massive ad budget - you need compelling, AI-friendly product feeds. (Though larger merchants may still enjoy advantages in scale.)
- Incremental Revenue Channel
This adds a complementary sales channel. Even if it only drives a modest share of revenue, in aggregate it may improve overall profitability - especially in peak shopping periods or when users are actively browsing in AI chat mode.
- Brand Exposure & Trust Building
Being present (and reliably fulfilling) orders via ChatGPT could enhance brand trust among AI-savvy audiences. Reviews and ratings that perform well could amplify discovery.
- Early Mover Advantage
SMEs that adopt early, test the workflows, and get comfortable with embedded commerce can refine processes, get feedback loops, and potentially shape best practices before the space becomes saturated.
With a current US Focus, when can the UK expect this development?
What does the next phase look like?
Looking ahead, the potential for ChatGPT-driven commerce extends far beyond single-item checkouts. Future iterations are likely to support multi-item carts, product bundles, and in-chat customisations, allowing for a richer and more flexible shopping experience. We can also expect to see expansion into subscriptions, digital goods, and even service-based transactions — not just physical products.
As AI models become more sophisticated, personalised recommendations, dynamic pricing, and contextual discounts will make the experience even more tailored to each shopper. Integration with voice and multimodal interfaces, such as image-based shopping, could further blur the line between browsing and buying.
Finally, more advanced merchant tools, analytics, and dashboards will emerge to help businesses understand and optimise chat-driven sales performance in real time.