What's happened
On October 14-15, 2025, Walmart announced a partnership with OpenAI to allow customers to browse and purchase products directly through ChatGPT. Launching this autumn, the feature enables instant checkout for items like apparel and packaged foods from Walmart and Sam's Club, excluding fresh foods. This move deepens Walmart's AI integration and expands OpenAI's e-commerce reach.
What's behind the headline?
AI Transforms E-Commerce
Walmart's integration with ChatGPT marks a significant shift from traditional online shopping, which has long relied on search bars and static product lists. This partnership introduces agentic AI that can proactively assist customers by recommending products, managing purchases, and personalizing the shopping experience.
Strategic Positioning Against Amazon
Walmart is leveraging AI to close the gap with Amazon, which already uses AI-powered assistants like Rufus. By embedding AI shopping directly into ChatGPT, Walmart taps into a growing user base and positions itself at the forefront of AI-driven retail innovation.
Consumer Trust and Adoption Challenges
While some fintech leaders express strong trust in AI managing financial decisions, widespread consumer acceptance remains uncertain. The exclusion of fresh foods from the initial offering reflects cautious rollout, acknowledging consumer habits and trust barriers.
Broader Implications
This move signals a broader trend where AI will increasingly automate routine tasks, including financial management and shopping. It will likely accelerate e-commerce growth and reshape consumer expectations, making AI a central player in daily commerce.
Forecast
Walmart and OpenAI's collaboration will likely expand to include more product categories and deeper AI functionalities, such as multimodal inputs and automated reordering. This will intensify competition with Amazon and Google in digital shopping fees and customer engagement.
What the papers say
Doug McMillon, Walmart's CEO, emphasized the shift from traditional e-commerce, stating, "For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change" (The Independent, AP News). Daniel Danker, Walmart's EVP of AI, highlighted the convenience aspect: "We view this as an opportunity to deliver convenience in a way that meets customers where they are" (South China Morning Post, Bloomberg). Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, noted the consumer appeal, saying, "I mostly buy stuff from ChatGPT now" and that the partnership would "make everyday purchases a little simpler" (Bloomberg, The Independent).
Business Insider UK’s Brent D. Griffiths reported on the broader financial implications, quoting fintech expert Perret who said, "AI is going to drive our financial lives," and expressed willingness to trust AI with financial decisions, reflecting growing consumer openness to AI-managed services. TechCrunch detailed Walmart's AI assistant Sparky and the integration of AI across Walmart's operations, underscoring the retailer's comprehensive AI strategy.
The New York Post provided data showing ChatGPT referrals to Walmart increased from 9.5% to 15% of referral traffic in September, though still a minor share of total web traffic, indicating early but growing consumer engagement. Overall, the sources collectively illustrate a strategic and technological push by Walmart and OpenAI to redefine online shopping through AI, while also highlighting the cautious, phased approach to consumer adoption.
How we got here
OpenAI has been expanding its e-commerce capabilities by integrating with platforms like Etsy and Shopify. Walmart, aiming to compete with Amazon, has been investing heavily in AI tools such as its generative AI assistant Sparky. The partnership with OpenAI builds on these efforts, enabling a new AI-driven shopping experience through ChatGPT.
Go deeper
- How will shopping through ChatGPT work for Walmart customers?
- What products can I buy via ChatGPT from Walmart?
- How does this partnership affect competition with Amazon?
More on these topics
-
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory consisting of the for-profit corporation OpenAI LP and its parent company, the non-profit OpenAI Inc.
-
Walmart Inc. is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.
-
ChatGPT is a prototype artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI that focuses on usability and dialogue. The chatbot uses a large language model trained with reinforcement learning and is based on the GPT-3.5 architecture.
-
Carl Douglas McMillon is an American businessman, and the president and chief executive officer of Walmart Inc. He sits on the retailer's board of directors.
-
Samuel H. Altman is an American entrepreneur, investor, programmer, and blogger. He is the CEO of OpenAI and the former president of Y Combinator.