Walmart Partners with OpenAI to Bring AI-Powered Shopping to ChatGPT

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, has announced a major partnership with OpenAI that will allow millions of customers to shop for Walmart and Sam's Club products directly within the ChatGPT interface. This move is a clear signal that the future of e-commerce is moving from "search and click" to "chat and buy."

The new integration, unveiled on Tuesday, will leverage OpenAI's "Instant Checkout" feature, transforming the AI chatbot from a simple information tool into a powerful, conversational shopping assistant.

A New Way to Shop
The partnership is designed to eliminate the friction of traditional online shopping, where customers typically type keywords into a search bar and sift through long lists of results. With the new integration, a customer can have a natural conversation with ChatGPT to complete their shopping.

For example, a user could:

Plan a meal: "I'm making spaghetti bolognese for six people tonight. What ingredients do I need?"

Find a product: "I need a good gift for a 10-year-old's birthday, under $50."

Restock essentials: "I'm running low on paper towels, dog food, and coffee."

ChatGPT will understand the context, suggest a list of specific products from Walmart, and allow the user to add them to a cart. The entire purchase can then be completed with a few simple confirmations directly within the chat, without the user ever having to leave the app and visit Walmart's website.


The Rise of "Agentic Commerce"
Walmart executives are calling this new model "agentic commerce"—a shift where the AI moves from being a reactive tool to a proactive, intelligent agent that can learn a customer's habits, anticipate their needs, and manage the entire purchasing process on their behalf.

"For many years, the e-commerce experience has been a search bar and a long list of responses. That is about to change," said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. "We are running towards a more enjoyable and convenient future... through partnerships including this important step with OpenAI."

This move is part of Walmart's broader, multi-billion dollar AI strategy. The company is already using AI to enhance its supply chains, improve customer service resolution times, and has been rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise and OpenAI Certifications to upskill its own workforce.


The partnership is a direct challenge to e-commerce rivals like Amazon, which has its own AI shopping assistant named Rufus. By integrating with ChatGPT, Walmart is strategically placing its store at the center of one of the world's most popular AI platforms, meeting millions of customers exactly where they are.