Shopify and ChatGPT are working together on a new way to shop online that could change how we buy things on the internet. According to TechRadar, soon you’ll be able to discover and buy products without ever leaving your chat with ChatGPT. This means you can ask about products, get suggestions, see prices, read reviews, and even complete your purchase – all within the same conversation.
This upcoming feature was spotted in hidden code by TestingCatalog, suggesting it might launch soon. When it goes live, you’ll be able to shop directly inside ChatGPT’s chat interface instead of having to visit separate online stores. This could be especially helpful for the nearly 95,510 Shopify stores currently operating in India.
How Is This Different From Regular Online Shopping?
Traditional online shopping and this new ChatGPT shopping experience are very different. Let me explain the main differences in a simple way:
| Traditional Online Shopping | ChatGPT Shopping |
|---|---|
| Search for products on different websites | Just ask ChatGPT what you want |
| Click through many pages | Stay in one conversation |
| Compare products yourself | AI helps compare for you |
| Fill out checkout forms | One-click buying (buy with just one click) |
| Visit multiple websites | Everything happens in chat |
This new approach reduces friction in online shopping. When we say “reduces friction,” we mean it removes the annoying steps that sometimes make people give up on buying something online. Think of it like the difference between standing in multiple lines at different stores versus having someone bring everything to you while you sit in one place.
What is “Agentic Commerce” and Why Does It Matter?
You might hear the term “agentic commerce” used to describe this new way of shopping. This is a fancy term for letting AI act as your shopping assistant. An “agent” in this case means a helper that works for you. The AI learns what you like, finds products for you, and helps complete the purchase – kind of like having a personal shopper in your pocket.
This matters because it makes shopping faster and easier. Instead of you doing all the work of finding products, comparing prices, and filling out forms, the AI does much of this for you. It’s like the difference between cooking a meal from scratch versus having someone prepare it for you while you just say what you want.
Big Opportunity for Indian Shopify Stores
This integration could be huge for Indian businesses that use Shopify. As of April 2025, there are approximately 95,510 Shopify stores in India, with 3,434 identified as “prospecting-worthy” for marketing and sales. When we say “prospecting-worthy,” we mean stores that show good potential for growth and success – like shops that are well-established and ready to expand.
These stores are growing quickly. The number of Shopify stores in India grew by 3.9% in just the last three months and by a whopping 41% compared to last year. This shows that more and more Indian businesses are selling online.
Maharashtra leads the way with 15,789 Shopify stores, followed by Mumbai with 7,818 and New Delhi with 6,430. About 68% of these stores provide an email address, and half list a phone number for customer contact.
Why This Matters for Indian Merchants
- Huge new audience: Access to 800 million weekly ChatGPT users – that’s more than half of India’s population!
- Simpler selling: Less need for complicated websites or marketing
- Direct connections: Talk directly with customers through the chat
- Lower barriers: Smaller stores can reach global customers more easily
- Growing market: Catch the wave of India’s 41% year-over-year e-commerce growth
ChatGPT’s Massive User Base
The potential reach for merchants is enormous. ChatGPT currently has:
- 800 million weekly active users – about 1 in 10 people on Earth use it each week
- 122.58 million daily active users – roughly equal to the population of Japan
- 4.5 billion website visits in March 2025 – that’s more than half the world’s population
- Over 1 billion daily queries – people ask ChatGPT questions more than a billion times every day
- User base doubled from 400 million to 800 million in just two months (February to April 2025)
This massive audience means Shopify merchants could potentially reach hundreds of millions of customers through this new shopping channel. It’s like suddenly being able to open a shop in the world’s busiest mall.
How It Will Work
When this feature launches, shopping with ChatGPT will be simple:
- You ask ChatGPT about products you’re interested in
- ChatGPT shows you options from Shopify stores
- You can see prices, reviews, and product details right in the chat
- If you like something, you can buy it with one click without leaving the conversation
- The payment processes through Shopify’s secure system
This approach eliminates multiple steps in traditional online shopping. Instead of searching websites, comparing options on different pages, adding items to a cart, and going through checkout forms, you can do everything in one flowing conversation. It’s like the difference between writing separate letters to different stores versus having one conversation where everything gets done.
Benefits for Shoppers
For you as a shopper, this means shopping becomes more like talking to a helpful friend who knows what’s available and can get it for you. You don’t need to remember different websites or navigate through complicated online stores. Just chat naturally about what you want, and the AI helps you find and buy it.
The personalized recommendations could also help you discover products you might like but wouldn’t have found otherwise. It’s similar to having a friend who knows your taste suggesting things they think you’d enjoy.
The Future of Shopping?
This partnership between Shopify and ChatGPT represents a potential game-changer for e-commerce, especially for small sellers. By making shopping as easy as having a conversation, it could transform how we discover and buy products online.
For Indian merchants, with the country’s rapidly growing e-commerce sector, this offers an exciting new channel to reach customers. As online shopping continues to evolve, conversation-based purchasing might become as common as browsing websites is today. This Shopify-ChatGPT integration could be just the beginning of a whole new way to shop.
