ChatGPT's AI commerce shift favors wholesalers and marketplaces

McKinsey report forecasts AI agents will be generating up to $5 trillion in sales with automated purchases for customers, in future.

McKinsey just released a new forecast that I think every e-commerce brand should be aware of. Agentic commerce (where AI agents shop, compare, and buy on behalf of consumers) could drive up to $5 trillion in global sales by 2030. In short, agentic commerce means handing part of the shopping journey to AI. Instead of browsing and adding to cart yourself, your digital “agent” will handle discovery, negotiation, and checkout based on your preferences. A few weeks ago, Shopify announced an integration with ChatGPT that lets customers buy products directly inside the ChatGPT interface without leaving the conversation. This takes that concept a step further. It’s still incredibly early in this shift (think internet in the mid-90s), but here’s what this could mean for brands on Shopify: - Customer journeys will change. Shopping will become automated, driven by AI rather than search or ads. - Websites must become agent-friendly. Clear data, open APIs, and structured content will matter more than flashy design. - Trust will be everything. Consumers will need confidence that agents act in their best interest. McKinsey projects that up to $1 trillion of this new market will come from the U.S. alone. It’s early days, but the takeaway is clear: brands that start preparing their infrastructure, data, and messaging for AI-driven shopping now will have a serious head start when agents begin buying at scale. #shopify #ecommerce

I don’t t post a lot and it’s 2AM still working on my local restaurants clients… BUT This is one of the biggest shift in the local industry where from my perspective… it might increase the gap between local businesses that do well and those who don’t. The ones that optimizes early their online ordering systems for AI might gobble up a loooooottt of market shares in their local space just because they were there first. I don’t doubt that a segment of the market will still rely on phone and uber eat/doordash as data show but this new segment might make or break a lot of local businesses. Already working on solutions to implement AI ordering and also be smarter about why people order online. Excited to see the future!

Online shopping is changing faster than ever! People once had to search, compare, click and hope they found the right product. Now they can simply ask a question, have a chat, and buy within the same conversation. Customers want less effort and more clarity. Brands want more conversions and real engagement. ChatGPT is making both possible. Modern businesses are now: - Turning chat into a complete buying journey - Helping shoppers discover products without searching - Reducing drop off by keeping the entire flow in one place - Supporting customers instantly with natural conversations - Increasing trust and sales at the same time Our latest blog explains how AI is taking ecommerce from chat to checkout, and how brands can benefit from it right now. Read the full post: https://lnkd.in/dm88NZtj

Shopify reports a dramatic surge in AI-driven engagement, with traffic increasing 7x and orders climbing 11x since January 2024. Through partnerships with ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot, Shopify is enabling shoppers to discover and purchase products directly through AI-powered conversations. Key insights: • In-chat shopping is becoming a new standard for digital retail • 64% of shoppers say they are likely to use AI when making a purchase Conversational commerce is quickly moving from experiment to expectation — reshaping how consumers discover, decide, and buy online. https://lnkd.in/e-B-fmA4

I'm researching things (sssecret things), and I came across this nugget of cleverness. Here's a handy quote from an article written by Tribe, designed to make you want to read the whole thing. Ahem! "What to do now [related to ChatGPT+Shopify]: 💠 Optimise product data with structured attributes and comprehensive specifications (think Generative Engine Optimisation/GEO, not just SEO) 💠 Boost review volume and recency - AI agents use reviews as trust signals 💠 Build conversational FAQ content that answers specific shopper questions 💠 Monitor your external brand presence (Reddit, YouTube, Wikipedia) 💠 Enable the integration immediately when it appears in your Shopify dashboard 💠 Add https://lnkd.in/dVn5hnsq to see how often your store's info is requested by AI agents Key advantage: ChatGPT ranks products purely on relevance with no paid placement options, leveling the playing field for DTC brands with strong product differentiation and authentic reviews." Full article here (told you it's good) https://lnkd.in/djWqhQ22

The commerce shift just happened. Walmart just bypassed the entire e-commerce checkout process. Their OpenAI partnership enables customers to shop, browse, and complete purchases directly through ChatGPT conversations. This fundamentally transforms how billions of people will discover and buy products in the next decade. Walmart's stock jumped 5% immediately following the OpenAI partnership announcement on October 14, 2025. Investors recognized the seismic shift toward agentic commerce where AI anticipates customer needs rather than waiting for searches. The Instant Checkout platform is already proven at scale with over 1 million Shopify merchants. This isn't just another tech upgrade, it's the death of traditional product discovery. When customers can say "I need running shoes for flat feet under $150" and complete the entire purchase in one ChatGPT conversation, why would they ever visit your website again? While retailers scramble to integrate conversational AI, AIVO helps brands optimize their content for how customers actually talk to AI platforms. We structure your product information so AI platforms cite your brand as the expert answer, whether customers shop through ChatGPT, Perplexity, or the next platform that emerges. The brands that master conversational commerce in the next 18 months will dominate their categories. The ones clinging to traditional SEO will become invisible to an entire generation of AI-native shoppers. Is your brand ready for the post-search commerce era? #AIVisibility #Ecommerce #SEO #AISearch

If Shopify is any indication, AI driven conversational commerce is going to drive the next phase of growth in eCommerce. Shopify has seen significant growth in AI-driven eCommerce, with AI powered traffic increasing sevenfold and orders rising elevenfold since January. This surge is due to the growing use of AI shopping agents like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, which assist shoppers in discovering and purchasing products through conversational interfaces. Shopify is enhancing its AI tools, such as Scout and Sidekick, using its vast merchant data to improve product matching and customer service. Merchants are encouraged to keep their product data structured and rely on trust signals like reviews. Overall, the rise of AI shopping indicates a shift towards conversational commerce, with Shopify reporting a 32% revenue increase and highlighting the need for accurate product feeds and brand safety measures.

AI might be the next big disruptor in ecommerce. With ChatGPT’s new Instant Checkout, shoppers can now buy directly inside the chatbot — skipping marketplaces like Shopee or Lazada. In Southeast Asia, where OpenAI is testing new features in Indonesia, GPT-based commerce could change how people search, compare, and shop online. Will consumers soon say “buy it in ChatGPT”?

🚨 The Future of Shopping Isn’t Standardized — It’s Agentic 🚨 Big shifts are happening in how we buy online, and they have little to do with shopping carts or AI recommendations. Enter “agentic commerce” — a new paradigm championed by PayPal and one that could completely upend traditional e-commerce standards. Here’s a tight breakdown of what this means and why it matters: 🔍 Autonomous Agents Will Shop For You Picture this: You tell an AI assistant that you need a backpack for hiking, and it independently evaluates thousands of options, compares prices, checks return policies, and buys the best fit — all without you lifting a finger. This isn’t future talk — it's the foundational idea behind agentic commerce. PayPal’s move is a clear signal that AI agents will soon be doing the heavy lifting in consumer decision-making. 🧩 Flexibility Beats Standards in the Next E-Commerce Wave Traditional e-commerce thrives on universal protocols and formats (think shopping feeds and product categorization). But as AI agents become the real consumers interacting with shopping platforms, rigid standards fall short. What they need instead? Flexibility. Agents must parse unique site layouts, understand varied product metadata, and return meaningful insights. The future favors systems that can adapt — not conform. 💡 Commerce Is Becoming a Multi-Agent Ecosystem E-commerce is transforming into a negotiation space where multiple AI agents (buyers, sellers, service providers) interact. It’s not just about transactions — it’s about intelligent orchestration. PayPal’s positioning makes it clear: the company wants to be the connective tissue enabling agent-to-agent commerce, removing friction while managing complex interactions between different systems. 🔥 Final Take Agentic commerce isn’t about flashier ads or better product UIs — it’s about rethinking the whole experience from the perspective of autonomous AI. The companies that recognize this shift early and prioritize agent-friendly infrastructures will define the next giants of digital retail. Follow us at @Latestin.ai for more insights at the cutting edge of AI, autonomy, and the future of commerce. Like, share, and join the conversation — this is just the beginning.