America’s largest retailer, Walmart, announced a partnership with OpenAI on Tuesday that would allow customers to shop from the ChatGPT bot. CEO Doug McMillon said the deal would bring a “native AI experience.”
The timeline and terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed, but the rollout is expected soon. McMillon said the move is a shift from the long-used search bar method of shopping on ecommerce sites.
Walmart’s stock was up nearly 5% yesterday, highlighting investor excitement.
The partnership is part of Walmart’s broader effort to expand its use of AI, following its chatbot, Sparky, which launched earlier this year to compete with Amazon’s Rufus, which launched in 2024.
For OpenAI, teaming with Walmart provides exposure to millions of consumers and a chance to expand beyond its core tech audience.
AI shopping trend
The Walmart-OpenAI team-up also reflects the growing AI shopping assistants trend, where AI bots act as personal shoppers and earn commissions for tech companies.
OpenAI already offers direct purchases from Etsy and plans to add Shopify, while AI platform Perplexity’s search offers product recommendations from Shopify, Best Buy and Target.