ChatGPT supports in-chat purchases via Instant Checkout, starting with U.S. Etsy sellers and expanding to over a million Shopify merchants. It’s powered by OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), co-developed with Stripe. AP2 complements this by standardizing agent-to-payments flows across the wider ecosystem. Together, they mark the shift from “search & decide” to agentic commerce—where AI helps users discover and buy, end-to-end.
Table of Contents
What just launched: ChatGPT Instant Checkout using Agentic Commerce Protocol
- Instant Checkout inside ChatGPT. Users can discover products and complete single-item purchases without leaving the chat; multi-item carts and more regions are next. Existing ChatGPT subscribers can use their card on file; others can pay with card/express methods. Orders, payments, and fulfillment stay with the merchant. OpenAI
- Initial merchant availability. Live for U.S. Etsy sellers; Shopify merchants are “coming soon.” There’s no pay-to-play ranking; results remain organic and relevance-based. Merchants pay a small fee per completed purchase; the experience is free for users. OpenAI
The protocols behind the scenes: ACP vs AP2 (and how they complement)
- Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) — OpenAI’s open standard that lets ChatGPT (and other AI agents) exchange the minimum necessary order, shipping, and payment details with the merchant’s backend—without taking over the merchant’s PSP or fulfillment. Stripe co-developed ACP; Stripe merchants can enable agentic payments with minimal code, and non-Stripe merchants can join via a delegated payments spec or Stripe’s Shared Payment Token API. OpenAI
- Agentic Payment Protocol (AP2) — An open, interoperable protocol (originating at Google with industry partners) focused on agent-led payments across cards, bank rails, and crypto, with roles like shopper/merchant agents, credential providers, wallets, and risk/fraud providers. It defines signed offers, mandates, and credential exchange to reduce fraud and preserve privacy—settlement-agnostic by design. expertslab.ai
How they fit together
Think of ACP as a pragmatic path to “buy in chat” for today’s merchants (keep your stack; adopt an agent-friendly order flow). AP2 is the broader industry rulebook for agent-to-payments interoperability across platforms, wallets, and rails. Merchants can adopt ACP now to capture ChatGPT demand, while preparing their AP2 posture to interoperate across ecosystems over time. (Inference based on both specs’ stated goals.) OpenAI+1
How the in-chat purchase works (from the merchant’s perspective)
- Discovery. ChatGPT answers shopping prompts with organic product results. If your product supports Instant Checkout, users see a Buy action. Ranking is not influenced by fees; it considers relevance and quality signals (availability, price, primary seller, etc.). OpenAI
- Checkout. ChatGPT passes order + payment details via ACP to your backend; you remain merchant of record and use your existing PSP/processor to charge and fulfill. OpenAI
- Trust & safety. Users explicitly confirm steps; tokens are scoped to merchant/amount; only minimum required data is shared. OpenAI
Why this matters for your roadmap
- Reach new demand where users already decide—inside the assistant. OpenAI
- Keep control of payments, data, and customer relationships. OpenAI
- Lay AP2 foundations for agent-led commerce beyond a single platform (multi-rail, multi-agent, credentials-aware). expertslab.ai
Implementation paths
Near-term (ACP)
- If you run on Stripe, ACP enablement can be as little as “one line of code” per OpenAI’s docs; if not, adopt via Stripe’s Shared Payment Token API or ACP’s Delegated Payments Spec—without replacing your PSP. OpenAI
Mid-term (AP2)
- Stand up AP2 roles relevant to your business (merchant agent endpoint, credentials provider integrations, wallet/mandate handling, risk). Use reference agents and samples to model human-present and intent-mandate flows; keep settlement options open (cards, bank, crypto). expertslab.ai
FAQs
Does ChatGPT take over my checkout?
No. You stay merchant of record and use your existing PSP/processor. ChatGPT acts as the user’s agent, passing scoped order/payment data. OpenAI
Will I pay for placement?
No. Product ranking remains organic and relevance-based; merchants pay a small fee only on completed purchases. OpenAI
Is this U.S.-only?
Instant Checkout starts with U.S. buyers and Etsy sellers; Shopify is next, and OpenAI indicates more regions/merchants will follow. OpenAI
How does AP2 help beyond ChatGPT?
AP2 standardizes agent-to-payments interactions across platforms and rails (cards, A2A, crypto), enabling portable agentic commerce—your ACP work today doesn’t box you in tomorrow. expertslab.ai
How ExpertsLab can help
- ACP enablement sprint (2–4 weeks): eligibility review, product feed hygiene, order API adaptation, tokenization path (Stripe or delegated).
- AP2 readiness program: map AP2 roles to your stack, credential provider strategy (KYC/KYB, wallets), mandate models (human-present vs. intent), and risk/rules tuning.
- Agentic commerce growth ops: measurement, attribution in chat contexts, and offer/return policy design for agent-led flows.
Further reading
- OpenAI — Buy it in ChatGPT: Instant Checkout & ACP (Sep 29, 2025). OpenAI
- ExpertsLab — Agentic Payment Protocol (AP2) overview & living matrix. expertslab.ai
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