OpenAI has taken a bold step into e-commerce by launching the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) — a new open standard that allows AI agents to securely initiate and complete purchases within chat interfaces. The rollout starts with Instant Checkout for Etsy in the U.S., with support for Shopify merchants coming next.
Users of ChatGPT (free, Plus, and Pro accounts) can now search, discover, and buy products directly within the chat window, marking a major leap in AI-assisted shopping experiences. The system is designed to be secure, decentralized, and brand-friendly, giving businesses full visibility and authority over transactions.
What Is ACP and Why It Matters
Co-developed with Stripe, the Agentic Commerce Protocol creates a standardized, secure flow between buyer, AI agent, and business — something increasingly necessary as conversational commerce gains momentum.
ACP supports:
Physical and digital goods
Subscriptions
Asynchronous purchases (e.g. pre-orders)
Multi-merchant carts
In-store pickup integration
Businesses can integrate once and sell across any ACP-compatible AI agent, maintaining ownership of customer relationships, transaction data, and fraud models — a contrast to typical third-party marketplace models.
OpenAI’s partnership with Shopify means soon, users can buy from popular brands like Glossier, Spanx, Vuori, and SKIMS directly in ChatGPT.
How Secure, AI-Driven Transactions Work
Here’s how a typical transaction unfolds using ACP:
The user selects a product in-chat.
The AI agent gathers payment info (via tokenized credentials).
The business (merchant of record) reviews and processes the order.
Stripe (or another ACP-compatible payment provider) handles the secure transaction.
Importantly, the AI agent never stores or exposes user credentials, preserving trust in the system. Businesses maintain full fraud controls and are able to implement their own pricing, shipping, and fulfillment rules.
Why This Could Transform Online Commerce
With this protocol, OpenAI and Stripe are pioneering the next generation of AI-assisted commerce — enabling users to buy in the same context where they discover products. Instead of clicking links or visiting separate websites, purchases happen instantly, naturally, and securely inside the chat.
This agentic model could eventually support a wider universe of AI agents and platforms, from voice assistants to mobile shopping bots, offering omnichannel commerce without the fragmentation that currently exists.
The ACP specification is open source under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing developers and businesses to adopt and extend it freely.
