Walmart is now letting customers shop with ChatGPT. Yes, that ChatGPT. The new ChatGPT shopping assistant lets customers use natural conversation to ask for recommendations, build lists, and check out. They don’t have to search or browse. They just tell the bot what they want and it figures out the rest.
Ask for help planning a birthday party, and it will fill your cart with snacks, drinks, balloons, and everything in between. The feature is powered by OpenAI and already live for Walmart customers.
For eCommerce sellers, this is a signal that there is a shift in how people are starting to shop and what platforms are doing to meet that shift.
AI is moving closer to the customer
Walmart’s update is part of a broader trend toward something called agentic commerce. That term comes from a recent McKinsey report, which projects that AI-powered shopping tools will drive $5 trillion in sales by 2030.
Agentic commerce refers to purchases made with the help of AI agents. These tools can search, compare, and even place orders on behalf of a user.
Instead of relying on clicks and product filters, shoppers are beginning to use language-based prompts to get what they need. The AI does the sorting, selecting, and suggesting. Sometimes it even checks out.
If you’re running your own store, the customer you serve today may soon interact with eCommerce very differently.
Why this matters to eCommerce sellers
When tools like ChatGPT become part of the buying journey, it changes how shoppers discover and select products. As these tools become more widely available, they will start to shape what gets shown, what gets recommended, and what gets bought.
That affects you if:
- You sell on any major marketplace that might integrate AI
- You rely on SEO or search-based discovery
- You want your products to show up when a customer asks for “the best value” or “fast shipping” or “gifts under $30”
Your storefront still matters. So does your brand. But if buyers use AI tools to start and finish their shopping, sellers need to think about how they stay visible and competitive in that journey.
How to stay visible in an AI-driven buying experience
You don’t need to pivot your business or start coding a chatbot. You just need to make sure your operations are clean, connected, and easy for AI systems to interpret.
Ordoro helps with that in a few key ways:
Inventory that stays synced
If a product is out of stock, AI assistants will move on. Ordoro helps keep your listings accurate across every connected channel.
Multichannel reach
Your next customer might never visit your website. They could be directed to you by an AI assistant pulling from multiple platforms. Being everywhere increases your chances of being recommended.
Fast and predictable fulfillment
Many AI systems will prioritize sellers with short delivery windows. With Ordoro’s shipping tools and automation, you can meet those expectations without extra manual work.
Better data = better placement
Ordoro helps sellers tag, organize, and clean up product listings, which makes it easier for search engines and smart assistants to understand what you offer.
Five ways to prepare now
The shift has already begun, here is how to keep up.
- Keep product data clean, complete, and current
- Sync inventory across all sales channels
- Automate shipping workflows to reduce errors
- Stay active on platforms that are experimenting with AI
- Watch how your customers interact with search and shopping tools
Small steps now make it easier to adjust as the landscape evolves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Walmart really using ChatGPT for shopping?
Yes. Walmart has introduced a ChatGPT-powered assistant that helps customers find and purchase products using natural conversation.
What is agentic commerce?
Agentic commerce refers to shopping driven by AI tools that act on behalf of a user. These tools help make decisions, recommend products, and place orders.
Will this affect independent eCommerce sellers?
Yes. As more shoppers use AI to search and shop, sellers need to ensure their products are discoverable, well-documented, and quick to fulfill.
Do I need to change how I run my store?
Not overnight. But it’s smart to audit your operations and start adopting tools that make you more adaptable, like multichannel syncing and fulfillment automation.
The bottom line
Walmart putting ChatGPT into the shopping experience is a sign of how shopping is shifting, faster than most sellers realize.
That doesn’t mean you need to overhaul everything. But it does mean staying informed, keeping your systems sharp, and making sure your products are easy for AI and search tools to find.
If someone else’s AI agent is filling the cart, you want your items in it.
Want to stay in the cart, not left behind?
Talk to one of our eCommerce experts and see how Ordoro can help you stay visible, synced, and competitive in a changing landscape.