OpenAI Scraps Instant Checkout in ChatGPT, Pivots to Building a 'Superapp'

ChatGPT's In-App Shopping Feature Falls Flat

OpenAI has pulled the plug on Instant Checkout, the feature that allowed users to complete purchases directly inside ChatGPT. Going forward, the company will redirect shoppers to merchants' own websites to finalize orders, according to The Information.

Launched in September 2025, Instant Checkout enabled users to confirm orders, select delivery options, and pay without leaving the chatbot. Major platforms — Etsy, Walmart, and Shopify — quickly integrated the tool. Shopify president Harley Finkelstein called it a "new frontier" for online retail at the time.

The launch of Instant Checkout feature in ChatGPT

Why This Matters

The failure of Instant Checkout exposes fundamental challenges in embedding full e-commerce capabilities into AI chatbots. Despite backing from top retailers, the technology stumbled on basics — keeping product availability, pricing, and shipping data accurate and up to date.

Bob Hetu, analyst at research and consulting firm Gartner, noted that OpenAI underestimated the complexity of implementing transactions. He said this was somewhat surprising but acknowledged that such tasks are also difficult for retailers themselves.

Emily Pfeiffer, a principal analyst at Forrester, pointed out that onboarding merchants proved to be a complex process and that Instant Checkout frequently malfunctioned. OpenAI could scrape retailer websites for product information, but data on availability, shipping timelines, and pricing was often inaccurate or outdated.

What Comes Next for Shopping

An OpenAI spokesperson said the company has prioritized improving product search and discovery within the chatbot. Instant Checkout is transitioning into an Apps format where purchases will happen "more seamlessly," the spokesperson added.

Shopify confirmed that new e-commerce functionality will appear in ChatGPT. Users will still be able to browse merchant products through the chatbot, but checkout will be completed on retailers' own sites.

ChatGPT Becomes a 'Superapp'

Alongside the commerce overhaul, OpenAI is transforming ChatGPT into a unified ecosystem. Three products — the Codex AI coding assistant, the Atlas browser, and the chatbot itself — will be consolidated into a single desktop application.

OpenAI merges ChatGPT, Codex, and Atlas into one application

Fiji Simo, OpenAI's head of applications, explained that the company had been spreading its efforts across too many programs and technologies. She said the fragmentation was slowing things down and preventing the team from reaching the desired quality level.

OpenAI has also previously signaled plans to integrate the Sora video generator into ChatGPT. The core bet behind the superapp is agentic AI — a system that doesn't just answer questions but autonomously executes tasks on a computer, including writing code, analyzing data, and browsing the web. ChatGPT serves as the entry point, while Codex and Atlas become the working environment, eliminating the need to switch between windows.

Competition and Strategic Focus

Simo described Anthropic's recent success in attracting users as a "wake-up call" for OpenAI. The company's mobile app will remain unchanged for now — the strategy targets desktop, developers, power users, and enterprise clients.

In March 2026, OpenAI also integrated the Shazam music recognition service into ChatGPT, continuing to expand the platform's capabilities.