Shop Walmart from ChatGPT - New Integration!
Walmart and OpenAI Announce New Shopping Partnership
Walmart revealed a new collaboration with OpenAI on Tuesday. This partnership will enable customers to purchase Walmart products directly through the AI chatbot.
Available items will include groceries (excluding fresh produce), household necessities, and a variety of other goods, with an instant checkout process.
Expanding Shopping Capabilities with AI
Sam’s Club members will also benefit from this integration. The agentic shopping feature will assist in meal planning and automatic restocking of essential items.
Furthermore, the AI will facilitate the discovery of new products during conversational interactions.
How to Access the New Feature
Customers will initiate purchases by selecting a “buy” button within the ChatGPT application.
Prior to shopping, users will need to link their Walmart accounts to ChatGPT. Support for products from third-party sellers is planned for a rollout later this fall.
Personalized and Proactive Shopping Experiences
Walmart states that this agreement with OpenAI will enhance its ability to understand and anticipate customer needs.
This will lead to a more personalized and proactive online shopping experience, moving beyond simply responding to customer requests.
OpenAI's Broader E-commerce Strategy
This partnership follows OpenAI’s recent announcement of its entry into the e-commerce sector with an agentic shopping system.
This system encompasses product discovery, personalized recommendations, and secure payment processing.
OpenAI is initially collaborating with sellers on Etsy and Shopify.
Walmart's Own AI Initiatives
The ChatGPT-integrated shopping feature isn’t Walmart’s only AI endeavor.
The company has also launched its own generative AI shopping assistant, Sparky.
Sparky is designed to help customers find, compare, and purchase products.
Future expansions of Sparky will include reordering capabilities, service booking, and the ability to process multimodal inputs – text, images, audio, and video.
Existing OpenAI Integration
Walmart already has an established relationship with OpenAI in other areas of its operations.
The company has implemented OpenAI Certifications and ChatGPT Enterprise for its internal teams.
Both Walmart and Sam’s Club utilize AI to improve various processes, such as accelerating fashion production by up to 18 weeks and reducing customer care response times by as much as 40%.
Looking Ahead
“For many years now, e-commerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change,” stated Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon.
“A native AI experience is emerging, one that is multimedia-rich, personalized, and contextual. We are actively pursuing this more convenient and enjoyable future with Sparky and through strategic partnerships, including this significant collaboration with OpenAI,” he concluded.