Millions of Merchants Can Now Sell Products via AI Chat

Shopify Japan K.K. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Country Manager: Michio Baba), the Japanese subsidiary of global commerce leader Shopify, announces the expansion of its agentic commerce capabilities. This will allow merchants to sell products through AI chat environments.

Starting this week, millions of merchants selling to buyers in the United States will be able to offer their products to ChatGPT users through Agentic Storefronts. With Agentic Storefronts, merchants can access major AI channels—including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, AI Mode in Google Search, and the Gemini app—centrally from the Shopify admin panel without additional setup.

Furthermore, with the Agentic Plan now generally available, brands not using Shopify can also reach customers and sell products on these same AI channels by adding their inventory to the Shopify Catalog.

For over 20 years, Shopify has integrated all necessary commerce functions—merchandising, payments, fraud prevention, taxes, fulfillment, subscriptions, and more—into a single operating system. This foundation now supports sales not only through online stores, POS, and social platforms, but also through AI agents.

"Agentic commerce is not a fleeting trend we are following, but a vision Shopify has been realizing at the forefront of commerce and AI," said Mani Fazeli, Vice President of Product at Shopify. "Shopify's scale demands both the insight to identify the direction of commerce's evolution and the responsibility to build an infrastructure that ensures functionality before that change arrives. This is a natural consequence of the architecture we have strategically built over many years."

Enhancing the Purchasing Experience on ChatGPT
Hundreds of millions of ChatGPT users can now purchase products from Shopify merchants without leaving the chat. Through the Shopify Catalog, users can discover products across the entire Shopify ecosystem and complete their purchase within the in-app browser. Purchasing experiences built by merchants—including brand experience, pricing logic, payment methods, and checkout settings—are maintained. On desktop environments, users are transitioned from ChatGPT to the merchant's online store in a separate tab.

For merchants, adoption is seamless. With Agentic Storefronts, products appear on ChatGPT by default without the need for additional system integrations or app installations. Moreover, no additional transaction fees are incurred, with only standard payment processing fees applied.

Orders are recorded in the Shopify admin panel as originating from ChatGPT, allowing merchants to accurately track the source of sales. Additionally, merchants retain their status as the seller and maintain ownership of customer relationships and data.

"The shopping experience in ChatGPT begins with discovery. We are helping users compare options and find the products that are best for them," said Neeraj Ajarab, Commerce Product Lead at OpenAI. "By integrating product information across Shopify's entire merchant ecosystem, we have made millions of merchants and billions of products easier to find than ever before. This is a significant step toward evolving ChatGPT into an even better personal shopping assistant, while also providing a mechanism for merchants to maintain control over the customer experience."

Expanding Sales Opportunities Across AI Channels
Consumer behavior on AI is evolving in various ways depending on the market, industry, and customer segment. Rather than relying on a specific channel, Shopify is supporting merchants in creating sales opportunities wherever they interact with customers by supporting a wide range of AI channels.

Thousands of merchants are already selling on Microsoft Copilot, and with the upcoming introduction of Shop Pay, customers will soon be able to complete purchases seamlessly on the spot. Additionally, some brands have begun selling on AI Mode and the Gemini app on Google.

These initiatives are supported by the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard co-developed by Shopify and Google, which is becoming the foundation for transactions between AI and merchants. UCP has gained support from many companies, including Walmart, Target, Etsy, American Express, Mastercard, Stripe, and Visa.

"We are a brand that connects with customers everywhere, and now 'everywhere' includes AI channels," said Sapna Shah-Parikh, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing & Digital at Kendo's Fenty Beauty Brands. "Our approach has always focused on putting our community at the center, staying close to them wherever they are, and expanding those connections. With Shopify, Fenty Beauty can naturally enter the conversations customers are already having, staying with and guiding them from the stage before they even start looking for a product. Remaining present where our customers are is the essence of our brand, and it is a key guiding principle in this new digital environment as well."

Providing Sales Opportunities on AI Channels for All Merchants
Shopify merchants can access these AI channels immediately from their admin panel via Agentic Storefronts. Product information is synchronized across channels along with real-time inventory and pricing, eliminating the need for separate app development or fragmented data management. Brands can deploy products across multiple channels while maintaining control over the sales process.

At the same time, the need for product discovery through AI extends beyond existing Shopify merchants. Consequently, Shopify has launched the Agentic Plan globally. This allows companies not using Shopify to sell products on AI channels such as ChatGPT, Google's AI Mode, the Gemini app, Microsoft Copilot, and the Shop app by registering their items in the Shopify Catalog.

These AI channels prioritize structured, accurate data. By providing product data with organized attribute information that is updated in real-time, the Shopify Catalog realizes an environment where appropriate information can be displayed the moment a user is searching for a product. The Agentic Plan is now generally available for all brands to start using.

Future Outlook
Commerce is no longer something that concludes solely within websites or apps. Purchasing behavior is now emerging within AI chats, business tools, and search results, and it is expected to continue expanding in even more diverse forms.

"We are always looking one step ahead and working to ensure merchants are present where customers expect them to be," said Mani Fazeli, Shopify's Vice President of Product. "No matter where commerce heads next, it is our role to ensure merchants can be there as quickly as possible."

Shopify's network effect is supported by a combination of proprietary data, a deep understanding of merchants, and an integrated infrastructure. Through this foundation, Shopify realizes superior purchasing experiences and a reliable commerce base for the AI era, bringing new customer touchpoints and sales opportunities to merchants.