Target is partnering with OpenAI to let customers complete purchases directly inside ChatGPT. What makes this intriguing for the fashion industry is that Target’s catalogue will now become part of a conversational experience: instead of searching for “black denim jacket, size M,” you simply tell the chatbot what you’re looking for and it returns options, part of an effort to reimagine AI-powered retail as a curated, conversational experience — in time for holiday shopping.
Launching next week in beta, Target is ushering in the next generation of retail by combining its huge assortment of apparel and accessories, good pricing and delivery speed with the power of AI. The company announced a new partnership with OpenAI that will allow customers to shop through ChatGPT. Customers can purchase multiple items in a single transaction, shop fresh food products, and select drive up, pick up or shipping options.
“At Target, everything starts with the guest, and that means meeting them wherever they are, including emerging spaces like ChatGPT, where millions of consumers visit,” said Prat Vemana, executive vice president and chief information and product officer, Target. “We’re proud to be one of the first retailers bringing shopping into this new channel, partnering with OpenAI to make discovery through the Target app in ChatGPT as easy and joyful as browsing our aisles. Our goal is simple: make every interaction feel as natural, helpful and inspiring as chatting with a friend.”
“A big part of the AI transformation is happening inside enterprises, and Target is a great example of what that shift looks like when it’s done with ambition and speed. We’re excited to work with Target as they weave intelligence throughout their business to create useful and joyful experiences for their customers and their employees,” said Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI.
If Target’s catalogue is filtered through ChatGPT’s algorithmic interface, are we trading aesthetic exploration for efficiency? Perhaps, but the promise is compelling. The integration offers speed and personalisation: you can ask for “a sustainable cotton blazer under $80 for Delhi monsoon” and have relevant items pulled from Target’s inventory in moments. For the retailer, the logic is clear: more purchase paths, fewer steps between desire and checkout. The future of retail isn’t about replacing human connection with machines, it’s about using AI to remove friction and make everyday moments easier, smarter and more delightful.
The Target experience in ChatGPT will continue to evolve in the weeks ahead as Target enhances it with new features, such as linking Target Circle accounts and offering same-day delivery, that make it even more helpful based on how consumers use it. This partnership with OpenAI is part of Target’s broader investment in technology designed to elevate the experience for guests, team members and vendor partners. Teams across Target are using ChatGPT Enterprise, which is designed for use with the retailer’s proprietary data, to increase speed, simplify workflows and create more space for creativity.
“Technology is helping define Target as a company that doesn’t just use AI, but runs on AI,” Vemana said. “It’s enabling faster response to trends, powering guest interactions with more ease and joy, and giving teams intelligent tools that reduce friction so they can focus on what matters most: serving our guests.”
How This Technology Works For Consumers
ChatGPT acts like a personal shopper. When someone asks a shopping question—’best running shoes under $100′ or ‘gifts for a ceramics lover’ — ChatGPT shows relevant products from across Target’s catalogue. Product results are organic and unsponsored, ranked purely on relevance to the user. Consumers can confirm their order, shipping, and payment details, and complete the purchase without leaving the chat. Existing ChatGPT subscribers can pay with their card on file, or other card and express payment options. Orders, payments, and fulfilment are handled by the merchant using their existing systems. ChatGPT simply acts as the user’s AI agent—securely passing information between user and merchant, just like a digital personal shopper would.
How Can Merchants Apply?
Merchants interested in adding Instant Checkout can submit a merchant application. The ChatGPT team will reach out and onboard merchants on a rolling basis. OpenAI is accepting applications from Merchants who want to: 1) integrate their products into ChatGPT Search results and 2) enable Instant Checkout in ChatGPT via the Agentic Commerce Protocol. Currently it is live only in the US with US merchants, but the company’s goal is to expand user and merchant geographies next year.
The Agentic Commerce Protocol
At the core of this experience is the Agentic Commerce Protocol which provides the language that lets AI agents and businesses work together to complete a purchase for a user. openAI built the Agentic Commerce Protocol with Stripe and leading merchants to work across platforms, payment processors, and business types; integrate quickly without changing their backend systems; and keep merchants in control of the customer relationship as the merchant of record from fulfilment and returns to support and communication.
When someone places an order, ChatGPT sends the necessary details to the merchant’s backend using Agentic Commerce Protocol. The merchant accepts or declines the order, processes the payment via their existing provider, and handles fulfilment and customer support. If a merchant processes payments with Stripe, they can enable agentic payments in one line of code. If they use another payment processor, they can participate in Instant Checkout and accept agentic payments by using Stripe’s new Shared Payment Token API or adopting the Delegated Payments Spec in the Agentic Commerce Protocol—without changing their existing payment processor.
Transparency And Trust
In this early stage of the AI commerce future, users confirm each step before any action is taken; encrypted payment tokens are authorized for specific amounts and specific merchants with the user’s permission; and only the information required to complete the order is shared with the merchant, with the user’s permission.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
