“Chat to Buy” Goes Live: Walmart x OpenAI Brings ChatGPT Shopping Experiences, Sending Stock to Record High

TradingKey - Just two weeks after launching instant checkout and partnering with Etsy and Shopify, OpenAI has landed a major new ally in the race to redefine e-commerce: Walmart. The integration of ChatGPT’s AI capabilities with Walmart’s massive user base and product ecosystem is turning AI-powered shopping into a new consumer paradigm.

On Tuesday, October 14, the world’s largest retailer announced a partnership with AI leader OpenAI, enabling consumers to purchase Walmart products directly within ChatGPT. The feature is expected to roll out this fall, offering access to items from both Walmart and Sam’s Club, including apparel, entertainment, packaged foods, and more.

Daniel Danker, Walmart’s Vice President of AI, Product, and Design, said:

“We view this as an opportunity to deliver convenience in a way that meets customers where they are.”

A Strategic Leap for Walmart

For Walmart, this collaboration marks a major milestone in its AI journey. The retail giant has long embraced AI innovation, and the “AI + shopping” model reflects its commitment to staying ahead of evolving consumer trends.

This move not only enhances Walmart’s shopping experience differentiation, but also serves as an accelerator for customer acquisition and sales growth.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently revealed that ChatGPT now reaches 800 million weekly active users — doubling from 400 million in February 2025.

UBS analysts noted that as more users turn to ChatGPT for product discovery, this partnership gives Walmart a distinct competitive edge. Its early adoption of AI reflects a strategic response to shifting consumer behavior.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said:

“For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a news release. “That is about to change.”

Stock Soars to New Highs

Walmart shares surged ~5% to $107.21 on Tuesday, setting a new all-time high. Year-to-date, Walmart stock is up 18.66%, outperforming the S&P 500’s 12.97% gain.

According to TradingKey’s stock scoring tool, the Wall Street consensus target price for Walmart is $112.28, implying further upside. The stock scores 7.73/10 overall, ranking fifth among 30 companies in the Food & Drug Retail sector — reflecting strong profit growth, solid financials, and reasonable valuation.

Walmart Stock Score, Source: TradingKey

The Rise of Agent Commerce

The key enabler is OpenAI’s Instant Checkout, launched at the end of September. Integrated with Stripe, it allows AI agents to process purchases directly in chat, powered by the agent commerce protocol.

Currently, ChatGPT users can already buy products from Etsy, and over one million Shopify merchants — including brands like Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx, and Vuori — are rolling out the feature soon.

From a question-answering chatbot to a full-fledged shopping interface, OpenAI is expanding its revenue streams through agent commerce — a strategy aligned with its massive AI infrastructure deals with Oracle, Nvidia, and others.