"OpenAI confirmed that completing a purchase inside ChatGPT was never as seamless as the vision suggested. Users would browse ChatGPT but buy elsewhere, complicating attribution for retailers."
"AI is winning in the discovery, comparison, and intent stages of the purchase funnel, taking substantive traffic from traditional search. AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites surged nearly 670% during the 2025 holiday season."
"Consumers are using tools like ChatGPT not to check out, but to research and decide. The attribution crisis looms as retailers struggle to track whether clicks lead to the right product pages."
OpenAI's decision to exit in-chat checkout reflects a shift in AI's role within the purchase funnel, emphasizing discovery and comparison over direct sales. Users prefer to browse on platforms like ChatGPT but complete purchases elsewhere, complicating attribution for retailers. AI-driven traffic to retail sites has surged significantly, indicating that consumers utilize AI tools for research and decision-making. The challenge remains in ensuring that clicks from AI tools lead to the correct product pages and track attribution effectively.
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