ChatGPT will enable customers to shop at Target as the holiday season begins, thanks to a new feature that embeds the ability to find and buy products directly within the AI chatbot.
You can converse with ChatGPT about what you want to buy, add items to a cart, and make a purchase at Target without exiting the app. This new feature signifies another step in OpenAI’s push to position ChatGPT as a significant retail platform.
Target is integrating its shopping experience into ChatGPT, allowing users to interact with the app like a virtual store associate. Instead of scrolling through filters and menus, users can tag Target within a conversation and ask for specific items or help with larger projects, such as planning a party.
ChatGPT’s Target app will then offer product suggestions or curated lists. Users can review these options, add items to a shared basket, and complete the purchase using their Target account. Fulfillment options include shipping, in-store pickup, and curbside pickup, with same-day delivery planned for the future. Target anticipates this conversational approach will feel more intuitive and natural for customers than traditional app navigation.
This notable move has changed the course of online shopping with the integration of AI. For about the last two decades, e-commerce has revolved around clicking on what you want to purchase. ChatGPT is approaching buying things online as a conversation, even suggesting what you desire when you might not even know what you want to purchase.
OpenAI’s Applications CEO Fidji Simo stated, “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.”
The timing isn’t unexpected. Heading into the holidays, Target is betting it can extend its audience without pushing anyone to download yet another app.
However, no matter how novel the idea is, the execution will matter in the end. A conversational interface may be ideal for themed moments, but less helpful when you’re trying to compare eight very similar hairdryers. If the suggestions aren’t genuinely useful or ChatGPT hallucinates stock, people will be irritated.
Naturally, Target will keep its conventional app and website for shoppers who prefer visual browsing. However, for faster decisions or when buying items based on a theme or general need rather than a particular product, engaging with ChatGPT could prove more efficient. –Agencies
