Walmart has announced a new collaboration with OpenAI that will soon enable customers to shop directly through ChatGPT using a feature called Instant Checkout. This new approach allows users to plan meals, reorder household items, and make purchases through simple conversations.
The retail giant has also rolled out a suite of new digital tools within its app, including a virtual assistant named Sparky. Sparky helps users by suggesting products, summarizing customer reviews, and offering personalized recommendations based on their preferences.
Walmart’s growing focus on digital transformation is aimed at closing the gap with Amazon, which previously launched its own advanced shopping assistant, Rufus. Rufus helps Amazon shoppers with everything from product discovery to specific buying advice.
“For years, online shopping has mostly involved typing into a search bar and scrolling through endless lists of products,” said Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, in a statement. “We see a future that is more interactive, tailored to individual needs, and easy to navigate. We are moving quickly toward that future with innovations like Sparky and through key collaborations, including this important step with OpenAI.”
In October of last year, Walmart shared its plans to enhance digital shopping through virtual and interactive features. As part of that strategy, the company will launch a platform called Wallaby in March 2025. Wallaby is designed to better understand customer needs by using insights gathered from Walmart’s rich history of retail operations and merging them with modern language-based systems.
Walmart is also ensuring that its employees are prepared to support these new technologies. The company is providing training programs and certifications to improve understanding and responsible use of new digital tools, becoming one of the first retailers to implement OpenAI’s certification programs across its workforce.
In addition to upgrading customer tools, Walmart has embraced a company-wide version of ChatGPT to improve internal communication and decision-making processes. These efforts are part of a broader transformation to make every level of Walmart’s operations more responsive and personalized.
The recent announcement comes after OpenAI revealed similar partnerships with Etsy and Shopify in September. These collaborations highlight a growing trend in the retail world, where companies are seeking new ways to engage customers through conversation-based shopping.
According to data from SimilarWeb, nearly 15% of Walmart’s referral traffic in September came from ChatGPT, up from 9.5% the previous month. However, despite this growth, referrals still account for less than 1% of Walmart’s total website visits, showing that while the technology is evolving, it’s still gaining traction among shoppers.
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