The era of shopping through generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots is emerging. Big tech companies, which have been continuously investing heavily to enhance AI performance, are now entering the shopping sector, a clear 'cash cow', to monetize their efforts. The AI shopping competition among big tech companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity is expected to continue for some time.

●Introduction of 'Instant Checkout' Feature Targeting Young Users by ChatGPT

OpenAI announced on the 29th of last month (local time) that it will launch an 'Instant Checkout' feature on its AI chatbot 'ChatGPT', allowing users to purchase products directly from the chat window. This feature will first be applied to products sold on the U.S. e-commerce platform 'Etsy' and will soon be extended to products traded on Canada's 'Shopify'. Shopify, which has over one million users, includes popular brands among the U.S. MZ generation such as the beauty brand 'Glossier' and the underwear brand 'Skims', suggesting high utilization among young users.

Previously, while ChatGPT recommended customized products for users' shopping, the final purchase had to be completed by the consumer moving to a website. Under the new system, users can ask questions like 'I want to buy a birthday gift under $100, can you recommend something?' in the ChatGPT chat window, and recommended products will be listed. Products sold on Etsy or Shopify can be purchased within ChatGPT without moving to an external site. OpenAI will receive a commission on transactions made through ChatGPT. The company also plans to introduce a 'multi-item cart' feature, similar to a shopping cart in online malls, allowing multiple items to be added.

OpenAI's introduction of the shopping feature is interpreted as a strategy to secure another revenue source beyond ChatGPT subscription sales. Although ChatGPT has about 700 million weekly users, many use it for free, so the shopping and payment feature can generate new revenue. OpenAI plans to expand cooperation with sellers in various regions in the future.

●Big Tech's 'Cash Cow' Hunt

The number of consumers using AI for shopping is increasing. According to a survey conducted by the French information and communication technology (ICT) company Capgemini Research Institute on 12,000 consumers in 12 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia in 2024, 68% of consumers had experience purchasing products recommended by AI. This is a significant increase from 52% in 2023.

Reflecting this growth trend, not only OpenAI but also Google and Perplexity have introduced shopping features in their AI chatbots. Perplexity, ahead of OpenAI, collaborated with the global electronic transaction system 'PayPal' to introduce an instant checkout feature. Google's 'Gemini' has also developed an 'automatic payment' feature. Commands like 'deliver milk every Friday' allow AI to automatically handle the payment process. Gemini is currently working with some partners to implement this feature.

The industry believes that as large-scale investments are required for AI infrastructure such as data centers, the monetization competition among big tech companies in the e-commerce market will continue for some time. OpenAI's annual revenue this year is estimated to be about $13 billion (approximately KRW 18.26 trillion). Although it has grown about 3.5 times compared to the previous year, the deficit has also increased by about 1.6 times from about $5 billion (approximately KRW 7.02 trillion) to about $8 billion (approximately KRW 11.23 trillion) due to large-scale investments.

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