Are Canadian Businesses Ready to Sell Through ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is becoming a shopping platform. Learn how OpenAI’s new Instant Checkout and the rise of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) are transforming E-commerce—and what Canadian businesses can do now to sell directly through AI assistants.

John Janisse October 16, 2025

At the end of September, OpenAI announced a major leap forward in e-commerce; the rollout of Instant Checkout.

Starting in the U.S., people can now use ChatGPT to research products and make purchases without ever leaving the app.

That means customers won’t need to:

Open Google to search,
Click on ads, or
Visit your website

They’ll be able to do all of it—discovery, comparison, and purchase—directly within ChatGPT.

A New Era: AI-Driven Shopping

OpenAI’s new Instant Checkout feature is powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol, described as “an open standard for AI commerce that lets AI agents, people, and businesses work together to complete purchases.”

It was co-developed with Stripe, which means merchants who already use Stripe will be able to, with as little as one line of code, sell their products directly through ChatGPT.

The initial rollout includes U.S. Etsy sellers and select Shopify merchants, but it’s only a matter of time before the capability expands internationally, including to Canada.

And it’s not just small merchants getting in early. Walmart recently announced a deal with OpenAI that will allow shoppers to buy items through ChatGPT as well.

What This Means for Canadian E-Commerce

For Canadian businesses, this could change everything about how customers find and buy products online.

AI-driven search and shopping tools like ChatGPT are replacing traditional search engines for many users. People are increasingly asking ChatGPT to “find me a waterproof winter coat under $150” or “recommend a local store that sells safety gear.”

If your business isn’t ready for AI-driven discovery, your products might not show up in these new shopping experiences.

From SEO to AEO: The New Optimization Game

In this new world, traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is evolving into AEO (Answer Engine Optimization).

Instead of optimizing just for Google’s search results, businesses now need to optimize for AI assistants and answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Copilot.

That means your website and product data must be:

Structured so AI systems can read and summarize it accurately.
Conversational so your content sounds natural when AI presents it as an answer.
Trustworthy so AI models consider your business credible enough to recommend.

Put simply: SEO helps people find you; AEO helps AI understand and recommend you.

Why Your Website Still Matters

You might be wondering, does this mean SEO is dead, or that you can stop investing in your website?

Far from it.

AI shopping agents still rely on your website to gather information about your products:

Pricing
Descriptions
Images
Availability
Return policies

In other words, if your site isn’t optimized, AI assistants won’t have the data it needs to recommend your products.

How to Prepare Your Store for ChatGPT Commerce

Here’s what Canadian merchants can do now to be ready:

Use Stripe or Shopify: these platforms are leading the charge with ChatGPT integrations.
Add structured data (schema) to your product pages so AI systems can easily interpret your listings.
Keep product details accurate and up to date
Optimize for both SEO and AEO: create helpful, conversational content that answers buyer questions naturally.
Stay informed: as OpenAI expands Instant Checkout beyond the U.S., early adopters in Canada will have a competitive edge.

The Takeaway

ChatGPT isn’t just a research tool anymore; it’s becoming a shopping platform.

For Canadian businesses, this marks the start of a new channel for reaching customers—one that blends AI-powered recommendations with frictionless checkout.

If your online store is ready, AI shoppers will soon be able to discover and buy your products without ever leaving ChatGPT.