Walmart just conducted a real-world test of agent commerce, and the results were not encouraging.
Purchases made directly in ChatGPT converted at about one-third the rate of transactions where users clicked through to Walmart’s site. In other words, moving from payment to AI reduced conversion rates by approximately 66%.
Why it matters: Agent commerce is not ready to replace traditional purchasing flows. For now, owned environments convert even better, likely because they provide the context, trust, and experience shoppers expect at the point of purchase.
In November, Walmart made approximately 200,000 products available through OpenAI Instant Checkout, allowing users to make purchases in ChatGPT without ever visiting Walmart.com. According to Daniel Danker, executive vice president of product and design at Walmart, these chat transactions have significantly underperformed. He called the experience “unsatisfactory” and the company is already moving backwards.
This corresponds to a broader change. OpenAI has begun phasing out instant checkout in favor of merchant-controlled payment experiences. Instead of trying to complete transactions through the AI interface, the model shifts towards handing the transaction over to the retailer.
Walmart’s next move reflects this direction. The company plans to integrate its own chatbot, Sparky, into ChatGPT, allowing users to log into their Walmart accounts, sync their shopping carts and make purchases within Walmart’s own system. A similar integration is expected to roll out with Google Gemini.
The takeaway is simple. Discovery may be moving toward AI interfaces, but conversion still happens where brands control the experience.
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Editorial Director, Search Engine Land & SMX
Danny Goodwin is Editorial Director of Search Engine Land & Search Marketing Expo – SMX. He joined Search Engine Land in 2022 as a senior editor. In addition to reporting on the latest news in search marketing, he manages Search Engine Land’s SME (Subject Matter Expert) program. He also helps schedule SMX events in the United States.
Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He was previously Editor-in-Chief of Search Engine Journal (2017-2022), Editor-in-Chief of Momentology (2014-2016), and Editor-in-Chief of Search Engine Watch (2007-2014). He has spoken at numerous major research conferences and virtual events, and has been sought out for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.
