Walmart just ran a real-world test of agent commerce, and the results weren’t encouraging.
Purchases completed directly within ChatGPT converted about a third of the rate of transactions where users clicked through to Walmart’s site. In other words, moving checkout to the AI interface reduced conversion rates by approximately 66%.
Why it matters: Agent commerce isn’t ready to replace traditional purchasing flows. For now, owned environments continue to drive better results, 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 complete purchases in ChatGPT without ever visiting Walmart.com. According to Daniel Danker, executive vice president of product and design at Walmart, chat transactions have significantly underperformed. He described the experience as “unsatisfactory” and the company is already pulling out.
This is in line with a broader shift. OpenAI has begun phasing out instant payment in favor of merchant-controlled payment experiences. Instead of trying to complete transactions within the AI interface, the model is moving towards returning the transaction to the retailer.
Walmart’s next move reflects this direction. The company plans to incorporate its own chatbot, Sparky, called ChatGPT, allowing users to log in to their Walmart accounts, sync carts, and complete purchases within the Walmart system. A similar integration is expected to roll out with Google Gemini.
The conclusion is simple. Discovery may be moving towards AI interfaces, but conversion still happens where brands control the experience.
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Editorial Director, Land & SMX Search Engine
Danny Goodwin is editorial director of Search Engine Land & Search Marketing Expo – SMX. He joined Search Engine Land in 2022 as 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 US SMX events.
Goodwin has been curating and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously served as executive editor of Search Engine Journal (2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (2014 to 2016), and editor of Search Engine Watch (2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major research conferences and virtual events, and his expertise has been used by a wide range of publications and podcasts.
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