Target jumps into ChatGPT just in time for holiday shopping

  • ChatGPT is adding a new feature that lets you shop at Target
  • Users can browse and check out through a conversation with ChatGPT
  • Shoppers will be able to buy almost anything from Target

ChatGPT will start helping you shop at Target just as the holiday rush begins, thanks to a new feature that embeds the ability to find and buy products directly within the chatbot. You’ll now be able to discuss what you want to buy with ChatGPT, add items to a cart, and make purchases at Target without ever leaving the app. The new feature marks another expansion of OpenAI’s efforts to encourage people to use ChatGPT as a retail platform.

Instead, while conversing with ChatGPT, you can tag Target and ask for specific items or for help with larger projects like planning a holiday party. The Target app within ChatGPT will respond with some options for the product you want or offer a list for your party. You can scroll through suggestions, add items to a shared basket, and check out using your Target account. You can get it shipped or pick it up at a store, either inside or at the curb. Same-day delivery is even in the works.

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You can ask for everything you’d normally scroll through Target’s app or website, and ChatGPT will respond like a store associate ready to gather your requests. Target is betting this will feel more natural than navigating filters and dropdown menus.

What makes this move notable isn’t just that it’s happening inside ChatGPT, but that it marks a shift in what we expect from online shopping. For most of the last two decades, e-commerce has revolved around clicking on what you want. ChatGPT is approaching buying things online as a conversation, even when you might not even know what you want to buy yet.

“A big part of the AI transformation is happening inside enterprises,” said OpenAI’s Applications CEO Fidji Simo, “and Target is a great example of what that shift looks like when it’s done with ambition and speed.”

Targeted shopping

Target ChatGPT

(Image credit: Target)

The timing isn’t accidental. Heading into the holidays, Target is betting it can grow its audience without forcing anyone to download yet another app.

Of course, as with any emerging tech feature, execution will matter. A conversational interface may be perfect for themed moments, but less helpful when you’re trying to compare eight very similar hairdryers. If the recommendations aren’t genuinely helpful or ChatGPT hallucinates stock, people will be annoyed.

Target’s traditional app and website won’t disappear, of course. Many shoppers still want to browse visually. But for quick decisions or when you want to buy things around a theme or broader need rather than a specific item, talking to ChatGPT might be more efficient.

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