OpenAI is letting ChatGPT users buy things through its popular artificial intelligence chatbot, all without leaving the confines of its platform.
The San Francisco-based AI company said Monday that U.S.-based ChatGPT users will be able to buy goods from online marketplace Etsy’s domestic sellers, as well as some merchants on Shopify’s e-commerce platform. The service, called Instant Checkout, currently only supports single-item purchases.
Lots of thoughts rushed through my head after reading this article.
I have decided not to post them (yet) to avoid influencing other people’s thoughts.
I have not yet tried shopping through ChatGPT.
My first thought is that I’m surprised the sales channels would agree to losing all the shopping data, metrics, and measurements to ChatGPT–and so I’m not surprised that Amazon and Walmart aren’t participating.
My second thought is how in the world will Sellers market and provide customer service through Chat??
And my third thought is unprintable.
I am not surprised that Etsy is participating. They are at the state of desperation, no growth and not enough profit. Any help is going to be appreciated, and there is no downside other than OpenAI’s financial wheeling and dealing
I am try to determine how I would use ChatGPT to find something that I would actually want to buy on Etsy.
I see Etsy shopping as a primarily visual experience, that neither Etsy nor any other search based site excels at.
When I go to an art or a crafts show, my mind goes on vacation while it awaits being triggered by my other senses. After it is triggered it goes to work evaluating price, materials and other pragmatic factors.
How would ChatGPt replace my senses?
ChatGPT as a search engine … competition for Google …
OpenAI got some funding from Microsoft. Bing went nowhere so why not try using the new hot toy and see if it can knock the king off of the throne?