AI shopping – Retailers and tech giants are pushing AI assistants into everyday shopping, from Walmart’s Sparky and OpenAI-powered retail apps to Amazon’s “Alexa for Shopping” and Meta’s AI features on Instagram and Facebook. The rush is real, the stakes are high, and consu
For some shoppers, the next step after scrolling won’t be finding a product page at all. It will be asking a chatbot—then getting recommendations, comparisons, and help managing a cart as if someone were right there with you.
Major retailers including Walmart and Sephora are embedding artificial intelligence into shopping experiences. and technology companies—among them OpenAI and Google—are racing to win the interface itself. Retail has become a battleground in the AI arms race. with companies rolling out tools for shoppers both in stores and online over the past year.
Some of the most popular uses of AI for shopping are for research and comparisons, according to an April study from global consulting firm McKinsey and Company. Still, trust hasn’t kept pace. McKinsey also wrote that many consumers are still building trust with the AI.
Even so, the early signals are pulling the market forward. Amazon said in February that customers using its old AI assistant Rufus while shopping were 60% more likely to complete a purchase. Walmart has said that customers using its shopping bot. Sparky. spend more per order on average than those who didn’t.
The money forecasts are part of the pull, too: EMARKETER, a sibling company of Business Insider, projects that AI platforms will drive $144 billion in US e-commerce sales by 2029.
That potential comes with a reminder that the tools are still evolving fast. Earlier this year, OpenAI pivoted away from a feature called Instant Checkout that allowed users to make purchases within ChatGPT from retailers including Walmart.
OpenAI helped retailers bring chat into shopping, then redirected the bet toward discovery
OpenAI is one of the early movers, and its retail push has relied on partnerships that place shopping tasks inside chat experiences. OpenAI experimented with Instant Checkout before shifting toward product discovery and visual shopping features inside ChatGPT.
The company has struck deals with retailers including Walmart, Target, Etsy, and Sephora. Some of the apps launched with ChatGPT let shoppers search, compare, and get recommendations directly from the chatbot.
Home improvement retailer Lowe’s has also worked with OpenAI on an AI-powered assistant called Mylow, which Lowe’s said provides customers with the expertise of a Lowe’s associate.
Google wants shoppers to move through Gemini and AI Mode
Google’s approach leans on getting people to shop inside its AI experiences. Through Gemini, Google has forged partnerships with large retailers and apparel brands to bring products into its app and AI mode in Google search.
The collaborations are meant to make it easier to find and purchase items. Target, Gap Inc., and Nike are among the brands that said shoppers would be able to browse and shop their products through Google’s Gemini app and AI Mode shopping experiences.
Meta is adding shopping-related AI features to Instagram and Facebook
Meta is pushing AI shopping into social feeds. In March, the company said it was testing new AI features that let users see product information and a summary of user reviews after clicking ads on Facebook or Instagram.
Shopping also showed up in Meta’s April rollout of its AI model. Muse Spark. in Meta AI before expanding to Meta’s broader family of apps. That includes a feature in Meta AI’s shopping mode that can search and map Facebook Marketplace listings near a user alongside options from other sites. plus a new way to browse products from brands and creators.
Amazon is folding Rufus into Alexa+ and positioning “Alexa for Shopping” as the new interface
Amazon has moved quickly in the same direction—toward voice and conversation. In May, the e-commerce giant pivoted away from its AI-powered shopping assistant Rufus.
Amazon said it would roll Rufus’ capabilities into Alexa+, the generative AI version of its voice assistant, to create Alexa for Shopping. The new effort is aimed at being more personalized and conversational.
Alexa for Shopping can compare products, provide recommendations, track prices, and manage a cart. It also works across your phone, laptop, and Echo devices.
Rajiv Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of conversational shopping, described it as an “expert personal shopper who already knows you.”
Walmart’s Sparky is gaining momentum inside the Walmart app and website
Walmart’s own AI assistant, Sparky, is now part of the in-app shopping routine. Walmart introduced Sparky in 2025, allowing shoppers to use the chatbot in the Walmart app or website to find products, read reviews, and receive personalized purchase recommendations.
In May, Walmart said Sparky’s weekly active users were up over 100% from the previous quarter. It also said orders from customers using Sparky were 35% more valuable on average.
Beauty retailers are also racing to make AI “shoppable”
The AI shopping wave isn’t limited to general retail. In 2025, beauty retailer Sephora launched AI Beauty Chat, a generative AI chatbot, on its website and app.
Sephora said its AI tools aim to provide “insightful recommendations to enhance a personalized shopping experience and smart gift giving.” Nadine Graham. senior vice president and general manager of e-commerce at Sephora North America. told Business Insider this is how the company is framing the experience.
Ulta, a rival beauty retailer, has also launched an AI shopping assistant to guide customers through its website and app. It allows shoppers to compare and shop for beauty products.
Ulta Beauty said Ulta AI is meant to make “beauty discovery more seamless, personalized and shoppable wherever it happens,” and Lauren Brindley, chief merchandising and digital officer at Ulta Beauty, said so.
The thread tying all these moves together is simple: AI is moving from “helpful suggestions” to active shopping guidance—research. comparison. and cart management—inside whatever screen or device you already use. The only question is how quickly shoppers will get comfortable letting an algorithm handle that trust-heavy work.
AI shopping assistant Walmart Sparky OpenAI Instant Checkout Alexa for Shopping Alexa+ Gemini AI Mode Meta AI shopping Meta Muse Spark Sephora AI Beauty Chat Ulta AI Rufus e-commerce