How ChatGPT’s Native Shopping Could Rewrite Digital Commerce

When OpenAI quietly added native shopping to ChatGPT – alongside a partnership with Walmart – it marked more than another AI feature rollout. It signaled a fundamental shift in how consumers discover, compare, and purchase products online.

For the first time, shoppers can browse and buy directly inside an AI conversation – no search results, no scrolling, and no marketplace middleman.

To understand what this means for the future of search, marketplaces, and digital marketing, I spoke with Tim Vanderhook, CEO of Viant Technology, who recently