Target is set to launch a pioneering ChatGPT-powered shopping app that promises to transform how customers browse and purchase products. The beta rollout will begin next week, integrating directly within ChatGPT to offer a seamless conversational shopping experience. Shoppers will be able to search for products, request ideas, such as quick dinner suggestions or thoughtful gifts, and build multi-item baskets, including fresh food options. The app supports various fulfilment choices like drive-up, pick-up, or shipping, aiming to enhance convenience and meet diverse customer needs.

This initiative forms part of Target’s broader embrace of artificial intelligence to streamline and enrich the shopping journey. By embedding this app within ChatGPT, Target enables users to interact through natural conversation, asking direct questions and receiving personalised recommendations. This approach helps customers navigate Target’s extensive assortment more efficiently, reducing the time spent searching while improving the clarity and relevance of suggestions. According to Prat Vemana, Target’s executive vice president and chief information and product officer, delivering shopping tools on emerging platforms like ChatGPT is crucial for meeting customers wherever they prefer to engage.

The partnership also signals a deeper collaboration with OpenAI on enterprise applications. Target will deploy ChatGPT Enterprise across its 18,000 headquarters employees to enhance supply chain forecasting, optimise store operations, and upgrade internal systems. These include employee support functions, customer service tools, AI-powered shopping assistants, and personalised gift finders, which collectively aim to boost productivity and customer satisfaction. OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, described the alliance as a model for how AI can drive joyful and useful experiences for both consumers and employees.

This move follows OpenAI’s recent expansion into consumer retail, joining a growing roster of apps from brands such as Canva, Coursera, Figma, Expedia, Spotify, and Zillow. The addition of Target to this ecosystem underscores the increasing role of conversational AI in ‘agentic commerce’, where AI anticipates and facilitates consumer needs dynamically. OpenAI has also introduced Instant Checkout features to streamline purchases during conversations, already supported by retailers like Etsy and Shopify, further integrating commerce with conversational AI platforms.

Looking ahead, Target plans to evolve the app with features like linking Target Circle loyalty accounts and offering same-day delivery, tailoring functionality based on user behaviour and feedback. This reflects the company’s commitment to leveraging technology to elevate experiences across its ecosystem of guests, team members, and vendor partners, aiming to simplify workflows, foster creativity, and personalise shopping. As AI technologies continue to mature, Target’s collaboration with OpenAI represents an ambitious step toward reimagining retail through the lens of conversational, AI-driven engagement.

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  • [2] (Target Corporate) - Paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7
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Source: Noah Wire Services