Shop for Instacart Groceries Directly Within ChatGPT Without Leaving the Chat Interface
Grocery shopping just got a major AI upgrade. Instacart, North America’s leading grocery technology company, has launched a fully integrated app experience inside OpenAI’s ChatGPT, allowing users to shop for groceries, build a cart, and complete checkout—all without ever leaving the chat interface. This new integration marks a significant leap in conversational commerce, turning everyday AI conversations into seamless, real-world grocery transactions.
By embedding its platform directly into ChatGPT, Instacart is now the first grocery partner to offer an end-to-end shopping and Instant Checkout experience within an AI chat environment. Whether you’re brainstorming dinner ideas or planning a holiday meal, you can now go from inspiration to doorstep delivery in a single, fluid conversation.
How the Instacart ChatGPT Integration Works
The new Instacart app inside ChatGPT is designed for simplicity and speed. Users can invoke the Instacart experience by starting a prompt with the word “Instacart,” such as “Instacart, can you help me shop for apple pie ingredients?” Once triggered, the Instacart app opens directly within ChatGPT, where users can browse groceries from their local retailers.
Powered by OpenAI’s frontier models and Instacart’s real-time grocery network, the integration helps users find the right products based on what’s actually in stock at nearby stores. The AI assistant builds a ready-to-review cart tailored to the user’s request, whether it’s for a specific recipe, dietary needs, or a weekly shop.
Once the cart is finalized, users can securely pay using Instacart’s Instant Checkout, all within the ChatGPT conversation. There’s no need to switch tabs, open a separate app, or re-enter payment details. Transactions are processed through Stripe, with support for major credit cards and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay rolling out in the coming weeks.
A Milestone in Agentic Commerce and Real-Time Grocery Shopping
This integration is built on the emerging Agentic Commerce Protocol, a framework that enables AI agents to perform real-world actions like shopping and checkout on behalf of users. Instacart’s deployment in ChatGPT fixes a long-standing friction point in conversational commerce: the “handoff” from AI suggestion to external checkout.
“Powering grocery shopping inside an AI agent requires technology that understands constantly changing, highly local inventory and converts it into accurate, real-time decisions,” said Anirban Kundu, Chief Technology Officer at Instacart. “Instacart’s platform does just that. Our decade of unmatched grocery data, fulfillment intelligence, and deep retailer integrations make it possible to surface the right products based on what’s actually in stock—delivering consumers a shopping experience they can trust.”
With more than 1,800 retail partners and nearly 100,000 stores across North America, Instacart’s multi-banner catalog of over 2 billion product instances ensures that users can shop from a wide range of local retailers, all through the ChatGPT interface.
Seamless Checkout and Broader AI Shopping Vision
Instacart is the first app in ChatGPT’s ecosystem to offer embedded checkout powered by OpenAI’s Instant Checkout. This means users can securely pay for their groceries using familiar credit card flows, with digital wallet support on the way. The entire experience—from meal planning to payment—is contained within the chat, reducing friction and cart abandonment.
Nick Turley, VP and Head of ChatGPT, emphasized how this integration advances OpenAI’s vision: “With the Instacart app directly in ChatGPT, users can go from meal planning to checkout in a single, seamless conversation. It’s another step toward bringing our vision to life—where AI delivers helpful suggestions and connects directly to real-world services, saving people time and effort in their everyday lives.”
Instacart’s collaboration with OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and other AI leaders positions it as a central grocery engine for generative AI platforms. As consumers increasingly turn to AI for ideation and shopping, Instacart aims to capture incremental demand by bridging AI inspiration with real-world fulfillment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I start shopping for Instacart groceries in ChatGPT?
To begin, open ChatGPT and start a prompt with the word “Instacart,” such as “Instacart, can you help me shop for apple pie ingredients?” This will launch the Instacart app directly within the chat, where you can browse, build a cart, and check out.
Do I need a separate Instacart account to use this feature?
Yes, you’ll need an Instacart account to link and use the Instacart app inside ChatGPT. During the experience, you’ll be prompted to sign in or create an account if you don’t already have one.
Can I pay for my Instacart order without leaving ChatGPT?
Yes. Once your cart is ready, you can complete the purchase using Instacart’s Instant Checkout, which is fully embedded in ChatGPT. You can pay with a credit card, and support for Apple Pay and Google Pay is coming soon.
Is this feature available on mobile devices?
The Instacart ChatGPT app with Instant Checkout is currently available on desktop and mobile web. Native mobile app availability for iOS and Android is rolling out shortly, with iOS users encouraged to update to the latest ChatGPT app version to access the feature.
Which retailers and stores are included in the ChatGPT shopping experience?
Instacart’s integration includes access to more than 1,800 retail partners and nearly 100,000 stores across North America. The app surfaces products based on your local store inventory, so you’ll see items available at nearby retailers.
How does Instacart ensure the groceries suggested are actually in stock?
Instacart’s platform uses real-time inventory data, fulfillment intelligence, and deep retailer integrations to ensure that the products suggested and added to your cart are actually in stock at your local stores. This real-time accuracy is a key part of Instacart’s grocery engine and is what makes AI-powered grocery shopping reliable and trustworthy.