Recently, during its Q3 earnings call, e-commerce platform eBay announced its upcoming collaboration with ChatGPT.
eBay CEO Jamie Iannone stated that eBay is designing a unified platform called the “unified agentic commerce platform,” which will enable eBay’s own AI shopping agent to interconnect with third-party agents like ChatGPT. Leveraging eBay’s 30 years of transaction data, reviews, inventory, historical pricing, and other information, this initiative aims to provide consumers with a more personalized and seamless shopping experience.
“We are now prepared to gradually integrate AI shopping into eBay’s core business over the coming quarters,” Jamie Iannone said. “In the future, users will be able to discover eBay products from anywhere.”
eBay is another major e-commerce platform to announce a collaboration with ChatGPT, following similar moves by Etsy, Shopify, and Walmart. Previously, OpenAI announced the launch of an instant checkout feature in ChatGPT, allowing Etsy and Shopify merchants to integrate with the platform. Shortly after, Walmart also revealed a partnership with OpenAI, enabling general consumers and Sam’s Club members to purchase Walmart products through ChatGPT using the instant checkout feature.
However, compared to the others, eBay is placing greater emphasis on its proprietary AI shopping assistant.
A slide from eBay’s earnings call presentation illustrated a specific scenario: A user converses with “chat with eBay. ai” to inquire about Josh Allen collectibles that can hold their value. eBay’s AI assistant then displays the product’s detail page and price, while providing comprehensive product information in the chat interface—such as why this jersey can maintain its value, covering factors like authenticity certification, player popularity, limited edition status, and product condition.
