An AI shopping assistant used to mean a chat window that answered product questions. In 2026 it increasingly means software that compares, tracks prices and pays. Amazon, Walmart, Google, Microsoft, Perplexity and OpenAI all run one, and each reads products from a different place. This post compares them on what they do and how a merchant gets in, using only what each company has said itself.
Inside one store: Amazon Rufus and Walmart Sparky
Amazon Rufus is the largest AI shopping assistant by any published measure. Amazon said in October 2025 that 250 million customers had used it that year, and that shoppers using it were 60% more likely to complete a purchase[1]. For the full year it reported “300 million+ customers” and “nearly $12 billion in incremental annualized sales”, and said Rufus can now “shop tens of millions of items in other online stores directly and make purchases on behalf of customers” through a feature called Buy For Me[2]. In April 2026 Amazon added Sponsored Products and Brand Prompts inside Rufus, so paid placements now appear in its answers[3].
Walmart Sparky launched in June 2025 as an “Ask Sparky” button in the Walmart app. It helps customers find items, summarises reviews and answers product questions, and Walmart said reordering, booking services and understanding images, audio and video would follow[4]. Both assistants shop their own store, so the way in is the same as it always was: be listed, with complete product details and reviews.
Across the web: Google, Microsoft, Perplexity and ChatGPT
Google AI Mode and Gemini draw on the Shopping Graph, which Google says holds “more than 50 billion product listings, 2 billion of which are updated every hour”. In November 2025 Google began rolling out agentic checkout in Search, including AI Mode, for eligible US merchants such as Wayfair, Chewy and Quince, added shopping to the Gemini app for US users, and launched “Let Google Call” to phone local stores about stock[5]. Checkout on Google now runs on the Universal Commerce Protocol: shoppers pay with Google Pay on Google’s surfaces while “you will remain the seller of record”, for products eligible in the US, Canada and Australia[6].
Microsoft Copilot launched Copilot Checkout in the US on Copilot.com in January 2026, with PayPal, Shopify and Stripe. Microsoft says “merchants stay the merchant of record”, that Shopify merchants are enrolled automatically after an opt-out window, and that PayPal and Stripe merchants can apply[7].
Perplexity added Instant Buy with PayPal in November 2025. US users can buy from PayPal merchants in a few clicks without leaving Perplexity, and PayPal “keeps the retailer in control as the merchant of record”[8].
ChatGPT went the other way. It launched Instant Checkout in September 2025 and scaled it back in March 2026; for most products, shoppers now find them in ChatGPT and pay on the merchant’s own site. How products get picked, and the product feed OpenAI accepts, are covered in the ChatGPT Shopping guide.
The six side by side
| Where it shops | Pays inside the assistant | How merchants get in | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Rufus | Amazon, plus some other stores via Buy For Me | Yes | Amazon listings; ads via Sponsored Products |
| Walmart Sparky | Walmart | Walmart checkout | Walmart listings |
| Google AI Mode, Gemini | The Shopping Graph | Yes, US, Canada, Australia | Merchant Center, plus UCP for checkout |
| Microsoft Copilot | Participating merchants | Yes, US | Shopify (auto), PayPal or Stripe (apply) |
| Perplexity | The web, plus PayPal merchants | Yes, US | PayPal |
| ChatGPT | The web and product feeds | Mostly on your site | Product feed or Shopify |
Which assistants can reach your products?
For a merchant, the practical question is which of these your current setup already reaches. Tick what you use:
- Google AI Mode and GeminiCan show
Your Merchant Center feed reaches the Shopping Graph. Checkout on Google needs UCP enrollment as well.
- Amazon RufusNot reached
Rufus answers from Amazon's store. Its Buy For Me feature can buy from some other online stores, but Amazon does not publish how a store is included.
- Walmart SparkyNot reached
Sparky shops Walmart's own store.
- Microsoft CopilotCan show and sell
Shopify merchants are enrolled in Copilot Checkout (US) automatically after an opt-out window, unless you opted out.
- PerplexityNot reached
Perplexity's Instant Buy runs on PayPal.
- ChatGPTCan show
Shopify products are shared with ChatGPT through Shopify Catalog. Most purchases happen on your own site.
How much does AI shopping matter yet?
Adobe, measuring US retail sites through its analytics product, found traffic from generative AI tools rose 693.4% year on year over the 2025 holiday season, and 670% on Cyber Monday. It also said “the base of users remains modest”[9]. That is the honest summary: small in absolute terms, rising quickly, and concentrated in the research stage, when shoppers are building a shortlist.
What merchants should do now
The ecommerce page shows how CoreCited tracks whether assistants name your products, the ChatGPT product recommendations post covers how one assistant picks, and the GA4 guide shows how to count the visits they send.
Questions people ask
What is an AI shopping assistant?
A chat-style assistant that helps people find, compare and sometimes buy products. Some live inside a retailer's store, like Amazon's Rufus and Walmart's Sparky; others work across the web, like Google's AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity and ChatGPT.
Which AI shopping assistant is the most used?
On the figures companies publish, Amazon's Rufus: Amazon says it was used by more than 300 million customers in 2025. Google does not report a shopping-specific number for AI Mode, and the other assistants do not publish shopping usage.
Can AI shopping assistants buy things for me?
Some can. Google's agentic checkout can buy from eligible US merchants when a tracked price drops, Copilot Checkout and Perplexity's Instant Buy complete purchases in the chat, and Amazon says Rufus can buy from other online stores with Buy For Me. ChatGPT now sends shoppers to the merchant's own site to pay for most products.
How do I get my products into AI shopping assistants?
Through the channels each one reads: a Google Merchant Center feed for AI Mode and Gemini, Amazon and Walmart listings for Rufus and Sparky, Shopify, PayPal or Stripe for Copilot Checkout, PayPal for Perplexity's Instant Buy, and a product feed or Shopify for ChatGPT.
Do merchants lose the customer when an AI assistant handles checkout?
Not on the terms published so far. Google says merchants remain the seller of record with UCP checkout, Microsoft says merchants stay the merchant of record with Copilot Checkout, and PayPal says the retailer stays merchant of record with Perplexity's Instant Buy.