ChatGPT now a shopping destination: What GoKwik and PayU's ChatGPT integration means for online shopping in India

Online shopping in India may be entering a new phase where consumers no longer need to jump between multiple websites, apps and payment gateways. GoKwik and PayU have announced what they describe as India's first multi-brand direct-to-consumer (D2C) commerce experience integrated directly into ChatGPT, allowing users to discover, compare and purchase products through a single AI conversation.

The platform has gone live with early brands such as Kriti Sanon's skincare label Hyphen, men's grooming brand Beardo and food brand Kilrr Spices. GoKwik says hundreds of additional D2C brands from its merchant network are expected to join in phases.

What is changing?

The integration introduces agentic commerce, an emerging concept where artificial intelligence not only recommends products but also completes transactions on a user's behalf.

Instead of searching individual websites, consumers can type natural language queries such as "Suggest skincare for dry skin" or "Find a self-care gift hamper under ₹2,000." ChatGPT can then surface relevant products from participating brands, help compare options, create a shopping cart and guide users through checkout without requiring them to leave the conversation.

The objective is to make shopping more conversational while reducing the friction involved in navigating multiple websites.

How do GoKwik and PayU power the experience?

GoKwik provides the commerce infrastructure behind the experience. The company enables product discovery, cart creation, checkout and order placement through what it calls an Agentic Commerce Protocol, allowing brands to become discoverable within ChatGPT.

PayU powers the payment layer. Once consumers finalize their purchases, they can complete payments using UPI, debit and credit cards, net banking or digital wallets within the same conversational interface, eliminating the need for multiple redirects during checkout.

The companies say the platform has also been designed to support future AI-native payment systems, including NPCI's upcoming Agentic Payment capabilities such as UPI Circle and UPI Reserve, along with agentic payment frameworks being developed by Visa and Mastercard.

Why does this matter for D2C brands?

India's D2C market has expanded rapidly over the past few years, with thousands of brands selling directly through their own websites. While this gives brands greater control over customer relationships and margins, discoverability remains a challenge because consumers often need to know a brand before visiting its website.

The GoKwik-PayU integration aims to solve this problem by making brands searchable inside ChatGPT. According to the companies, merchants already using GoKwik can make their catalogues available on the AI platform without additional engineering work or separate listing fees. Brands also retain ownership of their catalogue, customer relationships and conversion data.

What could it mean for shoppers?

For consumers, the biggest advantage is convenience. Instead of opening several tabs, comparing products across websites and repeatedly entering payment information, shoppers can complete the entire buying journey within one interface.

The launch also reflects a broader shift in digital commerce—from keyword-based search to conversational AI. As AI assistants become capable of handling everything from product discovery to payments, they could emerge as a significant new shopping channel alongside marketplaces, brand websites and traditional search engines, fundamentally changing how consumers discover and buy products online.