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The Agentic Commerce Landscape: What OpenAI, Google, Amazon and Walmart Are Building
Oct 12, 2026 · Read time: 3 min · DV8 Pacific
Every major technology and retail platform is building commerce into AI. Each starts from a different strength and sets different rules for brands. This is a snapshot as of October 2026; platform rules change often and should be checked directly before acting.
OpenAI and ChatGPT: conversation first
OpenAI's strength is the conversation itself: hundreds of millions of people use ChatGPT every week, and many ask it for help deciding what to buy. ChatGPT now shows clearly labeled ads below its answers for eligible users, with buying options based on impressions, clicks or conversions. Campaigns can be built from product feeds. OpenAI is also testing visual ad formats and Sponsored Agents, which let a shopper click an ad and start a conversation with a brand's own AI representative.
Two principles matter for brands. OpenAI keeps ads separate from answers, so advertisers cannot pay to change what ChatGPT says. And brands now have more than one way in: Amazon Ads has announced a pilot that lets select advertisers extend campaigns into ChatGPT, Criteo has built an integration with OpenAI, and Target's Roundel has tested ChatGPT advertising for Target and its brand partners.
Google: search and shopping infrastructure first
Google brings decades of search advertising and the Merchant Center product data that powers Shopping ads. It is adding checkout inside AI Mode and Gemini through the Universal Commerce Protocol, and testing ad formats designed for AI search, including Direct Offers, which present promotions when a shopper is close to deciding. For brands, Merchant Center data quality is becoming the entry ticket to Google's AI shopping experiences.
Amazon: transactions first
Amazon starts from purchase data and the largest product catalog in US e-commerce. Its shopping assistant, now part of Alexa for Shopping, answers product questions inside the Amazon experience. Sponsored Prompts, extensions of Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, place ads inside these conversations. Amazon reports that shoppers who click them convert more often, though shoppers who engage with an assistant are already further along in their decision.
Walmart: physical and digital scale
Walmart combines a vast store network with e-commerce and first-party shopper data. Its assistant, Sparky, helps customers find and compare products, and Walmart is building advertising around it, along with AI tools that help advertisers plan and manage campaigns.
Perplexity and others
Perplexity has tested sponsored follow-up questions that sit apart from its answers. Its audience is smaller but research-heavy.
What it means for brands
No single platform will own AI shopping. Each has its own entry rules, data requirements and ad formats. The common thread is product data: every platform depends on accurate, structured, current information about products, prices and availability. Brands that build that foundation once can take part on every platform. Prioritize the platforms where your customers already shop, get the data right, and test one paid format at a time.
Sources: OpenAI, ChatGPT advertising announcements, 2026; Search Engine Land, "OpenAI brings visual ads and expanded measurement to ChatGPT," October 2026; Amazon Ads, "New integration to support advertising in ChatGPT," 2026; Criteo, "An update on Criteo's integration with OpenAI," May 2026; Target, "Target and Roundel test advertising in ChatGPT," February 2026; EMARKETER, "Google brings checkout to AI Mode," 2026; Search Engine Land, Google Marketing Live 2026 coverage; PPC Land, Amazon and Walmart advertising coverage, 2026.