It could be the company connecting all those chatbots to products, payments, and checkout. OpenAI, Google , Microsoft , and Meta are fighting to become the place consumers start searching. If shopping moves into those conversations, each platform needs merchants willing to sell there. Source: Getty Images A new storefront Think about what an AI shopping agent needs. A shopper might ask for waterproof hiking boots under $150, compare options, choose a pair, and tell the agent to buy them.