Just five months after entering Agentic Commerce with its Instant Checkout, OpenAI is already pulling the plug. It appears that while users research products via ChatGPT, they do not use the bot to complete purchases. However, OpenAI may be giving up too quickly: changing established user behaviour requires persistence – and, of course, the necessary investments.
Roblox has overtaken TikTok as the fastest-growing commerce channel among Generation Z. The platform is increasingly evolving into a relevant sales environment for both digital and physical products. Community-driven interaction and virtual experiences are becoming direct revenue drivers.
After 17 years, Amazon has dethroned retail chain Walmart: With around $717 billion in annual revenue, Amazon is now the highest-revenue company in the United States. However, Amazon’s growth today stems less from retail and more from its comprehensive ecosystem of platform, logistics, cloud business, and advertising.
In 2025, TikTok Shop grew at a rapid pace. According to estimates, its GMV doubled year over year to reach $64 billion. After its home market China, the largest markets are the United States ($15 billion), Indonesia ($13 billion), and Thailand ($11.5 billion). In Europe, only the UK is currently significant, with a GMV of $2.4 billion.
Amazon is reportedly in talks with OpenAI about an investment of up to $50 billion. OpenAI is seeking a total of around $100 billion in fresh capital. SoftBank also said to be among the potential investors. OpenAI has also set the price for its new ads on ChatGPT at $60 per 1,000 impressions. That’s about three times as much as Meta.
OpenAI is making its “ChatGPT Instant Checkout” a paid service and charging a 4% sales commission – initially from Shopify merchants. The reason for this is the high pressure to monetize due to the high investments. At the same time, OpenAI is changing the retail landscape: those who don’t pay lose convenience and thus sales – a clear signal that agentic commerce is no longer a free traffic channel.
Google has introduced a new open standard called the Universal Commerce Protocol (UPC). Its goal is to accelerate the AI-platform shift in commerce by standardizing processes such as product search and checkout via AI bots. Platforms and retailers including Walmart, Etsy, Shopify, Shopee, Carrefour, Target, Macy’s, and Wayfair were involved in its development, as they seek to secure their position within the customer journey.
Amazon tests new feature without retailer consent
Amazon is causing controversy with its new feature Shop Direct. The company lists products from third-party retailers without their prior consent. Product data is sourced from publicly available brand websites and purchases are completed via redirects to external shops. However, retailers can request an opt-out. Industry experts are criticizing the unsolicited data scraping – a practice Amazon itself has historically pushed back against.
As we close out 2025, it’s clear this wasn’t just another year of incremental growth – it was a year of structural re-architecture. The marketplace model has moved from being a “digital shelf” to an integrated, AI-driven, and internationally fluid ecosystem. For sellers, the “Bigger Picture” of 2025 is the transition from managing listings to managing complex, cross-border value chains.
From July 2026, the EU plans to levy a flat-rate tax of €3 on all imported small parcels worth up to €150. The tax is intended as a transitional measure. From 2028, all imports will be subject to customs duty from the first euro. The abolition of the de minimis rule will primarily affect low-cost platforms such as Temu, Shein, and AliExpress.
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