Instacart App Launches in OpenAI ChatGPT - First Company to Offer New Instant Checkout App Experience

Rhea-AI Summary

Instacart (NASDAQ: CART) launched an integrated app inside ChatGPT on Dec 8, 2025, becoming the first grocery partner to offer an embedded, end-to-end shopping experience with Instant Checkout inside a ChatGPT conversation.

The experience connects users to more than 1,800 retailers and nearly 100,000 stores (covering >98% of North American households) and uses Instacart's real-time inventory, fulfillment network, and Stripe-powered payments; Apple Pay and Google Pay support are coming.

Positive

• First-to-market Instant Checkout inside ChatGPT
• Access to >1,800 retailers and ~100,000 stores
• Catalog of >2 billion product instances
• Payments powered by Stripe with digital wallets planned
• Delivery capability as fast as 30 minutes

Negative

• Instant Checkout not yet available on native iOS/Android; rolling out in coming weeks
• Apple Pay and Google Pay support not yet live

News Market Reaction

+0.72%

1 alert

+0.72% News Effect

On the day this news was published, CART gained 0.72%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

Retail partners: more than 1,800 retailers Store count: nearly 100,000 stores Household coverage: over 98% of households +5 more

8 metrics

Retail partners more than 1,800 retailers Instacart network available via ChatGPT app

Store count nearly 100,000 stores Instacart coverage in North America

Household coverage over 98% of households Instacart availability across North America

Product instances more than 2 billion Items in Instacart product catalog

Delivery speed as fast as 30 minutes Stated typical fulfillment time leveraging shoppers

Current price $44.18 Pre-news trading level vs. 52-week range

52-week high $53.50 Price stood 17.42% below this level pre-news

52-week low $34.78 Price stood 27.03% above this level pre-news

Market Reality Check

Price: $39.90 Vol: Volume 3,348,621 is below...

low vol

$39.90 Last Close

Volume Volume 3,348,621 is below the 6,501,747 share 20-day average, suggesting muted positioning pre-announcement. low

Technical Price at $44.18 is trading above the 200-day MA at $42.98, indicating a pre-news uptrend.

Peers on Argus

CART was up 2.43% pre-news while key internet retail peers showed smaller mixed ...

CART was up 2.43% pre-news while key internet retail peers showed smaller mixed moves (e.g., W +0.72%, DASH +1.72%, JD -0.27%), pointing to stock-specific strength rather than a broad sector shift.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Dec 02 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 02	Retail partnership	Positive	-2.9%	Canadian nationwide Home Depot delivery tie-up including Big & Bulky service.
Nov 25	Investor conference	Neutral	+4.3%	CFO participation in Nasdaq investor conference fireside chat webcast.
Nov 20	Health partnership	Positive	-3.1%	WellTheory integration using Instacart Health Fresh Funds for autoimmune care.
Nov 11	E-commerce expansion	Positive	+5.0%	Associated Food Stores adopting Storefront, Storefront Pro and retail media tools.
Nov 10	Earnings release	Neutral	+1.6%	Q3 2025 financial results and shareholder letter publication.

Pattern Detected

Recent partnership and AI-related announcements often saw mixed or even negative next-day reactions, while broader platform and e-commerce expansion news tended to align with modest gains.

Recent Company History

Over the last month, CART has reported Q3 2025 results, expanded white-label e-commerce and retail media with Associated Food Stores, and added health-focused and home improvement partnerships. Price responses have been mixed: partnership deals on Nov 20 and Dec 2 saw declines, while the e-commerce expansion on Nov 11 and an investor conference appearance on Nov 25 coincided with gains. Today’s AI integration with ChatGPT extends Instacart’s pattern of using data and partners to broaden its digital reach.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement extends Instacart’s AI strategy by embedding an end-to-end shopping and Instant Ch...

Analysis

This announcement extends Instacart’s AI strategy by embedding an end-to-end shopping and Instant Checkout experience directly in ChatGPT, leveraging access to more than 1,800 retailers and nearly 100,000 stores. It reinforces earlier AI initiatives like Smart Shop and enterprise AI Solutions while deepening ties with OpenAI. Investors may watch adoption of the ChatGPT app, the rollout of payment options, and how this integration drives incremental demand across Instacart’s retail network.

Key Terms

agentic commerce protocol, ai agent, digital wallets

3 terms

agentic commerce protocol technical

"Built on Agentic Commerce Protocol, this experience brings intelligent, real-time support"

A set of technical rules and standards that lets autonomous software agents—think shopping robots or digital assistants—negotiate, pay for, and manage purchases across different online platforms without direct human input. Investors should care because it can automate routine commerce, create new revenue channels and efficiency gains for businesses, and change cost structures and risk profiles (fraud, security, and regulatory exposure) in companies that adopt or enable the system.

ai agent technical

"or with an AI agent. No matter how you choose to shop, Instacart is focused"

An AI agent is software that uses artificial intelligence to observe data, decide on actions, and carry them out with little or no human intervention. For investors, AI agents matter because they can automate tasks like trading, customer support, or data analysis, potentially boosting efficiency, lowering costs, and changing a company’s competitive edge—much like a tireless, adaptable assistant running parts of a business continuously.

digital wallets financial

"digital wallets, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, will be supported in the coming weeks"

A digital wallet is an app or online service that lets people store and use payment details, identification, loyalty cards, or cryptocurrency on a phone or computer—think of it as a virtual version of a physical wallet that can pay for things, prove identity, or hold digital assets. Investors care because widespread use changes how consumers pay, shifts revenue toward companies that control these payment flows, and introduces technology, security and regulatory risks that can affect profits and valuation.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Consumers can now shop from more than 1,800 retailers directly within ChatGPT via a fully integrated Instacart app commerce experience

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Instacart (NASDAQ: CART), the leading grocery technology company in North America, today announced that it is the first grocery partner to launch an app on ChatGPT and the first to offer an embedded, end-to-end shopping and Instant Checkout – all within the context of a ChatGPT conversation. This new integration makes it easier than ever for people to go from meal inspiration to doorstep delivery, using Instacart's real-time grocery network and fulfillment capabilities with the help of OpenAI frontier model capabilities.

"Instacart and ChatGPT are redefining what's possible in AI-powered shopping," said Anirban Kundu, Chief Technology Officer at Instacart. "Built on Agentic Commerce Protocol, this experience brings intelligent, real-time support to one of the most essential parts of daily life: getting groceries to feed your family. Together, we're creating a seamless and secure way for people to turn simple conversations into real-world action — helping customers go from inspiration to a full cart delivered from the store to their door with ease."

"With the Instacart app directly in ChatGPT, users can go from meal planning to checkout in a single, seamless conversation," said Nick Turley, VP, Head of ChatGPT. "It's another step toward bringing our vision to life—where AI delivers helpful suggestions and connects directly to real-world services, saving people time and effort in their everyday lives."

The Instacart ChatGPT app experience with Instant Checkout is currently available on desktop and mobile web; the Instacart ChatGPT app is available on iOS and Android, with Instant Checkout rolling out to these native platforms in the coming weeks. ChatGPT can surface the Instacart ChatGPT app when a user asks for it by starting a prompt with Instacart, such as "Instacart, can you help me shop for apple pie ingredients?" During their first use, users install the app by signing into their Instacart account. To enable Instant Checkout on iOS, users should ensure they have updated to the  latest version of ChatGPT in the iOS App store.

Once the Instacart app is opened and the user is signed in, the app will help you find what you need from your local retailers and present a ready-to-review cart with the help of OpenAI models. Once you're satisfied with your selections, you can securely pay directly in the Instacart app right in ChatGPT with Instant Checkout, with no need to switch tabs. Your items will then be shopped and delivered through Instacart's trusted platform.

Instacart is the first app within ChatGPT's app ecosystem to offer checkout directly within ChatGPT, powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol. Through this first-of-its-kind implementation, ChatGPT and Instacart are enabling a fast, secure, and familiar credit card payment flow; digital wallets, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, will be supported in the coming weeks. Powered by Stripe, transactions run smoothly and safely within the conversation.

Driving the Future of Grocery

We believe consumers should have the freedom to shop in the way that works best for them, whether that's through the Instacart app directly, on a retailer's app or website, via an embedded experience on a partner's site, or with an AI agent. No matter how you choose to shop, Instacart is focused on making the experience simple, seamless, and tailored to your unique preferences.

As the leading grocery technology company in North America, we can help bridge AI inspiration and real-world grocery fulfillment. This has made Instacart a key partner for leading AI companies - OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and more - that see great value in connecting our retail network with their consumer platforms. Through these partnerships, we're helping define how grocery shopping works across the next generation of digital agents - ensuring that consumers can easily get what they want and that our retail partners are well-positioned to succeed.

Over time, we expect every generative AI company to connect more directly with Instacart's grocery engine, linking their massive consumer reach with our network of retail partners and driving incremental demand. As consumers adopt AI platforms for ideation and shopping, our collaboration with generative AI companies enables retailers to capture a larger share of these evolving, AI-driven baskets.

At the same time, we're building AI experiences into the Instacart platform itself, including Smart Shop offerings, which make shopping more personal and convenient for consumers. We're also helping our retailers by offering advanced technology to drive innovation in an increasingly AI-driven world through our new enterprise suite of products, AI Solutions. Together, they represent Instacart's long-term investment in AI – from the algorithms that power personalized search and recommendations to new capabilities that make grocery shopping more predictive, connected, and effortless.

Built on Instacart's Unmatched Grocery Expertise

We know how complex grocery shopping can be: tens of thousands of SKUs per retailer - with variations in brand, size, flavor, dietary needs, and what's actually in stock near you. That complexity is exactly what makes Instacart the ideal partner for AI agents. Every week, your grocery list reflects your unique preferences, giving AI agents the chance to learn, adapt, and shop on your behalf. With Instacart as the grocery partner, AI agents can draw from:

• Unmatched selection: More than 1,800 retailers and nearly 100,000 stores, covering over 98% of households in North America. Wherever you live, there's a good chance Instacart is available.
• Most thorough product catalog: Our edge begins with the breadth and depth of our product catalog, encompassing more than 2 billion product instances across our vast network of retailers.
• Up-to-date inventory and pricing: Grocery stock is constantly changing. By leveraging Instacart's real-time understanding of product availability and prices, agents recommend what's actually on the shelf and not just what should be.
• Shopping that knows you: From "no pulp orange juice" to "gluten-free pasta", Instacart understands the details that matter. With over a decade of data powering tailored shopping experiences, consumers' experience is personalized, with recommendations based on their past orders, favorite brands, and shopping habits – just like they would directly in the Instacart app or website.
• Fast delivery: With hundreds of thousands of shoppers, more than half the time, a shopper is already at or near the store, so your order can arrive in as fast as 30 minutes.

"Powering grocery shopping inside an AI agent requires technology that understands constantly changing, highly local inventory and converts it into accurate, real-time decisions. Instacart's platform does just that," Kundu continued. "Our decade of unmatched grocery data, fulfillment intelligence, and deep retailer integrations make it possible to surface the right products based on what's actually in stock -- delivering consumers a shopping experience they can trust."

To experience the Instacart ChatGPT app experience with Instant Checkout, visit here.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward-looking, including without limitation statements regarding the launch, performance, availability, and functionality of Instacart's AI Solutions, the anticipated benefits of Instacart's AI Solutions for retailers, customers, and others, the growth and launch timing of Instacart's AI partners and integrations, Instacart's expectations for its partnerships and efforts with certain AI partners, changes to the grocery industry, consumer behavior, and AI adoption, and Instacart's other expectations, strategies, priorities, plans, and intentions regarding AI. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause actual results or outcomes to be materially different from any future results or outcomes expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors include the risks described from time to time in Instacart's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in Instacart's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 filed with the Commission on August 8, 2025. You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Instacart has based these forward-looking statements primarily on information available to it as of the date of this press release and its current expectations and projections about future events and trends that it believes may affect its business, financial condition, and results of operations. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements. Except as required by law, Instacart undertakes no obligation, and does not intend, to update these forward-looking statements.

About Instacart

Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 1,800 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from nearly 100,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of people to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for approximately 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking, packing and delivering orders on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – from category leaders to emerging brands – partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. With Instacart Health, the company is providing tools to increase nutrition security, make healthy choices easier for consumers, and expand the role that food can play in improving health outcomes. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com. Maplebear Inc. is the registered corporate name of Instacart.

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SOURCE Maplebear Inc. dba Instacart

FAQ

What did Instacart (CART) announce on December 8, 2025 about ChatGPT integration?

Instacart announced a ChatGPT app that offers embedded shopping and Instant Checkout within conversations, available on web now and rolling out to native apps.

How many retailers and stores does Instacart's ChatGPT app connect to for CART shareholders?

The app connects to more than 1,800 retailers and nearly 100,000 stores, covering over 98% of North American households.

Is Instant Checkout in the Instacart ChatGPT app secure and which payment provider is used?

Yes; transactions run inside the conversation and are powered by Stripe, with Apple Pay and Google Pay planned.

When will Instant Checkout be available on Instacart's iOS and Android apps in ChatGPT?

Instant Checkout is available on desktop and mobile web now; availability on native iOS and Android is rolling out in the coming weeks.

What user experience does the Instacart ChatGPT app deliver for shoppers using CART services?

Users can install the app by signing into Instacart, get a ready-to-review cart from local retailers via AI, and complete checkout without leaving ChatGPT.