Target to launch new shopping app within ChatGPT
In partnership with OpenAI, Target plans to launch a new Target app within ChatGPT beginning the week of Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
The app within ChatGPT will let shoppers ask for ideas, build multi-item baskets, shop for fresh food and check out using their Target account. Crucially, shoppers can also choose from a variety of fulfillment options, including curbside pickup, in-store order pickup and standard shipping, according to a news release from OpenAI. Later, Target will add features like Target Circle linking and same-day delivery, according to the release.
OpenAI launched apps within ChatGPT to Business, Enterprise and Edu customers in November. It first previewed the capability in October. Users can tag different apps in ChatGPT conversations, which respond in natural language and can have their own interactive interfaces.
For example, shoppers will be able to tag the Target app in ChatGPT and ask it to help them plan a holiday movie night and get curated ideas such as cozy blankets, candles, snacks and slippers.
“We’re proud to be one of the first retailers bringing shopping into this new channel, partnering with OpenAI to make discovery through the Target app in ChatGPT as easy and joyful as browsing our aisles,” Prat Vemana, evp and chief information and product officer for Target, said in the news release from OpenAI. “Our goal is simple: make every interaction feel as natural, helpful and inspiring as chatting with a friend.”
Beyond the new app itself, Target has rolled out ChatGPT Enterprise to 18,000 employees across Target’s corporate team, per OpenAI. OpenAI technology has powered several tools now used by Target employees and shoppers.
“Target’s partnership with OpenAI reflects its broader strategy to not just use AI, but run the business on AI — improving personalization, accelerating product discovery, strengthening operations, and creating magical guest experiences,” OpenAI wrote in the release. “It also reflects Target’s role in shaping a broader shift across the retail industry, where leaders are making intelligence a core part of customer experiences, internal operations, and everyday workflows.”
Those AI tools include Agent Assist and Store Companion, which provide information to employees and allow them to price match and start returns in a chat. Customers are able to use Shopping Assistant and Gift Finder, recommendation tools that provide details on items within product pages or make gift suggestions. The company also has rolled out JOY, a chatbot that helps vendors based on a knowledge base of more than 3,000 frequently asked questions.
“A big part of the AI transformation is happening inside enterprises, and Target is a great example of what that shift looks like when it’s done with ambition and speed,” Fidji Simo, CEO of applications for OpenAI, said in a statement. “We’re excited to work with Target as they weave intelligence throughout their business to create useful and joyful experiences for their customers and their employees.”‘
Indeed, Speed has become a bigger priority for Target. In May, the company said that COO Michael Fiddelke would lead an “enterprise acceleration office” to drive speed and agility across the company by simplifying cross-company processes and using technology and data in new ways.
On Target’s third-quarter earnings call Wednesday morning, Fiddelke — who is set to become Target’s CEO in February 2026 — said the company’s merchants now have real-time access to advanced data on social media and consumer trends. The company, he said, has also launched a new internal creative platform that uses AI technology to help teams react to trends faster and predict future trends.
“By leveraging AI to capture color, material style and product details, and applying consumer research and our brand principles, we can deliver unique and on-trend products to our guests faster than ever before,” Fiddelke said.
Fiddelke also said that the company has also created synthetic audiences, AI-driven models that simulate consumer populations to preview how different groups could respond to campaigns or products before they launch.
“This allows our marketing and design teams to test, learn and refine products, promotions and messaging with incredible speed and efficiency,” Fiddelke said.