JD Sports Fashion plc has pioneered a significant shift in online shopping by enabling US customers to search and purchase sneakers directly through AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini. As of January 12, 2026, this innovation allows consumers to complete transactions without visiting a website or using a mobile app, streamlining the purchasing process into a simple conversation that culminates in a payment.
This groundbreaking move comes through a global partnership with commercetools, which facilitates “one-click” purchases via AI assistants. Customers can engage with a chatbot, specify their desired products, and finalize their purchases seamlessly using Stripe’s integrated payment flow. For example, a user might request, “Find me a pair of Nike Air Max size 10,” and the AI will provide relevant options, enabling users to buy directly within the chat.
AI-Driven Shopping Transforms Retail Experience
The introduction of AI-driven shopping represents a dramatic departure from traditional e-commerce, which typically relies on extensive browsing through product categories. Now, the focus shifts to an intent-based conversation, where customers can quickly communicate their needs. This approach not only reduces friction in the purchasing process but also minimizes the time spent navigating complex interfaces.
According to Regis Schultz, CEO of JD Sports, the impact of AI on retail is comparable to the internet boom of the late 1990s. He suggested that as AI-driven shopping reduces the need for physical cash desks, it may lead to a contraction of physical store footprints. If the discovery and checkout processes transition into AI layers, both digital and brick-and-mortar stores may become less central to the shopping experience.
Retailers face new challenges as the shopping journey evolves. Traditional e-commerce platforms, built around web pages and conversion funnels, struggle to adapt to this AI-focused environment. With purchases occurring inside chatbots, retailers lose visibility into customer decision-making processes, complicating brand differentiation. Loyalty may shift from websites to AI assistants, creating a new competitive landscape where retailers must excel in how their inventory, data, and brand are conveyed through AI-mediated conversations.
Risks and Accountability in AI Shopping
Allowing customers to make purchases without visiting a website introduces significant risks. Retailers must ensure secure payment transactions, maintain accurate inventory and pricing, and prevent their brand experience from devolving into generic AI responses. Stripe’s role is crucial here as it acts as a trust layer, making conversational checkout viable at scale.
Accountability also emerges as a key concern. When issues arise—such as failed payments or incorrect orders—customers interact with an AI, not a human representative. Retailers remain responsible for the outcome, even when they no longer control the interface.
JD Sports is not alone in this transformation. The trend indicates a broader migration of commerce into AI systems that mediate interactions between consumers and brands. Just as mobile applications reshaped shopping in the 2010s, conversational AI is poised to redefine the experience by diminishing the importance of the store itself. What emerges in its place is a focus on intent, context, and conversation.
The evolution of shopping evokes both excitement and apprehension. While the process becomes faster and more efficient, it also diminishes human interaction. The traditional roles of cashiers and sales assistants are fading, raising the question of how far this shift should proceed. As shopping evolves into a dialogue with machines, convenience takes precedence, but the essence of personal engagement risks being lost.
Retailers now face a design challenge: how to integrate AI into the shopping experience while preserving meaningful human interaction. As the landscape shifts, maintaining that balance will be essential for the future of retail.
