Microsoft Brings Checkout to Copilot, Shrinking the Path to Purchase

Microsoft is turning Copilot from a shopping assistant into a checkout counter. The company has unveiled Copilot Checkout, letting users complete purchases inside Copilot chats without redirects.

The feature allows buying to happen inside the conversation itself, rather than sending shoppers off to external sites. Microsoft says merchants still handle the transaction, even as checkout moves into Copilot.

No handoffs, no broken momentum

Copilot Checkout is built to keep momentum at the moment a shopper decides to buy. Once intent is clear, the experience continues without forcing users to leave Copilot or restart the process elsewhere.

Microsoft says the checkout flow is designed to reduce drop-off that typically happens when buyers are sent away to complete a purchase. Keeping the transaction in place shortens the final step without changing how merchants operate behind the scenes.

The transaction runs through Copilot, but ownership of the sale does not. Merchants still process the order and retain ownership of the customer relationship.

Payments and platforms power the checkout layer

Microsoft has partnered with PayPal, Shopify, and Stripe to handle transactions inside Copilot, keeping checkout tied to platforms merchants already rely on.

“By teaming up with Microsoft, we’re enabling merchants to become AI-ready and enabling scale through Copilot’s trusted commerce infrastructure,” said Mike Edmonds, Vice President of Agentic Commerce at PayPal, adding that the partnership is aimed at delivering a smoother checkout experience for consumers.

Stripe described its role as foundational. “AI is changing how commerce works, and as with every technology shift, it needs new infrastructure,” said Kevin Miller, Head of Payments at Stripe, noting that Stripe is focused on making it easier for merchants to operate inside AI-driven shopping flows.

Shopify merchants are being pulled in by default. “Copilot Checkout can move a customer from intent to transaction in seconds, all without leaving the conversation,” said Mani Fazeli, Vice President of Product at Shopify.

Copilot Checkout rolls out in stages

Copilot Checkout is launching first in the US, with Microsoft starting on its own turf. The feature is rolling out on Copilot.com before appearing more broadly across the company’s ecosystem.

Microsoft said the staged approach allows checkout to scale gradually as more merchants come online. Early access is tied to existing integrations, with Shopify merchants enrolled automatically and others onboarding through partners like PayPal and Stripe.

From there, Copilot Checkout is expected to expand across Microsoft surfaces including Bing, Edge, and MSN. Once enabled, merchants gain exposure across those entry points without additional setup, extending checkout beyond a single site or app.

OpenAI is giving developers a new surface inside ChatGPT to ship functional apps that extend conversations into actions.

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