Build a grocery cart and check out inside ChatGPT with the Instacart app

Posted

Jun 23, 2026 by Eric Hal Schwartz (TechRadar)

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Last checked

Oct 16, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.

Context: In a comparison test: from a head-to-head chatbot review, not a standalone agent test.

Beginner-friendlyNo logins, payments or coding needed. Low risk: paste the prompt and you should get something useful.

Outcome

TechRadar's reviewer connected Instacart to ChatGPT and asked for infant formula, vanilla ice cream and fruit; ChatGPT suggested products, built the cart quickly and opened a checkout window in the chat confirming items, payment and address.

Agent

ChatGPT (Instacart app)

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Order a short grocery list for delivery without leaving the chat.

Quick-check questions: What's on the list, any brands or sizes I insist on, and when should it arrive? (Connect Instacart in ChatGPT's apps first.)

What I'll give you:
- My list with sizes or brands ([LIST])
- Store preference
- Delivery address and time

Rules:
- Pick exact sizes and brands I name; for anything vague, choose a mid-priced option and say so.
- Never substitute baby formula or medicine without asking.
- Show the cart total, fees and delivery time before checkout.
- Wait for my OK before placing the order.

Output: A cart summary with items, prices, fees and delivery time, ready for my OK.

If my answers leave a gap, make a sensible choice, say what you assumed, and keep going.

You'll know it worked when: the order matches my list and arrives in the window I chose.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Order a short grocery list for delivery without leaving the chat.

Questions to ask me first:
- What's on the list?
- Any brands or sizes you insist on?
- When should it arrive?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- List with sizes or brands
- Store preference
- Delivery address and time
- Budget cap

Rules:
- Pick exact sizes and brands named.
- Never substitute baby formula or medicine without asking.
- Show cart total, fees and delivery time.
- Wait for OK before ordering.
- Show unit prices so I can see value between sizes.
- Prefer the store's own brand for staples unless I named a brand.
- If the in-chat checkout window opens, read me the address and payment method shown before I confirm.
- Note any item shown as low stock.

Checkpoint: Wait for my OK before checkout.

If you get stuck: If an item is unavailable, offer options. If a login, CAPTCHA or two-step code appears, stop and ask me to handle it; never guess or store passwords.

Verify before you finish: Check the cart against the list.

Output: Cart summary.

Done when: the order matches my list.

Source

https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/i-asked-chatgpt-and-claude-to-do-my-grocery-shopping-one-felt-like-the-future