JD Sports Fashion is expanding how U.S. customers discover and buy its products by enabling shopping directly through major artificial intelligence platforms, the British sportswear retailer said on January 12.

The move targets JD Sports’ largest market, where the group operates more than 2,500 physical stores across the JD, DTLR, Shoe Palace, and Hibbett banners, alongside its online businesses. The United States accounts for over 40% of the company’s global sales.

Under the initiative, customers will initially be able to search for and purchase JD Sports footwear, apparel, and accessories through Microsoft’s Copilot, with plans to extend the capability to Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. JD Sports has partnered with digital commerce platform commerce tools and payments provider Stripe to link AI-driven product discovery with secure checkout and payment processing.

JD Sports CEO Regis Schultz said AI is reshaping how retailers engage with consumers. “25 years ago it was the internet. Today’s AI is a new way to interact. So it’s not about business; it’s about interaction with the consumer and how we create the best service,” Schultz said on the sidelines of a conference in New York.

Schultz added that allowing shoppers to buy through AI chatbots could also reshape physical stores by reducing the need for traditional checkout areas, which currently take up 15% to 20% of floor space. Those areas could instead be used to display more products, he said, as JD Sports adapts its retail model to changing consumer behavior.