AI SEO for E-Commerce and D2C Brands

How do shoppers use AI to choose a product?

They ask for a shortlist with reasons, then check the winners. A July 2026 survey of 2,338 US adults, run by Exploding Topics and published by Semrush, found that 65.01% of AI users had at least partly replaced product-related Google searches with chatbots. The same survey found 57.5% of AI users had decided not to buy something because of chatbot information ¹.

Read that with care. Both figures cover people who already use AI, not all shoppers, and the report gives no split by product type ¹. It does tell you that an AI answer can lose you a sale as well as win one.

The seed prompt, 'best running shoes for flat feet', is a good example. It names a need (support for flat feet), a category (running shoes) and a ranking word (best). Shoppers expect a short list with reasons, not ten blue links.

What do AI engines check before they name a store or product?

They search the web first, then pick pages that match the question. Only 14.4% of the 66.6 million free, logged-out responses Ahrefs studied (August and September 2026) contained fan-out queries, and those averaged about 1.6 each ². Paid or logged-in use may differ. Wider brand mentions matter for the rest.

The type of question changes the sources. In a separate Ahrefs test of 20,000 US prompts, official websites got 63.4% of citations for factual questions such as pricing and features. For comparison questions the share was 46.4% ². Your own pages win on facts. Other sites win on 'which is better'.

Google adds a technical point. A page must be indexed and eligible to appear with a snippet to be a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special markup is needed ⁴. It also tells shops to keep Merchant Center data up to date ⁴.

Which product feeds matter for AI shopping?

Start with Google Merchant Center, then watch OpenAI. Google's product data specification requires an id, title, description, link, image link, availability and price, plus a brand for new products. Price and availability must match the landing page, structured data and checkout, and an incorrect GTIN (the barcode number) makes a product disapproved ⁵.

Google's free listings can show your products on the Shopping tab, in Search and on YouTube, and they are on by default in most cases. Shipping settings are required in listed countries, and return policy information is recommended ⁶. Google says free listing status does not guarantee your products will be shown ⁶.

OpenAI lists nine required feed fields: item_id, title, description, url, brand, seller_name, image_url, availability and price. Search eligibility defaults to on and checkout to off, and the docs state that eligibility does not guarantee display ⁷. The standard upload targets the US only ⁷. Onboarding feeds is currently open to approved partners, who apply through a form ⁸. So prepare a clean feed, apply if you qualify, and do not promise your team a ChatGPT shelf.

What should a product page contain so AI can quote it?

Put every fact a shopper asks about in visible text, near the top. That means price, currency, stock status, sizes, materials, dimensions, shipping time and returns. Our guide on optimising product pages for AI shopping walks through the layout.

Add Product structured data as a clarity aid. Google's merchant listing documentation requires a name, image and an offer with a price and currency, and says the price must be greater than zero ⁹. Markup must match what the page shows. Use the Schema Generator if you want a starting snippet.

Write a short answer block at the top: who the product suits, who it does not suit and the main trade-off. 'Not for wide feet' is a stronger sentence for a model than 'perfect for everyone'. It is also more honest.

• Use the full product name, brand and model number in the title and first line.
• State specifications as numbers with units, in a small table.
• Give returns, warranty and shipping terms in plain sentences.
• Show real customer reviews and questions on the page, not only stars.
• Keep out-of-stock pages live with a clear note and links to alternatives.

Do buying guides and reviews help you get recommended?

Yes, because the shortlist question needs a page that ranks options. For 'best running shoes for flat feet' you can write a guide that sets out criteria, tests or sources, and who each shoe suits. Add a limits note: foot shape and pain are personal, so suggest a qualified foot professional for medical questions. Our guide on comparison pages that get cited covers the format.

Be fair, including to rivals. A buying guide that lists only your own products reads as advertising. If you rank competitors' products, say how you judged them and what you did not test.

Do not lean on Reddit as a plan. In Ahrefs' study of 1.4 million ChatGPT prompts in February 2025 desktop data, Reddit URLs that ChatGPT retrieved were cited only 1.93% of the time, and Reddit made up 67.8% of the retrieved URLs that went uncited ³. Honest community answers still help people, and our Reddit guide explains how to take part without breaking rules.

Which rules apply to product claims and reviews?

Reviews are regulated in the US. The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule took effect on 21 October 2024. It covers fake reviews, undisclosed insider reviews, misleading independence claims and review suppression, and courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations ¹⁰. The FTC says incentives for reviews are not banned outright, but you may not require or imply that reviews be positive ¹⁰.

Feed accuracy is a policy matter too. Google can disapprove products whose price or availability does not match the page, or that carry a wrong GTIN ⁵. Check the rules for each market you sell in, because tax display, returns and consumer law differ.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Ask a qualified adviser before you publish health, safety or comparative claims.

How do you measure AI visibility for a store?

Track a fixed list of prompts, not single answers. Pick 30 prompts across categories, brands and use cases. Run each on two engines at least three times a month and log whether your brand and product pages are named or cited. Our prompt list guide shows how to build the list.

Expect fewer clicks per answer. Pew's March 2025 data from 900 US adults found a result link was clicked in 8% of visits with an AI summary and 15% without ¹¹. So watch branded search, direct visits and orders alongside referral traffic, and add a 'How did you hear about us?' field at checkout.

Report in months. Neither Google nor OpenAI says that clean data ensures display ⁶⁷, and we do not guarantee any ranking, citation or sales figure.

What has Chalk Labs done in e-commerce?

We have not published results for online stores or D2C brands. We cannot show you a store whose sales we raised through this work.

What transfers is the method: query research, answer pages, technical readiness and measurement. Chalk Labs has used it on Meru Trophy, a local commerce site in Bengaluru, and on shilikajain.com, a personal brand. Neither is a catalogue store, so they prove the method, not e-commerce results.

Your first 90 days

The first pages to publish

1. Best [product type] for [need]: a buying guide with criteria. It answers the shortlist prompt directly.
2. Product pages with answer blocks and specification tables. Official sites win factual questions.
3. Product A vs product B comparison pages. Comparison questions are common in follow-up searches.
4. Sizing and fit guide. It lowers returns and answers a common pre-purchase question.
5. Shipping, returns and warranty page. Feeds and shoppers both need clear terms.
6. How we test or choose our products. It makes your claims checkable.
7. Care, use and troubleshooting guides. They keep buyers and earn natural links.

Trust signals and risks

Why Rahil Jain for E-commerce and D2C brands?

Method applies

We have not published results of our own in E-commerce and D2C brands yet. What transfers is the method, shown below.

We have not published results in this field yet. What transfers is the method (query research, answer pages, technical readiness, measurement), proven on local commerce (Meru Trophy) and a personal brand (shilikajain.com).

Results we can show

These are Chalk Labs' own search results. They are not a forecast for your site: results depend on your market, competition and starting point.

See the case studies

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. AI chatbots talked 57.5% of AI users out of buying · Semrush (survey by Exploding Topics)Opened October 20, 2026. Supports: July 2026 survey of 2,338 US adults, published 7 September 2026: 65.01% of AI users partly or fully replaced product searches; 57.5% decided not to buy based on chatbot information; no category split.
2. How ChatGPT Does Query Fan-Out (15 Million Queries Studied) · AhrefsOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: Published 12 October 2026: 66.6 million free, logged-out responses, 14.4% contained fan-out queries, about 1.6 each; official-site citation shares for fact and comparison questions; running-shoe fan-out word counts.
3. Why ChatGPT Cites One Page Over Another (Study of 1.4M Prompts) · AhrefsOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: Published 15 April 2026: Reddit URLs cited 1.93% of the time when retrieved; Reddit made up 67.8% of non-cited URLs.
4. AI features and your website · Google Search CentralOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: A page must be indexed and snippet-eligible to be a supporting link; no special schema needed; keep Merchant Center and Business Profile data up to date.
5. Product data specification · Google Merchant Center HelpOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: Required attributes; price and availability must match the landing page, structured data and checkout; incorrect GTIN causes disapproval; apparel attributes.
6. About free listings · Google Merchant Center HelpOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: Free listings surfaces, on by default in most cases, shipping settings required in listed countries, return information recommended, no guarantee that products will be shown.
7. Products spec (file upload) · OpenAI DevelopersOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: Nine required fields; search enabled and checkout disabled by default; eligibility does not guarantee display; standard upload targets the US.
8. Get started (product feeds) · OpenAI DevelopersOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: Onboarding product feeds in ChatGPT is currently available to approved partners through an application form.
9. Merchant listing (Product, Offer) structured data · Google Search CentralOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: Required properties name, image and offers with price and currency; price must be greater than zero for merchant listing experiences.
10. Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers · US Federal Trade CommissionOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: Rule effective 21 October 2024; covers fake and insider reviews and suppression; incentives not banned outright but sentiment cannot be required; civil penalties for knowing violations.
11. Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results · Pew Research CenterOpened October 20, 2026. Supports: March 2025 browsing data from 900 US adults: a result link was clicked in 8% of visits with an AI summary and 15% without.