Generative engine optimization (GEO) for products is the work of getting your products named when a shopper asks an AI assistant what to buy. There are three assistants that matter for most brands: ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews, and Amazon’s Alexa for Shopping. Each one picks products from different data, so each needs different work.
| Assistant | How it picks products (the platform’s own words) | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | “Structured metadata from first-party and third-party providers (e.g., price, product description) and other third-party content”; merchants ranked on “availability, price, quality, and whether they are the maker or primary seller” | Get your products into ChatGPT’s product data (Shopify Catalog, Business Hub feed or direct feed) and keep price, description and availability accurate |
| Google AI Mode and AI Overviews | A page “must be indexed”; there is “no special schema.org structured data that you need to add”; Merchant Center data should be up to date | Keep Merchant Center accurate, add conversational attributes, write strong product descriptions |
| Alexa for Shopping (Amazon) | Answers from “listing details, customer reviews, and community Q&As” | Answer buyer questions in the listing and fill every attribute field. See our Alexa for Shopping guide |
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, Google Search Central, Amazon.
ChatGPT
OpenAI says ChatGPT’s product results are “selected independently by ChatGPT and are not ads, nor influenced by any OpenAI partnerships.” A product appears when ChatGPT judges it relevant to the shopper’s question, based on structured product data, other third-party content and reviews from public websites (OpenAI). That means there is no way to buy a recommendation, but there is a lot you can do about the data ChatGPT has.
- Shopify stores: product data is shared with ChatGPT through Shopify Catalog. Shopify says products “become discoverable in ChatGPT by default” (Shopify). Check that it hasn’t been turned off under Sales channels.
- Any brand: since November 10, 2026, businesses can claim their business in ChatGPT’s Business Hub (beta), “add self-service product feeds with pricing and availability,” and see how many mentions and website clicks they get (OpenAI).
- Larger catalogs: OpenAI accepts direct product feeds from approved partners, uploaded at least daily (OpenAI developers). Retailers such as Target, Sephora and Best Buy feed products through OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (OpenAI).
On checkout: OpenAI launched in-chat Instant Checkout in September 2025, then in March 2026 moved to “allowing merchants to use their own checkout experiences while we focus our efforts on product discovery” (OpenAI). For most brands, ChatGPT is now a discovery channel that sends shoppers to your store or your Amazon listing.
Google AI Mode and AI Overviews
Google is direct about it: “There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary,” and you don’t need AI text files or special markup (Google). What Google does recommend:
- Keep Merchant Center and Business Profile information up to date, make sure structured data matches the visible page, and keep important content in text (Google).
- Add conversational attributes in Merchant Center, such as product questions and answers and related products. Google says they “help AI systems and conversational agents better understand your products” and are used in AI Mode (Google Merchant Center Help). In a lululemon test, these attributes “were incorporated 50% of the time in relevant product recommendations in AI Mode” (Google, Sep 2026).
- Watch the new AI performance insights in Merchant Center, which compare your share of voice with other brands in AI Mode and AI Overviews (Google).
- If you want shoppers to check out inside AI Mode and Gemini, Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol handles it, with the retailer staying seller of record (Google).
Amazon’s Alexa for Shopping
Amazon’s assistant only recommends products sold on Amazon, and it reads your listing, reviews and Q&A. Amazon’s advice to sellers is to organize listing information clearly and answer customer questions directly (Amazon). We cover it step by step in our Alexa for Shopping optimization guide.
What Works on All Three
- One set of product facts. The same size, materials, ingredients, compatibility and price on Amazon, your site, your feeds and retailer pages.
- Answers to real questions. Put the questions buyers ask, and plain answers, in your listing copy, your product page FAQs and Merchant Center’s question-and-answer attribute.
- Reviews worth summarizing. Assistants summarize what reviewers say, so the product and the listing’s promises have to hold up.
- Being written about. ChatGPT also reads third-party content, so reviews, comparisons and press on other sites count.
- Testing. Ask the same buyer questions in each assistant before and after changes, several times each, and track the share of answers that name you.
From Our Podcast: Max Sinclair of Ecomtent on AI Search
We first covered this topic with Max Sinclair, founder and CEO of Ecomtent, in April 2025, while Amazon’s assistant was still called Rufus. His point then still holds: AI assistants read a listing the way a person does, so context, images and use cases matter as much as keywords.
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Generative engine optimization for products is the work of getting your products named when shoppers ask AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Google AI Mode or Amazon's Alexa for Shopping what to buy. It covers product data and feeds, listing and product page content, reviews and testing.
No. OpenAI says ChatGPT's product results are not ads and are not influenced by partnerships. Ads in ChatGPT are separate and labeled. What you can control is the accuracy of the product data ChatGPT has about you.
Shopify stores are included through Shopify Catalog by default. Other brands can claim their business in ChatGPT's Business Hub (beta since November 2026) and add a product feed, and larger merchants can apply for direct feeds.
Google says no. There are no special requirements or markup for AI Overviews or AI Mode. A page must be indexed, structured data should match the visible page, and Merchant Center information should be up to date.
OpenAI scaled it back in March 2026. It now lets merchants use their own checkout while it focuses on product discovery, and merchants can build ChatGPT apps for deeper integrations.
