1-2
products visible on the shelf AI controls, versus 5+ on the digital shelf and 50+ on the physical one
NielsenIQ, Jun 2026AI Shelf · Win the AI shelf
When someone asks AI what to buy, does it recommend you?
The AI shelf shows one or two brands. We measure how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode name, choose and describe you against your competitors, and we work the sources they read so the answer is your brand.
Why now
Almost no brand measures its AI Shelf today. The ones that start now will have a year of history when assistants don’t just recommend, but buy.
What we measure
01
AI Share of Voice
The share of answers in your category where your brand shows up, and your competitors do.
02
First recommendation
How often you are the number-one option, or the only one.
03
Accuracy
Whether AI gets the facts right: price, pack size, benefits and claims.
04
Arguments
Why it recommends or rules you out: price, efficacy, trust, availability.
05
Cited sources
Which sites, retailers and media it pulls your category information from.
06
Path to purchase
Where it sends shoppers to buy: your store, a retailer or an unofficial seller.
Methodology
- 01
Purchase intents
We build 30 to 100 real shopper questions by moment: discovery, comparison, decision and problem.
- 02
Clean measurement
We run them on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Copilot, Claude and Meta AI, with fresh accounts and no memory, and log date, version and web search.
- 03
Competitive analysis
We calculate the 6 metrics for your brand and 3 competitors, by engine and by intent.
- 04
90-day plan
Every gap has a cause and an action: the listing to fix, the missing content, the source to work on.
What we do after measuring · AI Shelf Presence
Measuring is the first step. Winning the shelf is the work.
- AI-readable catalog: structured data, complete attributes and feeds with fresh price and stock.
- Content that earns the citation: pages and listings that answer the shopper’s exact question.
- Third-party sources: presence in the comparisons, media and marketplaces AI checks.
- Path to purchase: make sure the recommendation leads to an official store.
- Monthly monitoring: the same question set, every month, to track progress.
Deliverables
| Deliverable | Detail |
|---|---|
| AI Shelf Score | 0–100 score by brand, engine and intent |
| Executive report | Findings, gaps and a 90-day plan |
| Evidence | Every answer captured, dated and exportable |
| Source map | The domains AI cites in your category, ranked by weight |
| Monthly monitoring | Optional: the same measurement every month, with trends |
FAQ
Is this the same as SEO?
No. SEO measures your position in a list of links. AI Shelf measures whether AI names you, picks you, describes you correctly and sends people to buy. They share foundations, but they are measured and worked differently.
Can you guarantee AI will recommend us first?
No, and be wary of anyone who promises that. Nobody controls a model’s answer. What you can work on are the sources and content the model reads, and that gets measured every month.
Which assistants do you measure?
ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Perplexity, Copilot, Claude and Meta AI. We adjust the list to your market.
How often should we measure?
Once a month, plus before and after every peak season. Answers change with every model version.
Does it work for retailers?
Yes. For a retailer we measure whether AI sends shoppers to its store or a competitor’s, in the categories that matter most.