Retailers Struggle to Stay Visible in AI-Driven Search Results

Data from Akeneo reveals that when Google searches include AI-generated summaries, only 20% of users click on a link. In contrast, two-thirds of regular Google searches end without a click.

This shift in user behavior has significant implications for retailers and brands, who must adapt to an increasingly competitive market where products are recommended directly by AI systems.

Akeneo's Invisible Shelf report emphasizes the importance of structured product information, noting that when this data is absent or incomplete, AI models struggle to interpret it. In fact, hallucination rates for leading AI models range from 15% to 52%, with engines often inferring missing details or recommending competing products.

The report warns that in the future, agentic commerce systems will autonomously compare and select products on behalf of consumers, underpinned by reliable product information. This means that retailers must prioritize machine-readable content to remain visible in AI-driven search results.