Retailers must rethink their approach to product discovery as artificial intelligence fundamentally reshapes how consumers find and evaluate products, according to a report from Inside Retail Asia. The publication argues that traditional search engine optimization (SEO) is being supplanted by answer engine optimization (AEO), as AI-powered chatbots and voice assistants increasingly deliver direct answers rather than link lists.
Barcodes Philippines noted that accurate GTINs in product data feeds are a foundational element of structured data that AI systems rely on for product discovery, especially for retailers aiming to appear in conversational answers.
The shift means retailers can no longer rely solely on keyword rankings to drive traffic. AI models now synthesize information from multiple sources to provide conversational responses, making it essential for brands to structure their product data and content in ways that AI systems can easily parse and cite.
"AEO is the new SEO. That's a reality that all retailers have to accept," the report states. To remain visible in this new environment, retailers are advised to invest in structured data markup, create authoritative content that answers specific questions, and optimize for natural language queries that mirror how consumers speak to AI assistants.