Do shoppers really use ChatGPT to decide what to buy?

Yes, and in growing numbers — especially for research-heavy purchases (skincare, supplements, electronics, premium fashion). AI works like a personal shopping assistant.

How is this different from SEO or Amazon Ads?

SEO and Amazon Ads compete for position in search results. GEO works the AI's direct recommendation. They're three channels that coexist and need different strategies.

Does it work for small brands or only large ones?

It works for any brand with a digital presence. Small brands often discover niche opportunities where AI doesn't have a clear favorite.

Can I measure the impact of a PR campaign?

Yes. Re-run the analysis before and after a media campaign, influencer push or Reddit engagement to measure the real change in AI recommendations.

Does it detect international competitors?

Yes. AI doesn't respect borders — Mentio shows you every brand that appears in the same recommendations, regardless of country of origin.

Do Reddit reviews really influence AI?

A lot. ChatGPT and Perplexity frequently cite Reddit for product recommendations. If your brand has presence in relevant subreddits, it shows.

Can I analyze by product or only by brand?

The analysis focuses on the brand as a whole, but questions are segmented by category and attribute, giving you visibility per product line.

Can I compare my brand with direct competitors?

Yes. The Personal plan includes 3 competitors, Pro 5, Enterprise 10. They're shown in the competitive radar and visibility ranking.

GEO for ecommerce

Does ChatGPT recommend your brand when shoppers ask what to buy?

Shoppers ask AI before searching on Amazon or Google. Find out if your brand shows up — and what to do if it doesn't.

Analyze your brand free

No credit card required Results in 2 minutes Full AI coverage

mentio.tech/dashboard

Mentio Score

Excellent

Visibility

94%+12%

Position

#1.3

Top 2 avg

LLMs

5/5

Competitive Radar

Your brand

Competitors

Visibility ranking

Your brand94%

Competitor A78%

Competitor B65%

Competitor C41%

Visibility by model

ChatGPT

96%

Claude

88%

Gemini

82%

Grok

74%

Perplexity

68%

5 LLMs

analyzed per brand (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity)

25+ questions

auto-generated for your product category

2 minutes

to get your full report

Why your ecommerce brand needs GEO

For over a decade, online brands have competed on two channels: Google (SEO and Shopping) and Amazon. The game was well known: keywords, product listings, ads, reviews. But a new layer has appeared and it's already eating into traffic. Today, a growing number of shoppers ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity directly: 'What's the best clean beauty brand for sensitive skin?' or 'What running shoes would you recommend for a neutral gait beginner?' AI doesn't return a product listing — it recommends 3 specific brands, sometimes with justification and occasionally with a direct link. That conversation replaces the 'search and compare' step. If your brand isn't in those 3 recommendations, you lose the sale before competing on price or shipping. And that loss is silent: it doesn't generate a session on your site, doesn't appear in Google Ads, doesn't show in Analytics. Generative Engine Optimization for ecommerce measures how you appear in these conversations, what competitors AI puts ahead of you, and what attributes it uses to describe your brand. For a DTC brand, understanding this is no longer a competitive advantage — it's survival over the next 24 months.

Category before brand

Shoppers ask by category ('best mattress brand for back pain'), not by specific brand. AI decides which brand to associate with each category.

Recommendation as review

When AI recommends, it works like an authoritative review. It's not an ad or a sponsored result — it's content with credibility.

DTC sources cited

AI cites reviews, specialist blogs, comparison articles and Reddit. If you don't appear in those spaces, you don't appear in the recommendation.

Global brands compete

AI doesn't respect borders: your real competition in the response may include international brands you didn't know were targeting your market.

No product SEO ceiling

AI can recommend you for 'vegan skincare for oily skin' or 'lightweight backpack for one-week trips' even if you don't rank for those terms on Google, because it interprets attributes — not keywords.

What AI actually says when shoppers ask what to buy

This is a real example of the kind of response ChatGPT generates when someone searches for a product. Mentio analyzes hundreds of questions like this for your brand.

Question to ChatGPT

I'm looking for a clean beauty brand for sensitive skin — any recommendations?

There are several well-regarded clean beauty brands for sensitive skin. Here are 3 that frequently appear in reviews: • [Name A] — Specializing in certified organic ingredients, with a line specifically for reactive skin. Made in small batches. • [Name B] — A niche brand focused on natural dermocosmetics, highly recommended on beauty forums and clean beauty blogs. • [Name C] — A more affordable option, with strong reviews for their moisturizers and cleansers for sensitive skin.

Mentio detects hundreds of questions like this for your category and tells you exactly how many mention you, in which position, and what attributes AI assigns to you (or doesn't).

What Mentio shows you about your brand

Mentio runs a complete generative visibility analysis built specifically for ecommerce and online brands. These aren't abstract metrics — they're answers to the questions a potential buyer would ask before deciding.

Intents by category

We analyze visibility by specific category and attributes (price, ingredients, size, use case, customer problem). A DTC brand can lead in 'sensitive skin' and be invisible in 'anti-aging'.

Real competitors in the response

Not the ones your team tracks in Slack. These are the brands AI recommends alongside you — including international brands, pharmacy private labels, or niche players you didn't even have on your radar.

Perceived brand attributes

AI describes you with adjectives: 'natural', 'pricey', 'premium', 'little-known', 'strong ingredients', 'beginner-friendly'. That profile defines your conversion more than your own copy.

Sources cited

Reddit, product blogs, specialist comparisons, YouTube, lifestyle media. Mentio shows which sources feed AI about your category and where you're not showing up.

Mentio adapts to every type of ecommerce

A digital-native DTC and a brand with physical retail have very different AI visibility challenges.

Digital-native DTC brands

Your brand lives 100% online. AI depends on mentions, reviews, Reddit and your own content. Mentio tells you which channels are feeding your AI reputation.

Brands with physical + online retail

You have accumulated offline reputation but AI doesn't see it. Mentio detects whether that brand equity is reflected in recommendations or lost due to lack of digital presence.

Vertical niche ecommerce

You compete in very specific categories (curly hair care, trail gear, special diet food). Mentio positions you against pure-play brands in your niche.

Brands with broad catalogs

Your visibility may be excellent for one product and nonexistent for another. Mentio segments the analysis by product category to detect catalog gaps.

How an ecommerce analysis with Mentio works

Three steps. Two minutes. A report your team can act on.

Enter your brand (30 seconds)

Add your brand, category (beauty, fashion, food, sport, tech, etc.) and target market.

Mentio generates real questions (automatic)

We generate 25+ real questions shoppers ask AI for your category — from generic to highly specific intent queries.

Get your Mentio Score and action plan (2 minutes)

You receive your Mentio Score, discovered competitors, perceived attributes and action plan. Re-run by season or product launch.

You can re-run the analysis whenever you launch a new product, reposition, or want to measure a PR campaign.

We launched in 2021, grew with Meta Ads, and now paid acquisition no longer scales. When we ran the Mentio analysis, we discovered that ChatGPT was recommending 3 competitors for our category and not us. It was the signal we needed to redirect budget.

— Co-founder, DTC beauty brand

Frequently asked questions

Do you know how ChatGPT sees you vs your competition?