What do the most mentioned brands have in common?
Which homewares brands are AI models recommending, and why? true's latest research uncovers the surprising factors driving brand visibility in AI search – and what businesses can do to get ahead.
What do the most mentioned brands have in common?
When we started researching how generative AI is changing the way people shop for their homes, we had a fairly simple question: which brands would LLMs recommend?
We created a series of prompts designed to reflect different moments in the shopper journey, from broad inspiration and education through to more specific product and purchasing questions. We ran them across three leading AI models, repeated the exercise and looked closely at what came back.
Across our research, three companies consistently appeared: Ruggable, Rust-Oleum and B&M. At first glance, there doesn't appear to be an obvious connection between these brands. They're different types of businesses, serving different shoppers and holding different positions in the market.
So, we wanted to get to the crux of why they appeared so consistently, and what their visibility demonstrates about the factors influencing whether a brand gets recommended by AI.
It wasn't simply about being famous
We went into the research expecting brand awareness to play a significant role. And while it matters, it didn't adequately explain the results.
As questions became more specific, other factors appeared to become increasingly important, particularly the quality, consistency and usefulness of the information available about products and categories.
This raises an important question for brands: are they still optimising primarily for the way traditional search engines rank them, or are they also thinking about how AI understands, interprets and recommends the information they provide?
Surprising patterns emerged
Our research looked at more than just which brands appeared. We examined when they appeared, what questions triggered recommendations, which sources AI models drew upon and how consistently brands resurfaced. We also looked at what happens to the shopper before they ever get to a product recommendation.
Some of the findings challenged conventional thinking about SEO, content and the customer journey. More importantly, they pointed towards a different way of thinking about GEO.
To succeed, brands need to consider not just how to get mentioned, but how to become the brand that generative AI has a reason to mention.
The research offers a closer look at how people are actually using AI during the shopping process, what influences the brands they encounter and, crucially, the practical steps businesses can take to improve their chances of being recommended.
Want to explore what this means for your brand?
We're taking the conversation further at our GEO Breakfast Briefing on 1 December at true HQ in Bristol.
We'll be exploring how AI is reshaping the buying journey, what the latest research tells us about brand visibility and what businesses can do to influence how they're represented in AI-generated answers.
There'll also be an opportunity to share experiences with other businesses navigating the same challenges, and every attendee will receive a personalised AI Visibility Score showing how their website compares with three comparable organisations.
If you're looking to understand GEO and the role it plays in persuading shoppers to find your products, we'd love you to join us.
Register your interest for the GEO Breakfast Briefing here.
Read The Persuasion Factor: Getting GEO Ready in Homewares here.
