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No. 195: Hey all,
If growth feels harder lately, you’re not imagining it.
Many brands are producing more creative than ever.
But more effort isn’t compounding the same way it used to.
Shoppers are doing deeper research before they ever click to your site.
They’re asking AI tools to compare options, summarize differences, and narrow the field.
By the time they land on your storefront, they’re not exploring.
They’re confirming.
That shift changes what your storefront needs to do.
And the brands that optimize for AI first will have a massive advantage.
Here’s how to adapt.
In less than 3 minutes, learn:
Read time: 2.5 minutes
But one important thing before we dive in…
How to Make Your Store Visible to AI — A Live Conversation With the Shopify Team
Join us Tomorrow - Thursday, February 19 at 10a PT for a FREE live session with Blue Stout.
Learn directly from Shopify's engineering team how to optimize your storefront for AI-powered product discovery — and what changes to make right now to stay ahead.
Here's the problem:
Most Shopify stores are not properly set up for LLM discoverability. And it's not just about the content on your site anymore — it's about how your entire product catalog is structured. Shopify's recent partnership with OpenAI means buyers can now discover and purchase products directly inside ChatGPT. How your catalog is organized will determine whether your brand shows up in those moments or gets passed over for a competitor.
This is a new channel — and the brands that optimize for it first will have a massive advantage.
What you'll walk away with:
Shopify's own recommendations for storefront, content, and catalog optimization — designed to improve your AI discoverability
A practical framework you can act on immediately after the session
Live Q&A with Shopify engineers and the Blue Stout team
Who this is for:
Brand owners and ecommerce leaders running 8-figure Shopify Plus stores who want a direct line to the people building the platform — before their competitors get there first.
Tomorrow - Thursday, February 19 at 10a PT — Seats are limited.
🎯 WEEKLY INSIGHT
As more shopping research happens inside AI tools, clear positioning on your storefront determines whether you’re discovered by new buyers.
Over the last five years, growth was driven by creative.
Brands invested heavily in ads, partnerships, and in-house content to convince people to buy.
The playbook was simple: produce more creative, test more creative, ship faster.
This worked when discovery happened inside social feeds.
That model is changing – and fast.
Now, more shoppers are beginning their research with AI tools.
These tools don’t evaluate your visuals, your video quality, or your ad hooks.
They pull structured, comparable descriptions and surface brands that are easy to understand.
Shoppers are likely not starting from scratch when they get to your site – but looking to confirm what they already learned.
That shifts the job of your storefront.
While creative still matters, it no longer controls whether you’re surfaced in the first place.
Positioning does.
Your homepage, PDPs, image overlays, and meta descriptions need to communicate the same clear answer to three questions:
What exactly is this product best for?
Who is it for?
Why does it win over alternatives?
If those answers are different across pages or channels, you create friction – for AI systems and for buyers.
Consistency on your storefront is now non-negotiable.
This is strong positioning because the problem, audience, and benefit are immediately clear from the homepage headline to the product page.
What to do this week:
1) Write one positioning sentence.
One line that states what you sell, who it’s for, and why it wins.
2) Put those statements in visible spots on your storefront.
Think: Homepage hero, the buy box, first image overlay, meta description.
3) Check for consistency.
If your homepage says one thing and your PDP implies another, tighten it!
Then, as always, test.
⭐ Takeaway: If you want to get surfaced in AI conversations, make your positioning clear and consistent on your storefront.
Thinking about optimizing (or redesigning) your store?
Meet with our expert team and get a free storefront analysis. We'll show you exactly what to change to increase conversions and profit.
🕙 WHAT’S BREWING
Repositioning products around first-time visitor needs increased lifted conversion.
Updated messaging and hierarchy helped shoppers understand benefits faster.
A simplified PDP flow improved decision-making for new customers.
🗞️ NEWS HIGHLIGHT
Shoppers are moving toward more spontaneous, emotion-led buying, especially on mobile.
Convenience, speed, and reassurance now matter more than product comparison.
Brands that reduce friction and decision effort are better positioned than those relying on promotions
👀 FROM LAST WEEK
Hiding key product info slows decisions for high-consideration purchases, especially on mobile.
Showing descriptions by default increased mobile CVR by +10.2% in the test.
If shoppers are expanding sections anyway, make that info visible and reduce friction.
If small changes like this can lift conversions double digits, imagine what a full-site strategy could do.
Let’s find your next win → Book a strategy call.
Until next time,
— Allen