Ready for agentic AI & AI search
More and more often it is not the buyer but an AI agent that picks the product, based on data. Discover what that means and how to prepare your product information.
More and more often, people let an AI assistant do the searching and buying. Not the buyer, but an agent picks the product, and it decides based on data. Those who prepare their product information for this get chosen. Those who do not get skipped.
Three things that determine whether your product gets chosen
Meaning
Clear, unambiguous attributes and values, so an agent understands exactly what your product is and when it fits.
Reliability
Data that is correct, up to date and the same everywhere, without differences between your webshop, your feeds and your ERP.
Accessibility
Machine-readable, structured data that systems can read in without human intervention.
“Hey AI, order the right insulation board”
Soon that will no longer be a search query, but an instruction to a personal AI assistant. It searches based on material, R-value, thickness, fire class, stock and lead time, picks the most reliable supplier and completes the order itself. No menus, no filters, no shopping cart.
Not you, but your virtual assistant searches
Agentic AI turns the classic webshop around: you state your intent, the agent goes looking for the best product and the fastest, most reliable delivery. The decision moment shifts from a visual interface to a dialogue or an API connection.
By 2028, according to McKinsey, some $750 billion in consumer spending will flow through AI search.
Today, about half of all consumers already use AI-driven search platforms, and 44% now name AI search as their primary information source, against 31% for classic search engines and 9% for brand websites.
What determines whether an AI agent picks your product?
AI agents do not guess. They decide based on attributes and context. The more complete and consistent your product information, the greater the chance that the agent selects your product, and the smaller the chance you get skipped for a competitor whose data is in order.
Rich, complete and consistent product information becomes decisive.
Does this mean the end of your webshop?
No. Its function shifts. Your webshop becomes more of a brand and service hub: inspiration, evidence, self-service and after-sales. But the initial “where do I find this?” and “what fits best?” moves to assistants that do the groundwork. Those who invest in agent-ready product data today build a lead that is hard to catch up with.
How PimLayer prepares you
A solid data foundation is no longer a nice-to-have, but a necessary condition. PimLayer brings your product information together in one source, helps you enrich it (also with AI) and publishes it machine-readable to every channel. That way you build product data that people and AI agents understand. Read more about the basics on What is PIM?.
Curious whether your product data is AI-ready? We will look at that together in a free product assessment.
Answers to your questions
What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?
GEO is optimising your visibility and credibility in the sources that AI search engines and assistants draw on to compose their answers. It is the shift from pure SEO to AI-driven findability, and it stands or falls with rich, reliable and machine-readable product data.
Does agentic AI mean the end of my webshop?
No, its function shifts. Your webshop becomes more of a brand and service hub (inspiration, reviews, warranties, after-sales), while the initial searching and comparing shifts to AI assistants. 'Nice UX' alone is no longer enough; under the hood, your data layer has to be right.
Which product data do AI agents need?
Complete, structured attributes: material, dimensions, performance and standards, price, stock and lead time, compatibility, and clear descriptions, plus machine-readable feeds alongside the regular product page. The more complete and consistent, the greater the chance that the agent picks your product.
How do I prepare my product data for AI search?
By centralising your data, enriching it (also with AI) and publishing it machine-readable to every channel. PimLayer is the data foundation for that. Want to know where you stand today? Take the free product assessment.
Ready to take control of your product data?
Book a demo, or first calculate your time saved with the ROI calculator.