The Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Product Catalog for AI Search and Conversational Commerce

Pro Tip: Merchkit's Auto-Structured Content tool embeds schema automatically, saving hours.

2. Create Conversational Content

AI favors human-like language that answers shopper questions. Titles, descriptions, and FAQs should mirror how customers talk.

How to Do It:

• Write intent-driven titles (e.g., "Natura Compact Coffee Maker for Small Kitchens").
• Include FAQs like "Does this backpack fit a 15-inch laptop?"
• Craft descriptions with benefits (e.g., "Brews barista-quality coffee in under 5 minutes").

Why It Works: Conversational content aligns with AI's query-matching logic.

Pro Tip: Merchkit generates on-brand content at scale, no writers needed.

3. Personalize Content for Shopper Context

AI search matches products to specific needs. Context-aware content-like variant details or use-case scenarios-makes your catalog more relevant.

How to Do It:

• Create variant-specific sections (e.g., "Black PeakPulse Backpack for Commuters" vs. "Green for Hikers").
• Use "memory triggers" (e.g., "Ideal for busy parents needing a spill-proof coffee maker").

Why It Works: Tailored content boosts your chances of being recommended for niche queries.

Pro Tip: Merchkit's AI-Powered PDP Rewriter crafts personalized content for every SKU.

4. Amplify Crowd-Powered Proof

AI trusts real-world validation from reviews and social chatter. Authentic user feedback strengthens your catalog's credibility.

How to Do It:

• Launch review campaigns tied to use cases (e.g., "How did this coffee maker fit in your kitchen?").
• Encourage discussions on Reddit or Quora with superfan talking points.

Why It Works: External signals like reviews drive AI rankings.

Pro Tip: Merchkit's can pull in reviews, UGC content, and forum mentions to enrich product pages.

5. Build Trusted Backlinks and Citations

AI leans on high-authority sources for credibility. Mentions in trusted editorial sites can elevate your discoverability.

How to Do It:

• Run test queries in ChatGPT to identify cited publishers.
• Pitch in-depth reviews or guest posts to those sites.

Why It Works: Authoritative citations boost your ranking potential.

6. Manage Sentiment to Shape AI Perceptions

AI interprets sentiment, and negative chatter can hurt rankings. Proactive sentiment governance keeps your brand in a positive light.

How to Do It:

• Ask AI tools, "What's the honest take on [your brand]?" to spot issues.
• Counter inaccuracies with clarifying content (e.g., blog posts on product benefits).

Why It Works: Positive sentiment makes AI more likely to recommend you.

Pro Tip: Feed these findings into Merchkit to generate the content you need to clarify inaccuracies.

7. Optimize Off-Site Signals and Feeds

AI crawls your site and external feeds, so your off-site presence is critical. Open access and clean feeds ensure inclusion.

How to Do It:

• Unblock OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot in your robots.txt.
• Prep a structured product feed for future ChatGPT integration as they open up access to submissions.

Why It Works: AI needs access to accurate data to feature you.

8. Test Visibility with AI Prompt Queries

Running test prompts in AI tools helps you understand how your products appear and where to improve.

How to Do It:

• Use generic prompts (e.g., "Best coffee maker under $100").
• Try comparative prompts (e.g., "Natura vs. Keurig for small kitchens").
• Test local availability (e.g., "Where can I buy a backpack with 2-day shipping?").

Why It Works: Prompt testing reveals gaps in your catalog's AI visibility.

9. Create Roundups and Comparison Content

AI often mimics listicles when recommending products. "Best Of" lists and comparisons can boost your catalog's exposure.

How to Do It:

• Build roundups for top categories (e.g., "Best Coffee Makers for Small Spaces").
• Include comparisons (e.g., "More durable than Keurig for daily use").

Why It Works: AI pulls from comparison content for queries like "best alternative to X."

Pro Tip: Merchkit's Content Generator spins up roundups linked to your SKUs.

10. Add Video Content with Transcripts

AI can parse video transcripts, making multimodal content a powerful signal for product context.

How to Do It:

• Create short product videos (e.g., "How to use the Natura Coffee Maker").
• Include descriptive transcripts and captions.

Why It Works: Videos provide rich context, boosting AI recommendations.

Pro Tip: Merchkit's Content Campaign Builder integrates video content into your catalog.

Trends Shaping the Future of Conversational Commerce

AI search is evolving fast. Optimizing your catalog now prepares you for what's next:

• Direct Merchant Feeds: OpenAI's upcoming feed integration requires clean, structured data. Merchkit's Feed Optimizer gets you ready.
• Agent-Led Journeys: Tools like Operator will handle full shopping experiences. AI-ready catalogs keep you in the mix.
• Performance Iteration: AI refines picks based on sales data. Merchkit's Performance Iteration Tool helps you stay ahead.

Merchkit: Your All-in-One Catalog Optimization Solution

Merchkit isn't a slow, bloated PIM-it's a lean, powerful platform to get your catalog live, ranking, and converting. Here's how we help:

• 10x Faster Onboarding: Unify SKUs from any source with the Catalog Cleanup Tool.
• On-Brand Content & Visuals: Generate conversational titles, FAQs, and videos with the AI-Powered PDP Rewriter and Content Campaign Builder.
• Channel Syndication: Sync flawlessly to Shopify, Amazon, and more with the Feed Optimizer.
• AI Search Discoverability: Boost visibility with the UGC Manager, Citations Radar, and Prompt Visibility Tracker.
• Performance Iteration: Refine your catalog with the Performance Iteration Tool.

Ready to lead in conversational commerce? Get to know Merchkit now.

Wrap-Up: Optimize Now, Win Tomorrow

AI search and conversational commerce are reshaping ecommerce, and the retailers who optimize today will dominate tomorrow. These 10 tactics-structured data, conversational content, personalization, crowd-powered proof, backlinks, sentiment management, off-site signals, prompt testing, roundups, and video content-will make your catalog unmissable.

With Merchkit, you're not just keeping up-you're setting the pace. Don't let messy data or slow systems hold you back. Get your catalog live, ranking, and converting… fast.