Are you ChatGPT visible? 

After testing fashion brands like Everlane and beauty brands like Youth to the People, I wanted to explore how subscription-first brands perform in AI discovery.

So I picked BarkBox, the brand that essentially created the pet subscription box category to see how visible they are when someone uses ChatGPT to find pet products.

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The Pet Commerce AI Discovery Framework

Test how your pet brand performs across the complete AI discovery spectrum with these 9 strategic queries:

1. Category Authority (3 queries)

Tests: Do you own your product category in AI recommendations?

• Buy pet toys online
• Buy healthy dog treats online
• Shop for vet-approved dog food

2. Subscription Positioning (5 queries)

Tests: Does AI recommend you for recurring purchase scenarios?

• Buy best dog subscription box
• Shop dog supplies with monthly delivery
• Buy best monthly dog treats under $30
• Shop pet subscription box with treats and toys
• Shop dental subscription kit for dogs

3. Competitive Positioning (1 query)

Tests: How does AI categorize you vs major competitors?

• Best alternatives for Chewy

BarkBox's Final Score

4 out of 9 queries (44% visibility)

‍Scoring approach: 8+ mentions = strong visibility | 4-7 = mixed results | under 4 = limited visibility

Here's what happened with each search:

Category Discovery: 0/3 Visible

Query: Buy pet toys online

Result: Missing entirely

‍What appeared instead: KONG Classic Dog Toy ($13), Nylabone DuraChew ($8), Frisco Rope Toy ($5)

My take: This surprised me. BarkBox is famous for curated toys, yet they don't appear in general pet toy searches. Individual toy brands and retailers dominate instead.

Query: Buy healthy dog treats online

Result: Missing entirely

‍What appeared instead: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Treats ($12), Zuke's Mini Naturals ($8), Wellness CORE Pure Rewards ($15)

My take: Despite including premium treats in their boxes, BarkBox doesn't surface in healthy treat searches. Established treat brands own this space.

Query: Shop for vet-approved dog food

Result: Missing entirely

‍What appeared instead: Nom Nom Fresh Pet Food, JustFoodForDogs, Hill's Prescription Diet

My take: BarkBox doesn't compete in the food space, so this absence makes sense. Veterinary and fresh food brands dominate clinical searches.

Subscription Positioning: 3/5 visible

Query: Buy best dog subscription box

Result: Featured prominently

‍What appeared: BarkBox highlighted as the "original dog subscription box" with customization options, alongside Super Chewer and PupJoy

My take: Perfect positioning. BarkBox owns the core subscription box category they created, appearing as the established leader.

Query: Shop dog supplies with monthly delivery

Result: Missing entirely

‍What appeared: BarkBox mentioned alongside Chewy Autoship and Petco Repeat Delivery for convenience-focused pet parents

My take: BarkBox’s absence in “monthly delivery for dog supplies” searches points to a missed opportunity to showcase their core subscription model to shoppers actively looking for recurring pet supply services.

Query: Buy best monthly dog treats under $30

Result: Missing entirely

‍What appeared instead: Pooch Perks ($19.95/month), Pet Treater ($24.95/month)

My take: BarkBox's price point (~$35+) excludes them from budget-conscious subscription searches. More affordable competitors dominate here.

Query: Shop pet subscription box with treats and toys

Result: Featured prominently

‍What appeared: BarkBox and PupJoy highlighted as leading options with customization for different dog sizes and preferences

My take: Excellent visibility when the search perfectly matches their core offering, and also in affordable subscription box with both treats and toys.

Query: Shop dental subscription kit for dogs

Result: Featured prominently

‍What appeared instead: Specialized dental subscription services and veterinary-recommended products

My take: BarkBox appears in health-focused searches, showing strong appeal even without prioritizing dental-specific products.

Competitive Positioning: 1/1 visible

‍Query: Best alternatives for Chewy

Result: Featured in recommendations

‍What appeared: BarkBox mentioned as an alternative for customers wanting curated, subscription-based pet products vs Chewy's marketplace model

My take: Good positioning as a differentiated alternative to traditional pet retailers, highlighting their curation advantage.

What This Pattern Reveals

The Subscription Specialization Trade-off: BarkBox excels in subscription-specific searches (80% visibility in subscription queries) but struggles with general pet product categories (0% visibility in general product searches).

Category Performance Breakdown:

• General Pet Products: 0/3 visible (0%)‍
• Direct Subscription Searches: 3/5 visible (60%)
• Competitive Positioning: 1/1 visible (100%)

Working theory: Subscription-first positioning helps in subscription searches but limits visibility in traditional product categories.

The Price Point Challenge: BarkBox's premium positioning (~$35+/month) consistently limits their visibility in budget-focused searches, where competitors like Pooch Perks ($19.95) and Pet Treater ($24.95) dominate.

Test Your Brand Right Now

Seeing similar patterns in your pet brand? Don't guess about your AI visibility.

Check Your Brand's AI Readiness →

‍See how your brand performs across multiple AI systems. Then manually test the 10-query framework above.

What This Means for Pet Brands

For subscription-first brands: Dominating subscription searches doesn't guarantee visibility in general product searches. You need structured product data that signals both subscription benefits AND individual product value.

For premium pet brands: Price positioning significantly affects AI discovery. Premium brands may need to optimize for both value-focused and convenience-focused search terms.

For category pioneers: Creating a category gives authority in direct category searches but doesn't automatically extend to adjacent product categories.

The catalog factor: Brands that appear consistently across varied searches likely have comprehensive product categorization that includes both subscription attributes and individual product details.

Your Action Plan

Step 1: Run the readiness test (5 minutes)

Check your brand's baseline AI visibility. Start here →

Step 2: Map your gaps (10 minutes)

Which categories are you missing from? Where do competitors appear instead of you?

Step 3: Structure your data (ongoing)

Optimize your product information for AI systems. Try our catalog tool →

Step 4: Monitor regularly (monthly)

Re-run tests monthly to track improvement and catch new patterns.

Tools That Can Help

Based on this research, I've built several tools to help brands optimize for AI discovery:

• AI Readiness Scanner → Test your brand across multiple AI systems

• LLMs.txt Generator → Help AI systems understand your products

• Catalog Genius → Structure product data for better discovery

• AI Search Demo → See intelligent product discovery in action

Get Your Brand Audited

Want your brand tested?

I'm building a research database of how pet brands appear in AI discovery systems.

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Research Details

Testing method: Fresh ChatGPT-4 sessions, purchase-intent queries, conducted July 30, 2025. This analysis examines publicly available AI responses for research purposes.

Study limitations: Single AI platform (ChatGPT-4), point-in-time snapshot, purchase-intent queries only. Results may vary across different AI systems and time periods.

Tools used: AI readiness scanner, LLMs.txt generator, and catalog optimization agent for analyzing brand discoverability patterns.

‍© 2025 AI Brand Intelligence by Atomz. Forward freely, just keep this notice intact.