Are you ChatGPT visible? 

Both ChatGPT and Google Gemini can now recommend products. Both have built-in shopping features. But the way they source data and present products is completely different.

If you are a Shopify merchant, understanding those differences and the shared optimization layer between them is the key to winning visibility across both.

ChatGPT vs Gemini: AI Shopping Explained

ChatGPT Shopping

ChatGPT pulls product data directly from Shopify stores through the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). When your feed is connected and compliant, ChatGPT can surface your products instantly and even allow checkout without leaving the chat.

What makes ChatGPT unique is its recommendation-first design, which usually shows 3 to 5 products. That context and reasoning create intent-rich discovery; users don’t browse, they buy.

Google Gemini Shopping

Gemini pulls from the Google Shopping Graph, powered by your Merchant Center feed. It integrates directly into AI Overviews and the AI Mode of Gemini search results.

In other words, it’s Google Shopping but rewritten in natural language. If your products are already live in Merchant Center with complete, clean feeds, you are mostly set for Gemini visibility.

Perplexity (for comparison)

Perplexity isn’t connected to Shopify or Merchant Center. It crawls the web and displays product cards inline, similar to traditional search.

While it’s not as transactional as ChatGPT, it’s valuable for discovery, especially if your site is well-structured with clear product data and an active llms.txt

Which Platform Matters More for Merchants?

It depends on your audience, but the optimization principles overlap so much that it’s not worth choosing one over the other. Good product data helps everywhere:

• Structured attributes (color, material, variant options)
• Context-rich descriptions that explain who the product is for
• Consistent, complete feeds across all channels

ChatGPT and Gemini both reward the same fundamentals. The difference lies only in how they pull and display that data.

Platform-Specific Optimization Requirements

ChatGPT: Requires ACP compliance. If you’re on Shopify, start with the ACP Health Check to confirm that your products have both enable_search and enable_checkout flags active.
Gemini: Requires a clean Google Merchant Center feed. Check for missing GTINs, disapproved products, or inconsistent variant data.

Once those are resolved, you are effectively optimized for both.

The Key Strategic Difference

Even as Google rolls out AI features, it still thinks in options: “Here are ten products that match your query.”

ChatGPT thinks in recommendations: “Here are the three best options, here’s why, and here’s the checkout button.”

That’s a fundamental shift. For merchants, ChatGPT’s model is often stronger: it drives higher intent, faster conversions, and less comparison shopping. But to be the one it picks, your product data must be complete, structured, and contextual, not just keyword-optimized.

How to Optimize for Both Platforms

• Fix your product data foundation, clean, structured data improves visibility across every platform. Pair it with prompt-optimized product descriptions that help AI understand who your products are for and when they’re used.

• Next, verify ACP compliance for ChatGPT to ensure your products are both discoverable and purchasable through Instant Checkout.

• For Gemini, keep your Google Merchant Center feed clean, resolve feed errors, variant mismatches, and policy flags that can block visibility.

• Add an llms.txt file for brand-level context; it gives AI platforms a quick, structured summary of what your store sells and what makes it unique.

• Finally, test both platforms manually. Open ChatGPT and Gemini, ask them to recommend products in your category, and see who shows up, that’s your real visibility benchmark.

Bottom Line

Google Gemini and ChatGPT Shopping are converging on the same goal: helping users find the right product faster. Gemini organizes choices. ChatGPT makes recommendations.

As a merchant, your job is to feed both systems the clearest, richest data possible and let AI do the selling for you.

Related:

• AI Shopping for Shopify Guide
• llms.txt for Shopify: Complete Guide

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