How AI search really picks winners: ChatGPT, LLMs and the future of retail discovery

As more of us ask ChatGPT what to buy — instead of Googling it — the rules of being discovered online are changing fast.

In today’s episode, we dig into how large language models like ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity are quietly becoming the new front door to retail. When an AI gives a single recommendation instead of a page of links, how does it choose who to trust, which brands to surface, and who gets left out completely?

We're joined by Chris Donnelly, founder of Searchable – an agentic AI platform that shows businesses how they’re being read, ranked and recommended by LLMs. Chris explains how these models currently pick winners, why smaller brands can still compete, and what “Generative Engine Optimisation” actually means in practice.

We also look at what this shift means for Christmas shopping, how retailers should prepare their data and content for AI-driven discovery, and what the future of search might look like over the next few years.

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