# Lantern > Lantern is an AI visibility platform for ecommerce brands. Lantern tracks how > ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity describe and recommend a brand, > forecasts where that visibility is heading, and ranks the changes that move it. Lantern works on Agentic Commerce Optimization (ACO): the practice of making a brand's product data, content, and external signals legible to AI shopping assistants. Lantern connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce (Magento), BigCommerce, Squarespace, and Wix. Lantern measures three things. Whether AI assistants mention a brand in shopping answers. Which sources those assistants cite when they answer. How the brand compares to named competitors on both. Lantern publishes its scoring methods in full, linked below. ## Product - [Product overview](https://lantern.is/product): AI visibility platform: see where you rank in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Alexa, and track AI revenue. - [AI visibility](https://lantern.is/ai-visibility): AI visibility tracking and AEO for ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and more. Lantern tracks where your brand and competitors appear in AI answers. - [ChatGPT shopping](https://lantern.is/chatgpt-shopping): Your Lantern agent gets your brand recommended in ChatGPT shopping and tracks the traffic and revenue ChatGPT sends. Start free. - [Fixes and content](https://lantern.is/fixes-and-content): Lantern drafts AEO content and ranks the fixes that get your products recommended over the competition. - [AI traffic and revenue](https://lantern.is/ai-attribution): Your Lantern agent tracks AI traffic, the visits each AI assistant sends, and the orders and revenue that AI traffic brings in for each product. - [Claude plugin](https://lantern.is/claude-plugin): Claude and Codex plugins for ecommerce: your own agent runs Lantern and tells you where your products rank in AI search and how to beat the competition. - [Ecommerce brands](https://lantern.is/ecommerce-brands): Lantern tracks what ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity say about your store and counts the AI orders by product. - [Agencies and Enterprise](https://lantern.is/agencies-and-enterprise): Run AI visibility across every client brand. Lantern tracks share of answers, drafts fixes, and reports revenue from AI assistants. Book a demo. - [Pricing](https://lantern.is/pricing): Plans, limits, and the free trial. - [Agentic commerce guide](https://lantern.is/agentic-commerce): Agentic commerce: AI shopping agents choose products. UCP checkout is live and Coach sells inside Gemini. The recommendation decides the sale. ## Methodology - [What repeated AI answers reveal about brand visibility](https://lantern.is/resources/sampling-on-the-bubble): Explore 91 recorded answers to see how brand appearances vary and why useful visibility checks need more than a single response. ## Guides - [What AI-referred shoppers need from a product landing page](https://lantern.is/resources/ai-referred-shoppers-product-landing-page): Review the journey from an AI recommendation to the exact product, variant and available offer. Includes checks for stale links, missing details and substitutions. - [How to scope an AI shopping pilot before buying software](https://lantern.is/resources/scope-ai-shopping-pilot-before-buying-software): Define the shopping task, required evidence, ownership and cost before choosing AI commerce software. Includes a worked pilot brief and vendor demo questions. - [How to write ChatGPT ads for a specific buying need](https://lantern.is/resources/write-chatgpt-ads-specific-buying-need): Build ChatGPT ads around a concrete customer need, support each claim on the landing page, and use distinct creative angles. Includes a worked retail example. - [How ChatGPT finds information for brand recommendations](https://lantern.is/resources/how-chatgpt-decides-which-brands-to-recommend): Andrew Lissimore explains how learned knowledge, live retrieval and product feeds shape shopping answers, and what a merchant can actually verify. - [How to read Google Search Console's AI performance reports](https://lantern.is/resources/google-search-console-ai-reports): Understand what Google's AI reports measure, how Search differs from Discover, and why page impressions are different from brand mentions or sales. - [Make product pages useful to shoppers and AI assistants](https://lantern.is/resources/ai-legible-pdps): A worked product-page example covers visible specifications, valid structured data, provider-specific feeds and tests for variant, price and availability consistency. - [Understand your brand’s presence in AI answers](https://lantern.is/resources/brand-ai-health-scoring): Read brand mentions, recommendation position and cited sources together to identify discovery gaps and choose the next useful improvement. - [Turn AI citation evidence into useful content improvements](https://lantern.is/resources/citation-score-methodology): Use the pages cited in AI answers to find missing evidence, correct product facts and prioritize content that helps buyers make a decision. - [Write product comparisons buyers can verify](https://lantern.is/resources/comparison-content-citations): Build fair comparison pages with dated sources, consistent criteria and explicit tradeoffs. A worked example shows how to answer a buyer's constraint. - [A 30-day plan for accurate brand information beyond your website](https://lantern.is/resources/external-signals-30-day-plan): Audit profiles, correct conflicting facts and pursue useful independent coverage. Separate tasks you control from editorial decisions and AI visibility outcomes. - [How to use weekly AI visibility changes](https://lantern.is/resources/industry-changes-diff): Review changing mentions, recommendations and citations in context, then choose a specific action supported by the underlying answers. ## Background - [Why one AI answer is never enough to measure brand visibility](https://lantern.is/resources/why-one-ai-answer-is-never-enough): A single recommendation is one observation. Learn how to compare repeated AI answers without confusing an omission, a missing result or a changed sample. - [AI shopping and agentic commerce, explained](https://lantern.is/resources/agentic-commerce-primer): Understand the difference between an AI recommendation, a prepared cart and an authorized purchase, with a practical product-data checklist for merchants. ## News - [AI shopping agents are already visiting stores, and Walmart and BigCommerce just let them in](https://lantern.is/resources/ai-shopping-agents-are-already-visiting-stores): Requests from AI agents that browse stores for shoppers rose from 12.5 million in August to 58.2 million in September 2026, and on October 21 Walmart and BigCommerce opened the door to them. - [Shopify hands the catalog to AI agents while shoppers still verify before buying](https://lantern.is/resources/shopify-hands-the-catalog-to-ai-agents-while-shoppers-still-verify-before-buying): Since October 13, 2026, any AI agent can search Shopify's catalog and check out with Shop Pay. A survey the next day found nine in ten AI shoppers check a recommendation elsewhere before buying. - [Gen X shoppers still start at Google, Walmart and Amazon, with AI in a supporting role](https://lantern.is/resources/gen-x-shoppers-still-start-at-google-walmart-and-amazon): Half of Gen X shoppers who researched online started at Google and about four in ten at Walmart or Amazon, while ChatGPT and Gemini each reached about one in five, PYMNTS Intelligence found. - [AI shopping has two gates: product data and agent checkout](https://lantern.is/resources/ai-shopping-has-two-gates-product-data-and-agent-checkout): Algolia bought a product data company on October 6, 2026, and Forter launched checkout controls for AI agents on October 13. An AI-assisted sale has to clear both. - [AI shopping splits into a paid track and an access-gated track](https://lantern.is/resources/ai-shopping-splits-into-a-paid-track-and-an-access-gated-track): Jefferies found a third of leading US shopping and travel sites block Meta's Muse agent, while ChatGPT Ads tripled its advertiser count between August 31 and October 9, 2026. - [ChatGPT referrals show up in GA4, and most shoppers still want to buy for themselves](https://lantern.is/resources/track-chatgpt-referrals-ga4-shoppers-cautious-ai-purchases): A GA4 filter isolates the visitors ChatGPT sends your store and the pages they land on. A YouGov survey says most of them want AI to compare and find, and plan to buy themselves. - [Shopify shows AI shopping agents your markdowns, and Amex proposes cover for agent errors](https://lantern.is/resources/shopify-compare-at-prices-ai-agents-amex-purchase-protection): Shopify now shares compare-at prices with AI shopping agents, and American Express has proposed protection for charges an AI agent makes in error. Both turn a default into a decision. - [ChatGPT ads stay unproven for the holidays while AI checkout tools arrive](https://lantern.is/resources/chatgpt-ads-unproven-holidays-ai-checkout-tools): Advertisers are keeping holiday budgets on Meta and Google while ChatGPT ads stay in testing. Two October 8 launches make orders placed by AI assistants easier to complete and to vet. - [Checkout inside AI is live; merchant fraud checks are the next test](https://lantern.is/resources/checkout-inside-ai-is-live-merchant-fraud-checks-are-the-next-test): On October 8, 2026, Newegg switched on Universal Commerce Protocol checkout inside Google's Gemini app and AI Mode in Search. - [The agent infrastructure race now has a storefront test](https://lantern.is/resources/the-agent-infrastructure-race-now-has-a-storefront-test): On October 5, DaVinci Commerce announced an expansion of its Agentic Commerce Experience Platform, introducing patent-pending Product Context Memory and a new… - [AI discovery adoption hits 58.4M; merchants lag on AI platform handoff](https://lantern.is/resources/ai-discovery-adoption-hits-58-4m-merchants-lag-on-ai-platform-handoff): PYMNTS reports that 58.4 million U.S. adults now begin online retail research with AI, up 18% since June. - [Checkout moved inside the AI assistant on October 5, and the recommendation now decides the sale](https://lantern.is/resources/checkout-moved-inside-the-ai-assistant-on-october-5-and-the-recommendation-now-decides-the-sale): On October 5, 2026, TikTok launched an AI Shopping Assistant with a new in-app checkout feature that lets users buy directly from brands. - [AI shopping is still a question of which brand gets named](https://lantern.is/resources/ai-shopping-is-still-a-question-of-which-brand-gets-named): On 29 September 2026, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller told Sibos in Miami that AI shopping changes what banks must authenticate. - [The AI shelf is consolidating, and the payment layer is being formalized](https://lantern.is/resources/the-ai-shelf-is-consolidating-and-the-payment-layer-is-being-formalized): On October 2, Lightspeed Commerce published an analysis of 460,000 AI shopping responses across ChatGPT and Google's AI products. - [AI shopping now has a conversion premium and a checkout button](https://lantern.is/resources/ai-shopping-now-has-a-conversion-premium-and-a-checkout-button): Adobe's holiday forecast puts a revenue number on AI traffic for the first time at this scale. - [DoorDash now texts carts; Mastercard now scores agent payments](https://lantern.is/resources/doordash-now-texts-carts-mastercard-now-scores-agent-payments): On September 30, 2026, DoorDash launched a text-to-order AI agent inside Apple Messages. - [Commerce adds BigCommerce and Feedonomics product enrichment](https://lantern.is/resources/commerce-product-data-enrichment-bigcommerce-feedonomics): Commerce’s new enrichment tools generate product copy and catalog fields. Retailers still need to check each claim against the product they sell. - [Shopify adds browser-agent checkout with buyer confirmation](https://lantern.is/resources/shopify-browser-agent-checkout-buyer-confirmation): Shopify’s WebMCP checkout support lets browser agents assist with an order and return control when the buyer’s input is needed. - [Amazon gives sellers ongoing AI workflows with approval controls](https://lantern.is/resources/amazon-seller-assistant-workflows-approval-controls): Amazon’s September Seller Assistant update brings ongoing inventory and pricing workflows. Start by checking scope, approvals and the resulting changes. - [AudioEye study links website accessibility to AI task completion](https://lantern.is/resources/ai-shopping-adoption-and-website-accessibility): AudioEye’s controlled tests found large differences in AI task completion between site versions. Retailers can use the finding to examine specific shopping obstacles. - [Coach and Kate Spade add checkout in Gemini and Google Search](https://lantern.is/resources/coach-kate-spade-gemini-google-checkout): U.S. shoppers can buy a single Coach or Kate Spade item through Google Pay in Gemini and Search. The launch makes product and order clarity central to the experience. - [Consumers expect AI to handle 15% of purchases within five years](https://lantern.is/resources/consumer-expectations-for-ai-purchases-rise-to-15): Global Payments reports rising expectations for AI-assisted purchases. The survey also points to a need for clear payment approval. - [Six banks propose principles for buyer control in AI shopping](https://lantern.is/resources/six-banks-publish-trust-principles-for-ai-agents-in-commerce): Six banks published voluntary principles for AI-assisted commerce. Retailers can use them to ask clearer questions about approval, choice and order support. - [Amazon blocks Meta’s Muse shopping assistant](https://lantern.is/resources/amazon-meta-muse-shopping-access): Amazon confirmed blocking Muse in September. Retailers evaluating an assistant should check which stores it can access and where the buyer takes over. - [Five practical tests for AI product discovery](https://lantern.is/resources/practical-ecommerces-five-test-guide-for-ai-discovery): Use identification, proof, verification, evidence and shopping checks to find product-data gaps before an AI assistant sends a buyer elsewhere. - [Pinterest announces Visual Search Ads beta](https://lantern.is/resources/pinterest-visual-search-ads-beta): Pinterest’s Visual Search Ads beta adds placements around visual discovery. Retailers should confirm access and test how well the advertised product matches the landing page. - [Google expands Merchant Center AI reporting to five markets](https://lantern.is/resources/google-merchant-center-ai-performance-insights): Google’s September 16 update separates available performance reporting from U.S. betas and checkout features still rolling out. - [Mastercard: teens show more interest in AI shopping than parents](https://lantern.is/resources/mastercard-teen-parent-ai-shopping-survey): A parent-and-teen survey across Europe and Israel finds greater teen interest in AI shopping. Product comparisons still need specific, verifiable answers. - [Visa survey finds AI assistant use ahead of payment trust](https://lantern.is/resources/visa-ai-assistant-payment-trust-survey): Visa’s U.S. survey separates using an AI assistant from trusting one to pay. A checkout pilot should make the buyer’s approval clear. - [Amazon Ads opens a U.S. pilot for advertising in ChatGPT](https://lantern.is/resources/amazon-ads-chatgpt-advertising-pilot): Selected U.S. advertisers can extend Amazon Ads campaigns to ChatGPT in a pilot. Paid placements and organic AI recommendations remain separate. - [UCP adds a payments council as AI checkout expands](https://lantern.is/resources/ucp-payments-council-ai-checkout): UCP’s September payments council adds industry participation. Retailers still need to verify which checkout capabilities their chosen service supports. - [Instacart’s Clementine turns grocery requests into carts](https://lantern.is/resources/instacart-clementine-ai-grocery-carts): Instacart’s September 9 launch makes store availability and pack size practical checks for brands reviewing AI-generated grocery carts. - [Bain: 24% of online holiday shoppers plan to start with AI in 2026](https://lantern.is/resources/bain-holiday-2026-ai-shopping-forecast): Bain’s holiday survey points to more AI-assisted product discovery. Gift pages need clear answers about suitability, price and delivery. - [Walmart reports 35% higher order values among Sparky users](https://lantern.is/resources/walmart-sparky-order-values-complete-basket): Walmart’s reported Sparky order values raise a practical question for retailers: can an AI assistant help shoppers assemble a useful, complete basket? - [AWS adds controls for retailers running their own shopping assistants](https://lantern.is/resources/aws-shopping-assistant-retailer-controls): AWS’s September 26 update adds configuration history, catalog controls and cart features, giving retailers specific operating capabilities to evaluate. - [Mastercard adds 22 startups to its AI commerce program](https://lantern.is/resources/mastercard-ai-commerce-cohort-order-verification): Mastercard’s September cohort spans payments, identity and merchant connections. Retailers should test how buyer approval connects to a fulfilled order. > Full text of every article above: https://lantern.is/llms-full.txt ## Daily briefing Lantern publishes a daily editorial briefing on AI-driven discovery and agentic commerce, written for marketing and ecommerce leaders at consumer brands and for the agencies that serve them. Each piece explains what changed and what a brand should watch, test, or do about it. - [Resources index](https://lantern.is/resources): Every Lantern article, briefing pieces included. - [Sitemap](https://lantern.is/sitemap.xml): Every published page with its last modification date, which is where the newest briefing articles appear first. - [RSS feed](https://lantern.is/resources/feed.xml): Every published briefing article in reverse chronological order, machine readable. ## Optional - [Changelog](https://lantern.is/changelog): New features and improvements to Lantern, in the order we shipped them. - [Contact](https://lantern.is/contact): Get in touch with the Lantern team. - [Privacy policy](https://lantern.is/privacy): How Lantern handles data. - [Terms](https://lantern.is/terms): Terms governing use of Lantern.