LLM Search Visibility Study · HorizonX Research · September 2026

We tested 78 Australian retailers in LLM search.
74% had zero visibility.

More Australian shoppers now ask AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity what to buy and where to buy it. We tested which retailers those assistants actually recommend, across 78 Australian retailers.

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Three ways to find out where you stand

Curious where you stand?

Start with a free self-check, get a one-page report on a product page, then see the uplift on one of your ranges.

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01Quick Self-check

Answer four quick questions using the same shopper prompts we tested.

  1. Pick your categoryand roughly your online revenue
  2. Run three real shopper questionsin ChatGPT, copied straight from our test
  3. See where you landagainst 78 retailers and your category
Free · one-page report

02AI Visibility Check

Send us one of your product pages. We check how ready it is for AI shopping answers and email you a one-page report with your top gaps.

Proof of concept

03Prove It on One Range

We prove the uplift on one of your ranges, then you decide. Book a 20-minute chat to find out more.

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What we found

74%
Zero visibility58 of 78 retailers were missing from more than half their AI answers
45%
Lost to marketplaces & department storesWhen a retailer missed out, one of these most often won instead
4%
Consistent visibilityJust 3 of 78 were reliably the AI's top two picks
The headline finding

Most Australian retailers are missing from AI shopping

We asked AI assistants the questions real shoppers ask, in plain everyday language. Then we recorded which retailers they recommended. Paid placements were not counted.

Every retailer in the study, one shopfront each

78 Australian retailers tested
Key insightOnly 3 of 78 retailers had consistent visibility: in the AI's top two in most of their answers. Nearly three in four had zero visibility, while a competitor got the recommendation and the click.

Retailers with zero visibility hold 74% of the online revenue we tested

Share of online revenue by outcome · total

Appearing is not the same as being clickable

How many retailers clear each step, across all their shopper questions
The data

Where Australian retail is falling behind

Two more views of the same 78 retailers. Every retailer is a real Australian business, kept anonymous.

When you lose the answer, who wins it instead?

The 73 retailers without consistent visibility that lost the answer to someone else, grouped by who most often won it instead.
Key insightAlmost half the time, the AI handed the answer to a marketplace or discount department store, not a global platform or the product's own brand.

Category heatmap

Outcome by category, ranked by share with zero visibility. Darker means a higher share.
3 of 78

retailers had consistent visibility, in the AI's top two in most of their answers: a heritage footwear label, a national auto parts chain and a plus-size fashion label.

Free · two minutes · runs in your browser

Quick self-check

Tell us your category and we will give you the real shopper questions we used to test it. Run them through ChatGPT yourself, tell us what came back, and see how you compare.

How the study works

FAQ

What did you test?
78 Australian retailers across 12 product categories, with online revenue from under $50M to $500M. Every retailer is a real, operating business.
Which AI assistants did you use?
Leading AI assistants that shoppers already use, including ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Every test ran in a clean, logged-out session.
Can you test my own catalogue?
Yes! You can use our Automated Store Scanner right now for an instant audit, or request a custom audit.