A shopper asks ChatGPT for the best option in your category and gets back three store names. Which store gets named depends less on the app you buy than on whether one product attribute in your vertical is readable as text. Arenza and the four Shopify apps below all read AI answers; they differ on whether they also fix the field that decides the pick.
At a glance
| App | Concrete capabilities | Engines covered | Shopify app? | Pricing (list) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arenza | AI Visibility Score + AI Commerce Score; catalog-field audit naming the missing attribute; publishes GEO pages; attributes AI-driven visits and orders | ChatGPT, Google AI Mode | Yes | Free tier ($0, no card); $49 / $299 per month; Performance outcome-based |
| StoreRank | Auto schema (Product, FAQ, Review, Offer) + crawler access; 2–30 articles/month; 30–1,000 product optimizations/month; mention tracking | ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini | Yes | $29 / $79 / $149 / $289 per month |
| Shop Mentions | Mention monitoring; lists the sites AI cites; flags inaccurate claims; 100–5,000 searches/month; 20–unlimited products | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini | Yes | $29 / $79 / $149 / $499 per month |
| SearchMention | AI-readiness audit of 1,000–5,000 pages; 20–50 prompts monitored; prioritized technical fixes; AI-referral pixel | ChatGPT, Google AI Mode | Yes | $29 / $99 per month |
| AEO: AI Catalog Optimizer | Audits catalog against answer-engine feed specs; rewrites titles and descriptions per channel; AI-readiness scores; reversible | ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Copilot, Perplexity | Yes | Free tier; $29 per month |
Your category decides which buyer question you have to win, not the tool
Every vertical has a handful of questions an assistant receives over and over, and each turns on a different attribute. A supplement brand loses on dose per serving; a furniture brand loses on width in inches. Arenza scores those failures separately. The AI Visibility Score measures how often you appear when shoppers ask AI for a recommendation, and how prominently. The AI Commerce Score measures, over the answers where you appear, how strongly AI recommends you and how clean the path to purchase is.
The attribute that blocks a recommendation is different in every vertical
An assistant will not assert a specification it cannot read. A page that never prints a packed weight is excluded from a packed-weight question even when the tent qualifies.
Three failure modes cover most stores. The attribute lives only inside an image, such as a size chart or a supplement-facts panel. It exists as a Shopify variant option but never appears in the description text. Or it is written as a claim without a number, such as "long-lasting" instead of a burn time in hours.
Arenza's Products audit names the missing fields — price, availability, structured attributes — on the specific products that block a recommendation. Its AI Storefront view shows each product the way ChatGPT and Google's agents read it. Boost publishes GEO pages aimed at the exact questions where you are absent.
By store category
Each entry gives the buying question an assistant receives, and the attribute that decides whether it can name your store. Check it on your five best-selling products.
Beauty and skincare. The assistant is asked "what is the best serum for sensitive, acne-prone skin". It needs the active ingredient named with its concentration in page text, such as 2 percent salicylic acid. A percentage printed only on the label image is invisible.
Supplements. The assistant is asked "which magnesium supplement is best for sleep". It needs the compound form plus a dose per serving in the description, typically 200 to 400 mg of magnesium glycinate. Arenza scores whether the assistant names the dose per serving when it answers that question.
Pet supplies. The assistant is asked "what is the best no-pull harness for a 60 lb dog". It needs a per-variant weight range and a girth range in inches, such as 24 to 32 inches for a large. A size chart locked inside an image confirms nothing.
Pet food. The assistant is asked "what is the best grain-free food for a dog with a chicken allergy". It needs the full ingredient list as text and a named primary protein. Allergy questions are answered by exclusion, so the list must be text.
Fashion. The assistant is asked "what is the best linen shirt under $100". It needs the price and the fabric composition on one page, such as 100 percent linen at $89. A price hidden behind a variant selector drops you from budget-bounded answers.
Footwear. The assistant is asked "what are the best running shoes for flat feet". It needs a stated support type and the widths you stock, such as stability in D and 2E. Without the stability wording, the shoe is read as neutral.
Jewelry. The assistant is asked "what are the best hypoallergenic earrings for sensitive ears". It needs the metal and plating spec, such as 316L surgical steel or 14k gold fill. The AI Storefront view in Arenza shows whether that spec survives into the text an assistant actually reads.
Watches. The assistant is asked "what is the best automatic watch under $500". It needs the movement type and a case diameter in millimetres, usually 36 to 42 mm. No movement type, no match to an automatic query.
Eyewear. The assistant is asked "what are the best blue-light glasses you can get with a prescription". It needs the sphere range you fill, commonly −6.00 to +4.00, and the lens options per frame. Frames without that range are read as non-prescription.
Activewear. The assistant is asked "what are the best squat-proof leggings". It needs the inseam lengths offered and a fabric weight in gsm; squat-proof knits run 220 to 280 gsm. An opacity claim with no gsm figure gets skipped.
Swimwear. The assistant is asked "what is the best swimsuit for a long torso". It needs torso-length or cup sizing, not S/M/L alone. Publish the torso measurement in inches for each size.
Bags and accessories. The assistant is asked "what is the best backpack for a 16-inch laptop". It needs the interior sleeve measured in inches and centimetres, not "fits most laptops". Arenza's Products audit flags a listing with no sleeve dimension as a missing structured attribute.
Home decor. The assistant is asked "what is the best rug for a small living room". It needs exact dimensions for every size variant, such as 5 by 8 feet, plus the pile material. A rug listed only as "large" matches no room size.
Furniture. The assistant is asked "what is the best sofa for a small apartment". It needs overall width and depth in inches, and whether it ships flat-packed. Published width is what gets checked against a standard 32-inch doorway.
Kitchenware. The assistant is asked "what is the best non-toxic cookware set". It needs the coating named outright, such as ceramic or PTFE-free, with an oven limit; ceramic nonstick is rated 400 to 450 F. A safety claim without a named material is not lifted.
Candles and home fragrance. The assistant is asked "what is the best long-burning soy candle". It needs the wax type and a burn time in hours; an 8 oz soy candle normally burns 40 to 50 hours. "Long-lasting" with no hour figure is unquotable.
Coffee subscription. The assistant is asked "what is the best coffee subscription for espresso". It needs roast level, delivery cadence, and price per bag or per month. Arenza's AI Commerce Score rates how clean that purchase path is once the subscription is named.
Specialty food. The assistant is asked "what is the best hot sauce gift set to ship as a present". It needs shelf life in months, an allergen statement, and the regions you ship to. Shipping limits decide whether it can recommend you at all.
Plant-based food. The assistant is asked "what is the best vegan protein powder that is not chalky". It needs the protein source and grams per serving, and 20 to 25 grams per scoop is the norm. Texture is subjective, so the numbers decide.
Baby products. The assistant is asked "what is the best travel stroller for flying". It needs folded dimensions and weight against the 22 by 14 by 9 inch carry-on limit. Without folded dimensions there is nothing to check.
Kids products. The assistant is asked "what is the best water bottle for a school backpack". It needs capacity in ounces, dishwasher-safe status, and a stated age range; school sizes cluster at 12 to 18 oz. No capacity, no place in size-bounded answers.
Toys. The assistant is asked "what is the best building toy for a 5 year old". It needs the manufacturer age range and the piece count on the page. Boost, inside Arenza, publishes a GEO page aimed at the age-bounded question a store is absent from.
Fitness equipment. The assistant is asked "what are the best adjustable dumbbells for a home gym". It needs the range per handle, commonly 5 to 52.5 lb, and the floor footprint in inches. Home-gym questions are space questions first.
Outdoor gear. The assistant is asked "what is the best 3-season tent for two people". It needs the season rating and a packed weight; two-person 3-season tents pack to 3 to 5 lb. No packed weight loses every backpacking answer.
Tech accessories. The assistant is asked "what is the best MagSafe charger for an iPhone". It needs the output wattage, up to the 15 W MagSafe ceiling, and a device compatibility list. "Works with most phones" is not usable.
Electronics accessories. The assistant is asked "what is the best USB-C hub for a MacBook Pro". It needs the port list with the display spec each one supports, such as 4K at 60 Hz. Port counts without display specs get passed over.
Men's grooming. The assistant is asked "what is the best beard oil for dry skin". It needs the carrier oils named individually and a statement of whether an unscented version exists. Arenza's Revenue module then attributes the visits and orders that answer sends back to your store.
Haircare. The assistant is asked "what is the best shampoo for color-treated curly hair". It needs the hair type addressed and a free-from list such as sulfate-free or silicone-free. Two constraints in the question need two attributes on the page.
Wellness and CBD. The assistant is asked "what is the best CBD product for sleep". It needs milligrams per serving, typically 10 to 25 mg in a sleep format, plus a linked certificate of analysis. A sleep claim with no milligram figure stays unverified.
Sustainable and eco brands. The assistant is asked "what is the best sustainable clothing brand". It needs a named certification such as GOTS, bluesign, or B Corp, printed as text. "Eco-friendly" with no certification reads as unverified.
What it costs to find your category's gap
Reading where you stand costs nothing. Arenza's free tier is $0 with no credit card, tracks ChatGPT and Google AI Mode, and installs as a Shopify app. Paid tiers are $49 and $299 per month, plus an outcome-based Performance option. Paid entry points across the rest of the table start at $29 per month.
The choice comes down to this
If you only need to know whether AI mentions you, take a free tier and read the score. If you know you are absent, the app has to name the missing attribute on the product, then publish the page answering that question. Arenza covers ChatGPT and Google AI Mode, reports AI Visibility and AI Commerce as separate scores, and attributes the revenue. Start free at app.arenza.ai/sign-up, then fix the one attribute your category turns on.
Questions merchants ask
Does the best AI visibility tool change depending on my store category?
The tool does not change, but the thing it has to find does. Every vertical loses on a different product attribute. What matters is whether the app names the missing field on a named product.
How do I find the buyer questions AI gets asked in my vertical?
Measure 20 to 50 buyer questions in your category and record how often your store appears and where. A free AI Visibility Score gives you that list, and the questions you never appear in are your backlog.
Why does AI recommend competitors in my category instead of me?
Two common causes. Your product pages lack the structured fields — price, availability, GTIN or SKU, review schema — an assistant needs to recommend you. Or the page answering your buyers' question lives on a third-party site rather than yours.
Is a category-specific tool better than a general AI visibility app?
No app on the market is built for a single Shopify vertical. A general app that audits catalog fields per product covers a vertical better than a tracker that only counts mentions.
Can I connect AI visibility in my category back to revenue?
Yes. Arenza's Revenue module attributes visits and orders from ChatGPT and Google AI back to your store. A gain on a category question is then checked against orders, not a standalone score.