🏆 Discover Which Brands Are Winning (& Losing) the AI Search War… and Why.

The way consumers discover and buy products is being redefined- not by influencers, not by search engines, but by generative AI.

From ChatGPT to Perplexity to Gemini, today’s AI assistants are becoming the ultimate product recommendation engines, a new form of word-of-mouth. They’re shaping not just what consumers see, but what they trust and buy.

Our team at Avenue Z just released the most comprehensive DTC industry benchmark report ever on this topic:  The AI Visibility Index: Beauty Edition (2025)

🚨 Why This Report Matters

• 92% of prompts on Perplexity now trigger AI-powered shopping suggestions.

• Only 25% of cited sources in AI responses are owned by brands.

• "Viral" and "Top-Rated" brands outperform legacy brand recognition.

• Brands like Rare Beauty, Olaplex, and amika are dominating- while many heritage names are invisible.

This isn’t just an SEO update. It’s a visibility revolution where arbitragers will win, at least in the short term. The platforms that once favored domain authority now reward ubiquity, sentiment, and third-party validation.

🧠 Inside the Report

We analyzed over 100+ real-world beauty shopping prompts and tracked 60 of the biggest beauty brands across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews- daily -for months. We then ranked them using our proprietary Z-Score framework, combining:

• AI Search platform mentions (AI Search “visibility”)

• Brand sentiment

• Shopping assistant appearances (AI Shopping)

• Citation frequency

• Technical SEO signals

🧬 Key Takeaways for CMOs & Growth Leads

• AI Shopping is happening now. 1 in 4 ChatGPT queries and nearly all Perplexity queries surface shopping modules.

• Media matters. Third party mentions are disproportionately cited.

• Sentiment drives inclusion. Brands with favorable sentiment online are far more likely to appear.

🔍 Curious Where Your Brand Stands?

Whether you’re a growth-stage DTC disruptor or a global conglomerate, this report shows how AI models really see you. And more importantly, how to move up the ranks.

What are the Acronyms Commonly Used When Referencing AI Search Optimization?

AIO & AISO: AI Search Optimization

LLMO: Large Language Model Optimization

GEO: Generative Engine Optimization

PEO: Perplexity Engine Optimization

SGVO: Search-Generated Visibility Optimization

AEO: Answer Engine Optimization

While confusingly used interchangeably, the industry is tossing around new terms everyday and we’ll see what sticks. Personally, I like AIO. It’s clean and direct. But when you hear any of these, they’re all referencing AI Search Optimization.

Next Up?

This is our first of many ecommerce industry reports. Our next vertical will be in the health & wellness space with a focus on supplements & nutrition.

Publicly Traded Companies Featured in this Report:

$LRLCY ( ▼ 1.74% ) : L’Oreal

$EL ( ▲ 2.35% ) : Estee Lauder Companies

$PG ( ▼ 0.75% ) : Proctor & Gamble

$LVMH ( 0.0% ) : Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy

$UL ( ▼ 2.02% ) : Unilever

$ELF ( ▲ 0.07% ) : E.L.F Beauty

$SHOP ( ▲ 1.94% ) : Shopify

$CRM ( ▲ 0.42% ) : Salesforce

$BIGC ( ▼ 0.77% ) : BigCommerce

What I’m Listening to 🎧

Beats of the Week: ‪Tripolism @ Nørrebro Street Party | Copenhagen

These guys are electric. I saw them live in NYC a few weeks ago and it may very well have been the best live set I’ve ever witnessed. Remember their name, they’ll be rising the global ranks of best artists this year.

You’re reading In The Snow, by Jonathan Snow.

This is where operators, media buyers, and digital execs stay ahead of the curve.

Feel free to reply directly with any thoughts or feedback.