Reference table
Retail shelf vs results page vs AI agent answer
Why shelf metrics stop working when an AI agent does the shopping. The table compares a physical shelf, a retailer results page and an AI assistant's answer on five properties: shared across shoppers, fixed positions, visible to competitors, countable impressions and reproducible on demand. The agent answer has none of them, so research has to go to the shopper instead.
Where this appears
What's in this reference table
| Property | Retail shelf | Results page | Agent answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared across shoppers | Yes | Approximately | No |
| Has a fixed number of positions | Yes | Yes | No |
| Inspectable by a competitor | Yes | Yes | Not reliably |
| Produces an impression you can count | Yes | Yes | No |
| Reproducible on demand | Yes | Roughly | No, varies with phrasing and context |
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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/retail-shelf-vs-results-page-vs-ai-agent-answer"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/retail-shelf-vs-results-page-vs-ai-agent-answer/retail-shelf-vs-results-page-vs-ai-agent-answer.png" alt="Table comparing a retail shelf, a search results page and an AI agent answer on five properties that make shelf metrics like share of search possible." width="1200" height="773" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/retail-shelf-vs-results-page-vs-ai-agent-answer">Retail shelf vs results page vs AI agent answer</a>, Koji</p>
