How to get your business recommended by AI

By: Niyati Budhiraja

Social and Community Engagement Specialist

September 11, 2026

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How to get your business recommended by AI

TL;DR

AI is changing how customers discover, compare and shortlist products before they reach your store

Shoppers use AI to compare options, check prices, summarize reviews and get recommendations

Trust still matters: Canadians want useful assistance while keeping control of the final decision

Help your business get found with accurate product data, clear descriptions, useful answers and visible trust signals

Your next customer may ask an artificial intelligence tool what to buy before they ever search for your business. If your product information is incomplete or unclear, you may be left out of the answer. An Omnisend survey of more than 1,000 Canadians found that 56 per cent already use generative artificial intelligence for shopping tasks. Your customers are changing how they find, compare and buy. The question is whether your business shows up when they do.

Why this shift matters for your business right now

AI is no longer only a back-end tool. It now sits near the front of the buying journey. Research presented by the Retail Council of Canada and Environics Analytics shows that AI is already helping Canadian shoppers understand product features, compare options and find better prices. The influence starts earlier than you think. Accenture research found 51 per cent of Canadians expect at least half of their spending over the next 12 months to be influenced by AI. As Accenture's Suzana Colic puts it, parents now use AI to compare prices, build lists and narrow options before they enter a store, which moves the point of influence earlier in the journey.

This breaks the old linear funnel. Shoppers now move in a loop where research feeds inspiration and AI sits in the middle. If your products are hard for AI to read, you lose visibility before the sale starts.

How Canadians are actually shopping with AI

The behaviour is measurable and it is growing fast.

Weekly use is mainstream.

A Canada-wide Léger study found one in four consumers uses AI every week. Among shoppers aged 18 to 34, adoption climbs to 57 per cent.

AI is becoming a bigger part of holiday shopping.

Ahead of Black Friday, a KPMG survey found that many Canadians planned to use AI to browse for deals, check stock and read review summaries before choosing where to shop.

Back-to-school planning starts with AI.

A Retail Council of Canada and Caddle survey found 44 per cent of Canadian parents are already using or are very interested in using AI tools to build shopping lists, compare prices and decide where to shop. Another 17 per cent said they'd consider it if it clearly saved time or money.

Search habits are shifting.

In the same Omnisend study, 26 per cent of Canadians said ChatGPT beats Google for product research. For a growing share of buyers, a conversational assistant is the first stop, not a search engine.

How to get your business recommended by AI

What Canadians want AI to do for them

Shoppers are specific about where AI adds value. The Léger study found the top motivations are comparing products or brands (32 per cent), understanding the differences between similar options (24 per cent), getting personalized recommendations (23 per cent) and summarizing reviews (21 per cent).

Shoppers also value relevant experiences. A 2025 report found that many Canadian consumers expect retailers to anticipate their needs through personalized experiences. That expectation is raising the bar. Useful recommendations can strengthen loyalty, but they should remain transparent and easy to control. Some categories benefit more than others. AI support works best for electronics, appliances, health products and home goods, where buyers want clarity and time savings. In emotional categories like fashion, keep AI in the background and let it guide personalization quietly.

The rise of the AI shopping agent

Shoppers are starting to hand tasks to AI, but on their own terms. Accenture found 61 per cent of Canadians trust a personal AI agent more than their best friend to make a purchase on their behalf. Six in 10 are open to an agent completing commerce tasks like negotiating deals, resolving complaints or renewing subscriptions, as long as they stay in control.

The line is drawn at the final purchase. Only 21 per cent would let an agent make the final buying decision within set limits like price and preference, and just 7 per cent would let AI shop fully on its own. Canadians want help, not autopilot.

The trust gap you need to close

Adoption is rising, but confidence has limits. Despite widespread use, the Omnisend survey found 87 per cent of Canadians report lingering concerns, led by privacy and data security (41 per cent), irrelevant recommendations (40 per cent) and AI misreading their preferences (37 per cent).

The hesitation grows when money is involved. The KPMG survey found 86 per cent of Canadians want to approve every step before an AI agent acts. Your customers want AI to help, not to take over.

For your business, the takeaway is clear. Build trust through transparency, easy opt-ins and a human option at checkout. Technology should support the personal touch, not replace it.

What this means for the way you sell

You do not need a big budget to respond. You need clean, structured, readable information. As Accenture's Colic notes, retailers should treat product data and service information as part of the shopping experience, not only back-end details, because the winners will make it simple for AI to evaluate their products. Here is where to focus.

Structure your product data. Structured data is a standard way to label information on a webpage so search engines and other systems can understand it. Keep prices, inventory, delivery details and return information current. Use consistent product names and categories. Include useful comparison details such as dimensions, materials, compatibility, colour and model number. Add Product schema—the structured-data format used to identify product information—with support from your e-commerce platform or web developer.

Write for clarity. Lead each product description with the core benefit. Use simple, factual sentences. Skip the sales language. AI summarizes clear content more accurately.

Turn questions into content. Build frequently asked questions and buying guides from the questions customers already ask. Cover fit, compatibility, care, delivery, returns and other decision points. Clear answers can help AI tools understand your offer and surface useful information.

Show your trust signals. Feature verified reviews, clear shipping and return policies, privacy information and an easy way to reach a person. If your business is Canadian or locally owned, make that clear where it helps customers decide.

How to get your business recommended by AI

AI is not just for your shoppers, it is for you

The same technology reshaping how customers buy can reshape how you run your business. Canadian small businesses are already seeing returns. Intuit QuickBooks found 62 per cent of small businesses now use AI at least monthly, up from 51 per cent in January 2025, most often for marketing, customer service and admin work. Nearly three in four report better productivity.

The productivity case is strong. The CFIB found digital tools boost productivity by 29 per cent on average and generate $1.60 for every dollar invested, while generative AI alone saves over an hour a day.

There is still room to move first. Statistics Canada found 12.2 per cent of businesses used AI to produce goods or deliver services in the second quarter of 2025, up from 6.1 per cent a year earlier, with 14.5 per cent planning to adopt over the next 12 months. Adoption is climbing but most businesses have not moved yet. That gap is your opportunity.

Your 30-day action plan

AI is becoming part of how Canadians discover, compare and buy. You do not need to overhaul everything at once. Focus on the information that helps customers make a confident choice.

Week one: Update your 10 most-viewed product descriptions with clear benefits, specifications and comparison details

Week two: Review prices, inventory, delivery options, return policies and contact information for accuracy

Week three: Publish answers to the questions customers ask most often and add trust signals such as verified reviews and clear privacy information

Week four: Ask your e-commerce provider or web developer about Product schema, then test how major AI tools describe your products and correct unclear source information

Author Profile

Niyati Budhiraja

Social and Community Engagement Specialist

Niyati Budhiraja is a word nerd who turns tricky business talk into fun, simple and genuinely helpful content. She writes features on inspiring Canadian businesses, crafts easy-to-follow guides and shares smart tips to help small businesses feel confident and supported. When she’s not writing or dreaming up her next blog idea, you’ll likely find her hunting down the city’s best hot chocolate.