AI engines deliver a shortlist of trusted answers: not a scroll of blue links. Big-name competitors like Sports Direct still pour budgets into classical SEO. But for SMEs like FootAsylum: and every ambitious multichannel retailer: embracing Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) gives you a real shot at leapfrogging the giants.

Most multi-location retailers chase raw numbers. Vanity metrics that look great in reports but don't move product off shelves. The real challenge is getting the right eyeballs at the moment they're ready to buy. We wanted to prove something different: that AI-driven local visibility could explode reach while sharpening focus on high-value customers. The results exceeded expectations.

AI engines don't crawl and interpret websites the way humans do. They need structured, machine-readable data that explicitly connects products to locations. Without it, your brand doesn't exist in their world.

Most retailers chase visibility the wrong way. They try to optimize everything at once; thousands of products, hundreds of locations, dozens of platforms. The result? Scattered efforts, diluted budgets, and underwhelming returns.

The center of gravity has shifted. Discovery now happens off your website, in AI-generated answers and zero-click search results. And your store locator? It's sitting on the sidelines.

You've invested in SEO. Your website ranks. Your Google Business Profile is optimized. So why do AI shopping assistants keep recommending everyone except you?

Your customers just asked ChatGPT where to buy your product. It recommended three competitors. You weren't even mentioned. This happens thousands of times a day. Every "where can I find..." query that doesn't surface your brand is revenue walking past your door.

The empire is crumbling and most retailers don't even realize it yet. 2025 isn't just another year in retail. It's the year the old guard fell. For two decades, Amazon reigned supreme as the undisputed king of eCommerce, setting the rules that everyone else scrambled to follow. But something seismic has shifted in the digital shopping landscape, and the numbers tell a story that should terrify traditional omnichannel retailers.

The search bar is disappearing. And with it, the rules that governed visibility for the past two decades. This isn't a small shift. It's a complete rewiring of how people discover and choose where to buy.

How the world's largest retailer proved that product-location visibility isn't just about SEO, it's about unlocking revenue that's...

AI-powered search has moved beyond theory into everyday customer behavior. When shoppers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overview about products, they receive instant recommendations that bypass traditional search results entirely.

The search optimization landscape has undergone dramatic changes in 2025, with new statistics revealing how Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and traditional SEO strategies are performing. This comprehensive analysis examines the latest search marketing data, AI search statistics, and local SEO performance metrics that are reshaping digital marketing strategies worldwide.

ChatGPT launched its shopping product discovery feature, bringing AI-powered product recommendations directly into conversations with over 400 million weekly active users.