Beyond Keywords: How AI Product Discovery Works and Why Brands Must Adapt [DOWNLOAD]

Rob Gonzalez, co-founder and chief strategy officer and innovation officer at Salsify, wrote a guide to help brand leaders position themselves for the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in ecommerce. 

The most successful brand leaders are those who stay ahead of the curve. Excelling in the next era of the digital shelf will require a deep knowledge of AI and a willingness to adapt alongside it. 

Rob Gonzalez, Salsify co-founder and chief strategy and innovation officer, explains how brands can be at the forefront of AI innovation in his new guide, “Becoming an AI Leader: How Brands Can Stay at the Forefront of AI Innovation.”

The Future of AI in Ecommerce 

AI usage is polarizing. Some believe it's changing everything, and others believe the opposite. The truth most likely lies somewhere in the middle.

Gonzalez reassures that there’s nothing to fear: “Both AI and humans are at their best when they’re working together. This 'copilot' model enables humans to innovate, create, and supervise, while positioning AI as a tool for doing more and doing it better.”

According to Salsify’s “2026 Holiday Pulse Report," 54% of shoppers believe AI shopping tools like chatbots and gift guides would improve holiday shopping. And in a session at the 2026 Digital Shelf Summit, David Carmel, creative technologist at VML/WPP, shared that more than half of people believe AI could help solve society’s most pressing problems.

How To Stay Ahead of the Curve

Brands are benefiting already from AI’s capabilities, but the future holds so much potential. 

Gonzalez says that brands can stay ahead of the curve by: 

• Providing multiple product detail pages (PDPs) tailored to each shopper.
• Using their brand.com sites to train AI. 
• Participating in generative AI (GenAI) copilots. 
• Integrating AI into their product experience management (PXM) solutions. 

And it's not just about search engine optimization (SEO) and keyword-stuffing anymore. It's about SEO, GEO, and AEO: ensuring product content is relevant, complete, and expanded to include Q&As and additional context to satisfy AI agents answering complex shopper questions.

“If digital shelf teams prepare now by collecting the right data, training AI solutions with the right information, and partnering with leading brands to run pilot programs, they can become the leaders of this new world,” Gonzalez says.