Google’s AI Shopping Insights: What Brands Should Fix First
A shopper can ask Google’s AI a very specific question: “I need a lamp that fits on a small desk and has a replaceable bulb.” Does your product page give them the information they need?
The latest update to Google’s Merchant Center reporting can help ecommerce brands understand questions like this. Merchant Center is the platform retailers use to send their product information to Google.
What changed in Google’s report?
On 9 September 2026, Search Engine Roundtable reported three additions to Merchant Center’s AI performance insights: shoppers’ search intent, search terms and product attributes. In everyday language, these help explain what customers want to do, the words they use and the features they look for. Read the news report.
The report helps retailers understand how their products appear in Google’s AI shopping experiences, including AI Mode and AI Overviews. It does not include paid ads. Google explains the report’s scope.
Let’s look at a product example
Imagine you sell a desk lamp. Its description says: “A stylish addition to your workspace.”
That sentence leaves several buying questions unanswered. How much space does the base take up? Which bulb does it use? Can the bulb be replaced?
Adding dimensions, the bulb fitting and clear instructions makes the decision easier for the shopper. It also gives a clearer description of the product. This lamp example is illustrative; it is not a measured client result.
Where should you start?
Choose a few products in an important category instead of rewriting your whole catalogue at once. Here is the practical approach we recommend at SmartMoves:
- Collect customer questions. What do people ask before buying? Look for repeated questions about size, material, compatibility or care.
- Check whether the page answers them. Verify missing details against supplier documents or measurements of the actual product.
- Write a clear answer. Give the dimensions instead of simply saying “compact”. Never add a feature the product does not have.
- Check the information you send to Google. Your website and Merchant Center product details should agree.
Use Google’s product data specification to check which fields to use for each detail.
How will you know whether the changes helped?
Keep a simple record of the products you changed, what you added and the date. Then follow product-page visits, basket additions and sales. If your account has access to the report, track appearances in AI shopping results separately.
More visibility does not necessarily mean more sales. Price, availability, delivery times and promotions can also affect the result. Avoid attributing every increase to the new copy alone.
Is the report available in Türkiye?
Google’s documentation, checked on 10 September 2026, does not list Türkiye. It covers English queries for accounts in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India. Having an English-language website does not automatically give an account access. Check the current country coverage.
Brands in Türkiye can still review their product information using the steps above. You do not need to wait for this report: the questions your customers already ask are a useful starting point.
Will better product information guarantee an AI recommendation?
No change can guarantee that Google will recommend a particular product. What you can do is describe it accurately and make the information customers need easy to find.
This also fits with SEO: the work of helping people find your website through search engines. Google’s current guidance continues to emphasise useful content and foundational SEO for AI search. Read Google’s AI search guidance.
Sources checked on 10 September 2026. News details are attributed to their sources; the practical steps are recommendations prepared for SmartMoves.