Guide
How Perplexity recommends products
Perplexity reads far more sources per answer than ChatGPT or Google. Here is what it says about its shopping results, what we saw in 264 real answers, and what you can work on.
01
The short version
Perplexity reads far more sources per answer than ChatGPT or Google, and in our data it leaned heavily on retailers. Shopify stores that sell to the US are part of its product data.
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Perplexity shows product cards on shopping questions and says they "aren't sponsored".
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Its shopping results draw on integrations including Shopify, covering Shopify stores "that sell and ship to the US".
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In our data, Perplexity cited about five times as many sources per answer as ChatGPT, and retailers like Amazon, Target and Ulta were its most-cited sites.
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To be read, allow PerplexityBot in your robots.txt and make sure your firewall doesn't block it.
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Perplexity agreed with Google least of all: on the same question and day, they shared no brand in most cases.
02
What Perplexity says
Perplexity explained its shopping results when it launched them in November 2024. It hasn't published how it ranks products.
Product cards on shopping questions
Answers come with "product cards showing the most relevant items", which Perplexity calls "unbiased recommendations, tailored to your search by our AI".
Shopify data behind them
The experience "is powered by platform integrations including Shopify", covering "Shopify-powered businesses globally that sell and ship to the US".
A merchant program for large retailers
A free program lets large retailers share product specs. Perplexity says richer details help it "better determine if a product is high quality and relevant to a user's query".
Separate from ads
The merchant program "is distinct from and unrelated to" Perplexity's sponsored questions.
The takeaway
Perplexity's own words point at the same thing as everyone else's: product details it can read and match to the question.
03
What we saw in 264 answers
We collected 264 Perplexity answers to one small UK skincare brand's buyer questions and counted every product and source.
sources cited per Perplexity answer, against 3.9 in ChatGPT and 3.8 in Google AI Overviews.
It reads widelySource: Produkto data, Sep 18 to Oct 8, 2026of Perplexity answers cited Amazon. Target (21%), Ulta (20%) and Etsy (19%) followed.
Retailers leadSource: Produkto dataof answers named at least one specific product, about four when they did.
About half name productsSource: Produkto data ChatGPT |  Perplexity |  Google AI Overviews | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sources cited per answer | 3.9 | 19.7 | 3.8 |
| Different sites cited | 205 | 465 | 275 |
| Products per answer (when any) | 3.9 | 3.6 | 2.1 |
| Same brand ranked first when asked again | 42% | 53% | 15% |
| Most-cited site | A dermatology association | Amazon | YouTube |
Two things stand out. Perplexity spreads its reading across many more sites, so there are more ways in. And it cited US retailers heavily even though the brand is in the UK. This is one brand in one category over three weeks, so check it against your own questions. For the full data, see what 856 real answers show.
04
Let Perplexity read your site
Perplexity uses two visitors. Only one of them follows robots.txt.
| Visitor | What it does | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| PerplexityBot | Finds and links websites in Perplexity's search results. Perplexity says it's "not used to crawl content for AI foundation models". | Allowed in robots.txt and not blocked by your firewall |
| Perplexity-User | Visits a page when a user's question needs it. Because a person asked, it "generally ignores robots.txt rules". | Not blocked by your firewall |
Shopify's default robots.txt doesn't block either one. If you use Cloudflare or another firewall in front of a custom site, Perplexity publishes its IP ranges and the rules to allow them.
05
What you can work on
Because Perplexity reads so many sources, what other sites say about your products carries a lot of weight.
Sell and ship to the US
Perplexity's Shopify integration covers stores that sell and ship to the US. Check your Shopify Markets settings if you sell from elsewhere.
Complete retailer listings
If retailers stock your products, make sure those listings carry the same facts and photos as your own page. Perplexity reads them.
Product pages that state the facts
What it is, who it's for, exact specs, honest limits. See the product page checklist.
Reviews and roundups
Magazines, review sites and health publishers were also among the most-cited sites. Being in the roundups for your category gives Perplexity another source to name you from.
An honest note
Perplexity hasn't published how it ranks products, and which changes move recommendations is still an open question. Measure your products on the same buyer questions before and after you change anything.
06
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay to appear in Perplexity's product cards?
Perplexity says its product cards aren't sponsored. Its ads, called sponsored questions, are a separate product.
Are Shopify stores included in Perplexity shopping?
Perplexity says its shopping results are powered by integrations including Shopify, for Shopify stores that sell and ship to the US.
Should I block PerplexityBot?
Only if you don't want to appear in Perplexity. Perplexity says PerplexityBot is for search results and not for training AI models.
Does Perplexity recommend the same products as ChatGPT or Google?
Not often. In our data, same-day Perplexity and Google AI Overview answers to the same question shared no brand 76% of the time, and Perplexity and ChatGPT shared none 53% of the time.
How do I check if Perplexity recommends my products?
Ask your buyer questions without your brand name, several times, and record which products it names. Here's a step-by-step way to do it. Produkto tracks Perplexity daily for every product in a Shopify catalog.
Sources (3)
- Perplexity, Shop like a Pro: Perplexity's new AI-powered shopping assistant, November 2024, read October 26, 2026.
- Perplexity docs, Perplexity Crawlers, read October 26, 2026.
- Produkto, How AI recommends products: what 856 real answers show. 264 Perplexity answers, September 18 to October 8, 2026.
See which of your products AI recommends
Produkto measures your whole Shopify catalog in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, and shows who AI picks instead.