Data Collected: Analyzed citation sources across both AI platforms to understand:

• Which domains each AI cites for shopping queries
• Retailer vs. third-party citation distribution
• How the same queries produce different source selections
• The underlying philosophy driving each platform's approach

Key Finding: Google AI Overviews cite retailers only ~4% of the time, leaning heavily on YouTube, Reddit, and editorial sources. ChatGPT cites retailers ~36% of the time — a 9x difference. The reason? Google's AIOs sit above Shopping carousels that handle transactions, so they can focus on research. ChatGPT has to serve both needs in one response.

The Citation Divide

Google AI Overviews: "The Crowd"

Top cited sources for shopping queries:

1. YouTube
2. Reddit
3. Quora
4. Amazon
5. Facebook

Retailer share of citations: ~4%

Google's AI Overviews lean heavily on user-generated content and editorial sources. YouTube product reviews, Reddit discussions, and Quora Q&A threads dominate the citation landscape for eCommerce queries.

ChatGPT: "The Store"

Top cited sources for shopping queries:

1. Amazon
2. Target
3. Walmart
4. Home Depot
5. Best Buy

Retailer share of citations: ~36%

ChatGPT's citations skew heavily toward retailers and product pages. Major marketplaces and retail sites appear at the top, with editorial and UGC sources playing a smaller role.

Same Query, Different Sources

Example: "Costco TV Sale"

Google AI Overview cites:

• Reddit (most frequent)
• YouTube
• Welcome to Costco Wholesale (third)

ChatGPT cites:

• Welcome to Costco Wholesale (most frequent)
• Scattered others

When users search for a specific retailer's deals, Google still routes them through community discussion first. ChatGPT goes directly to the source.

Example: "Best Immersion Blender"

Google AI Overview cites:

• Serious Eats
• Food & Wine
• The Spruce Eats
• CNET
• YouTube

ChatGPT cites:

• Amazon
• Consumer Reports

For research-phase queries, Google cites editorial reviews and recipe sites. ChatGPT cites the marketplace where you can buy immediately.

Why the Difference? Context Matters

Google's Advantage: The Full SERP

Google AI Overviews don't exist in isolation. They sit atop a full search results page that includes:

• Shopping carousels with product listings
• Product listing ads (PLAs)
• Organic retailer results
• Price comparisons

Because the transactional elements already exist below the AI Overview, Google can afford to make the AIO purely informational. The citation strategy reflects this: cite the crowd for research, let Shopping results handle the purchase.

ChatGPT's Reality: One Response

ChatGPT doesn't have a Shopping carousel underneath. The AI response IS the entire experience. This forces ChatGPT to serve both needs simultaneously:

• Provide helpful product information
• Give users a path to purchase

The higher retailer citation rate reflects this necessity — ChatGPT has to be both the research assistant AND the shopping guide.

What Each AI Prioritizes

Google AI Overviews Prioritize:

User-Generated Content

• YouTube product reviews and unboxings
• Reddit community discussions (r/BuyItForLife, r/Appliances, brand-specific subreddits)
• Quora Q&A threads

Editorial Reviews

• Serious Eats, Food & Wine, The Spruce Eats (kitchen products)
• Rtings, CNET, Consumer Reports (electronics)
• Wirecutter, TechRadar, Tom's Guide (tech products)

Why: Google assumes users in the AI Overview are still researching. The shopping infrastructure below handles conversion.

ChatGPT Prioritizes:

Major Retailers

• Amazon (dominant across categories)
• Target, Walmart (general merchandise)
• Home Depot, Lowe's (home improvement)
• Best Buy (electronics)

Brand Sites

• Manufacturer product pages
• Brand-specific information

Editorial (Secondary)

• Consumer Reports
• Category-specific review sites

Why: ChatGPT needs to provide a complete answer, including where to buy. Retailer citations serve that need directly.

The Philosophy Behind the Citations

Google's Approach: "What Do Real People Say?"

Google's citation pattern reveals a philosophy of objectivity through community consensus. By citing YouTube reviewers, Reddit discussions, and editorial reviews, AI Overviews position themselves as aggregators of authentic opinion.

This makes strategic sense: Google doesn't need to push users toward purchase — the Shopping results, PLAs, and retail organic listings already do that. The AIO can focus purely on being helpful for research.

ChatGPT's Approach: "Where Can You Get This?"

ChatGPT's citation pattern reveals a philosophy of utility through directness. By citing retailers and product pages, ChatGPT aims to shorten the path from question to purchase.

This also makes strategic sense: without a commercial infrastructure below the response, ChatGPT serves users best by including purchase pathways directly in the answer.

Strategic Implications for Brands

Understanding Visibility Across Platforms

The same content can surface differently depending on which AI a user asks. Brands should monitor visibility across both platforms:

On Google AI Overviews, look for:

• YouTube content citations
• Reddit/community mentions
• Editorial review coverage
• UGC and social proof signals

On ChatGPT, look for:

• Retail listing citations
• Product page references
• Marketplace presence
• Brand site mentions

Content That Works Across Both

Quality content surfaces on both platforms — but in different contexts:

• Product reviews on YouTube → Cited by Google AIOs
• Strong Amazon listings → Cited by ChatGPT
• Editorial coverage → Cited by both (Google more frequently)
• Brand product pages → Cited by ChatGPT primarily

The Monitoring Framework

Rather than building separate strategies, brands should track where their content appears:

YouTube reviews

• Google AIO Visibility: High
• ChatGPT Visibility: Low

Reddit presence

• Google AIO Visibility: High
• ChatGPT Visibility: Low

Editorial coverage

• Google AIO Visibility: High
• ChatGPT Visibility: Medium

Retail listings

• Google AIO Visibility: Low
• ChatGPT Visibility: High

Product pages

• Google AIO Visibility: Low
• ChatGPT Visibility: HighRetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.

Your content surfaces differently on each platform. Use AI search tracking tools to monitor:

• Which of your pages get cited on Google AIOs
• Which get cited on ChatGPT
• How citation patterns shift over time

Understand What Drives Citations

For Google AIO visibility:

• Invest in YouTube product content
• Engage authentically in Reddit communities
• Pursue editorial review coverage
• Create content that answers "which should I buy?" questions

For ChatGPT visibility:

• Optimize retail listings and product pages
• Ensure strong marketplace presence
• Keep product information current and comprehensive
• Maintain accurate brand site content

Let Each Platform Do Its Job

Google cites the crowd because Shopping results handle transactions. ChatGPT cites retailers because it has to do both. Your content strategy doesn't need to force either platform to behave differently — optimize your content, and each AI will use it where it fits.

Coming Next

This analysis focused on citation patterns — which sources each AI trusts for shopping queries.

Up next: Our full Black Friday and Cyber Monday post-mortem, examining how Google's AI Overview strategy evolved from 2024 to 2025 and what it signals for holiday shopping in 2026.

Technical Methodology

Data Source: BrightEdge AI Catalyst

Analysis Approach:

• eCommerce prompts analyzed across Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT
• Citation sources extracted and categorized by domain
• Domains classified by type (retailer, UGC/social, editorial, brand)
• Same prompts compared across platforms where possible
• Week-over-week citation changes tracked

Measurement Period: Holiday Shopping Season 2025

Key Takeaways

• The 4% vs. 36% Divide: Google AIOs cite retailers ~4% of the time; ChatGPT cites retailers ~36% — a 9x difference
• The Source Hierarchy: Google leads with YouTube/Reddit/Quora; ChatGPT leads with Amazon/Target/Walmart
• The Context Explanation: Google can focus on research because Shopping results handle purchase; ChatGPT has to do both
• The Same-Query Difference: Identical searches produce different source selections based on each platform's philosophy
• The Strategic Reality: Brands should monitor visibility on both platforms and understand where their content surfaces