How People will Discover your Products

How People will Discover your Products

So you’ve got a store. Great.. Are you thinking about consumer habits and how they’re moving away from traditional search? 

Noticed SEO is dead. Google shopping is dying. Their merchant centre is losing quality day by day. 

Shopping is no longer about mindlessly scrolling through menus or guessing which category hides the perfect product. It’s becoming conversational, intent-driven, and deeply personal.

• AI understands complex needs like, “I need an outfit for a beach wedding in June,” and curates personalised solutions.
• Product discovery shifts from rigid category hierarchies to natural language interactions and story-driven experiences.

Let’s break this down and explore how even smaller Shopify store owners can adapt and thrive in this new world.

The Evolution of Shopping Discovery

++ From Browse to Dialogue ++

Traditional:
Customers click through menus, filters, and categories to find products. Search is an afterthought unless it’s Amazon or a large catalog and people know exactly what they want (I’m talking from my own experience and what I saw while at Costco).

New Way:
Customers express needs in natural language, sharing context and desired outcomes. I.e. ideas for what I need to take to Lake Como in August. - People don’t really know what they want. They’re interested in discovering the next best thing. 

Why?
Look at the uptake of conversational apps like WhatsApp (including Voice) and ChatGPT/Claude/others. The UI is becoming Jarvis/Siri on steroids. DeepSeek is pushing this and reducing the cost. It’s INEVITABLE.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY as a Shopify Store

OK so you want to get rich during this next AI goldmine but you only run a store and don’t understand technology.. Well dear reader, you have a friend in me… 

Here are some free-game ideas that will set you up above the competition >>> 

1. Create Detailed Product Attributes and Tags

No more copy/paste uploads from your suppliers. That will not work. You need to describe your products in a way that gives context for LLMs. Remember stuffing keywords to game Google? Search is no longer about keyword stuffing or page rank. It’s about understanding what LLMs need. And they need data: descriptions, keywords, images, and use cases.

• Tag products with scenarios like “beach wedding guest,” “summer garden party,” or “casual Friday office.”
• Think like an LLM: What context would help it recommend your product?

Why? Because of Context-Rich Shopping

Customers aren’t just sharing product specs—they’re sharing their situation:

• “I’m attending an outdoor wedding in Lake Como in August” (true story! Looking forward.)
• “I need a gift for my mother-in-law who loves gardening but has arthritis.”
• “Looking for sustainable kitchen products that don’t leak out metals.”

Your Action Plan:

• Document real customer stories and use cases.
• Build rich product descriptions that address specific scenarios.
• Create content showing products in various contexts.
• Develop detailed product attributes that AI can leverage.

Here’s Your 3-12 Month Implementation Strategy

Immediate Steps (Next 3 Months):

1. Enrich product descriptions with use cases and scenarios.
2. Add detailed product attributes beyond basic specs.
3. Create content showing products in real-life situations.
4. Document customer success stories and use cases.

FYI: I can help you with this. I have an AI that can do this at scale. And with my experience at Costco/Ecomm in general, my team and I can come and rebuild your catalogue.

Medium Term (6-12 Months):

1. Implement basic AI chat functionality through Shopify apps (or custom build if you’ve got the budget—this would be best).
2. Build a knowledge base of common customer scenarios.
3. Create decision trees for product recommendations.
4. Develop “situation-based” collections and landing pages.

Long Term (12+ Months):

1. Develop proprietary AI models trained on store-specific data.
2. Create interactive product discovery experiences.
3. Build customer scenario databases.
4. Implement conversational commerce interfaces.

Why You Have an Advantage Over Bedroom Dropshippers

• Deep product knowledge: You know your niche inside out.
• Real customer relationships: You’ve built trust and authenticity.
• Authentic problem-solving experience: You’ve been in the trenches, solving real customer problems.
• Personal touch in recommendations: You’re not just a faceless store.

Perhaps you run an offline side for installs or have a significant trust following on social media. This is your edge.

Now Go!

The first-mover advantage is going to be super beneficial here. Most independent stores won’t be doing this, nor will they know where to begin. Fortunately for you, you’ve found someone who can help.

Get in touch (or don’t if you can do this yourself—but feel free to drop a line for a chat, always open to a hello!).