Videos · Episode 7 · 1:50
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Published Oct 18, 2026
It depends on the engine. In our study of 60 shopping questions, Google’s AI Overviews cited review sites in 89% of answers and YouTube in 85%; ChatGPT cited retailers in 53% and no YouTube at all. All three cited a brand’s own site in about half of their answers or more, and fewer than one in ten of the sites ChatGPT cited were also cited by Google for the same question.
When a shopper asks what to buy, an AI answers before any website does. So whose words does it use? We asked Google, ChatGPT and Perplexity the same sixty shopping questions on one day in October, and recorded every source they cited.
Google’s AI Overviews cited review sites in nearly nine answers out of ten, and YouTube in more than eight. A brand’s own website showed up in about half, but almost never when shoppers compared two brands.
ChatGPT and Perplexity cited brand sites about as often, a little over half the time. The difference was elsewhere. ChatGPT cited retailers like Walmart in about half its answers, and neither of them cited YouTube at all.
And the engines barely agreed. Fewer than one in ten of the sites ChatGPT cited were the ones Google cited for the same question.
So keep your own product pages complete, keep your retail listings consistent with them, and check each engine with your buyers’ real questions. The full data is free at hasmord.com slash research.
One run per question on one day in October 2026, United States. Method, limits and data are in the two studies below.
Related: who Google AI Overviews cite (study) · ChatGPT and Perplexity vs Google (study) · how to track AI Overviews · which leads asked an AI assistant first (video) · all videos.