Research Library
We read public product catalogues to understand how AI shopping assistants actually decide what to recommend — and what quietly stops them. Each category below explains the question that decides a purchase there, and what a listing has to say for an assistant to answer it.
Squiggle's category guidance is informed by ongoing analysis of publicly available ecommerce product information. Illustrative examples explain common product-understanding principles and do not represent findings from any one merchant or the entire category.
Category findings
Automotive
PublishedOne near-binary question decides an automotive purchase — and a listing can only answer it in readable text.
Available in Store Audit
Beauty & Skincare
PublishedA gap that can persist even at brands that describe everything else well.
Food & Beverage
PublishedA marketing claim and an allergen statement answer different questions — and only one of them is written as text.
Home & Garden
PublishedThe measurement that decides “will it fit?” is often on the page as an image — and an image is not text.
Apparel & Fashion
PublishedThe fit answer is often on the page — in a chart or a fit-finder, not in the description an AI reads.
Sporting & Outdoor
PublishedThis category names the activity well. Fit, skill level and certification are the details that still decide the sale.
Baby & Kids
PublishedA baby product is chosen for someone who cannot be measured, asked, or sent back. Every fact that decides suitability has to be written down.
Pet Supplies
PublishedA pet owner is choosing on behalf of an animal that cannot report back. Whatever the listing leaves out, nobody in the transaction can supply.
Digital Products
PublishedA digital product is exactly what its listing says it is, and nothing else. Format, delivery and licence are the product.
Health & Wellness
PublishedA dose is a number, a form and a serve size. None of the three can be worked out from a strength adjective on the front of the pack.
Consumer Electronics
PublishedCompatibility here is settled by a number and a named standard. No adjective can stand in for either of them.
Jewellery & Watches
PublishedSolid, filled and plated are three different products at three different prices — and one word on a listing covers all of them.
Coming to the Research Library
Books & Media
In preparationBooks are identified through product metadata (ISBN, edition, format); a dedicated reference set is being prepared under Product Understanding research.
Under investigation
Furniture
Under investigationUnder investigation — dimensions, materials and assembly look like likely deciding questions, echoing what we’ve seen in Home & Garden. Nothing to show here yet.
Services
Under investigationUnder investigation — we’re exploring whether Squiggle’s product-understanding approach extends usefully to service listings. Nothing to show here yet.
Squiggle reads your entire catalogue and shows you exactly which products AI shopping assistants can't confidently recommend — and why.
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