The news: While mass merchants led EMARKETER's US retail store AI visibility rankings in September, specialty retailers were more likely to lead recommendations in their core categories. The analysis is based on ChatGPT and Google Gemini recommendations across 23 retail store categories, measuring which brands AI recommends, how they rank against competitors, and how visibility changes over time.

• Target topped the overall leaderboard, appearing in 29% of AI-generated retail store recommendations, followed by Walmart at 24% and Amazon at 15%.
• Specialty retailers had stronger showings in their core categories. Best Buy led electronics with a 93% visibility rate, followed by Home Depot in home improvement (89%), Chewy in pet supplies (72%), and Ulta in beauty (63%).