New research has revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are frequently providing incorrect information about UK high street retailers. This has raised concerns about how businesses are represented online, as more consumers turn to AI tools for shopping decisions.
The study, which was conducted by AI visibility platform Searchable, analysed more than 72,000 prompts submitted to Gemini, Perplexity and ChatGPT. The results found that an AI chatbot returned at least one incorrect statement about 64% of businesses.
One of the most common errors involved store locations. Around one in 10 location-based answers placed retailers in the wrong postcode, despite prompts clearly identifying the town or city in question. In 15% of these cases, the AI tools suggested a location more than 20 miles away from the correct address. The median discrepancy between the correct and incorrect locations was more than one kilometre.
Website recommendations also proved problematic. Approximately one in 15 AI-generated answers directed users to links that didn’t exist, lookalike websites or to a completely different business. Meanwhile, around one in 40 responses incorrectly attributed a retailer to the wrong brand.
According to Searchable co-founder Chris Donnelly, smaller businesses are more vulnerable to AI inaccuracies than larger brands. He said this is partly because larger organisations have a much wider range of online sources referencing their business, giving AI tools more data to learn from and use. In contrast, many independent retailers rely heavily on their own website and Google Business Profile, creating a smaller digital footprint for AI models to learn from.
The research also highlighted differences between leading AI platforms. Perplexity produced inaccurate answers in 10% of cases, compared with 5% for Gemini and 4% for ChatGPT.
Given the growing role AI is playing in customer purchasing journeys, these findings are significant. A 2026 Rithium survey found that 90% of AI users employ large language models (LLMs) for product research and comparison, while 53% use them to help choose a retailer. The survey also found that 58% of shoppers lose trust in a brand when AI provides incorrect product information.
For businesses, the message is clear: accurate online information is no longer just important for search engines, but it’s crucial for AI platforms too. As consumers increasingly rely on AI-generated answers, businesses must ensure their website content, Google Business Profile and other online listings are accurate, consistent and up to date. What’s more, information needs to be presented in a way that both search engines and LLMs can easily understand and verify.
Here at Engage Web, we help businesses improve the visibility and accuracy of their online information, ensuring both traditional search engines like Google and AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT can deliver the right information to potential customers. Speak to us today to learn more.
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