Vessi targets ‘clean’ product data to maximize AEO opportunities
Waterproof brand Vessi is embracing AI agent traffic and optimizing for answer engines (AEO) instead of blocking AI crawlers like some competitors. The strategy focuses on clean product data to improve visibility in AI-powered search results.
Sellers blocking AI agents may lose emerging traffic sources as consumers shift to AI-powered search. Test allowing AI crawlers and optimize product titles, descriptions, and images for natural language queries that AI models can easily parse and recommend.
AI-powered search is creating new discovery channels beyond Google, requiring sellers to balance traditional SEO with answer engine optimization as consumer search behavior evolves.
Review robots.txt files -- if blocking AI agents like GPTBot or Claude-Web, consider allowing access to test traffic impact.
Audit product data for natural language optimization: use conversational phrases and clear benefit statements AI can extract.
Bottom Line
AEO strategy means optimizing for AI search traffic alongside traditional SEO.
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Research or editorial analysis that adds market context beyond the official announcement.
Impact Level
medium
AEO strategy means optimizing for AI search traffic alongside traditional SEO.
Key Stat / Trigger
No single quantitative trigger surfaced in this report.
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Full Coverage
Waterproof apparel and footwear brand Vessi has opted not to block traffic from artificial intelligence (AI) agents, instead leaning into answer engine optimization (AEO ). “It can play into our favor,” Ray Hua, director of D2C and lifecycle marketing at Vessi, told Digital Commerce 360.
Similar to search engine optimization (SEO), AEO is a practice in which brands determine how LLMs will rank and discover online content using a mix of text- and image-based attributes. The decision comes as brands are learning to navigate the world of large language models (LLMs) and how they factor into search traffic.
Some retailers, such as apparel brand Carve Designs, have opted to block traffic from AI agents. But for Vessi — based in British Columbia, Canada — AI-powered search experiences are generating noticeable traffic.
However, he noted that even though AI technology is rapidly advancing, it’s “it’s still important to realize the strategy is still very much [dependent on] the brand itself.” News Carve Designs shares approach toward AI agents' traffic Abbas Haleem | Apr 29, 2026
Original Source
This briefing is based on reporting from Digital Commerce 360. Use the original post for full primary-source context.
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