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Google’s AI Mode rarely shows the same products as the Popular products carousel in regular search results, and when it does, the first seller listed is often different, according to new data from Productrise, which sells organic product tracking for Google Shopping.
Only 1.28% of products in the carousel also appeared in AI Mode for the same search on the same day. Among products that appeared in both, the seller listed first was different 49.6% of the time.
The figures from the company’s tracking database, which Google told Futurism it hasn’t verified, show that a carousel spot rarely carried over to AI Mode in this data, even for the same product on the same day.
What They Tracked
Productrise monitored over 2 million product listings across more than 100,000 regular search results and AI Mode responses from August 9 to August 31, 2026. It conducted the same product-specific searches in AI Mode and regular search on the same day, in the US and UK.
In regular search, the comparison only considers the Popular products carousel, ignoring other results modules. In AI Mode, it incorporates the product listings displayed in the answer. The company matched products from both views using Google’s product ID and compared the first-listed offer for seller and price on each side.
The queries are primarily focused on products that the company monitors on its platform, and its write-up doesn’t describe them as a random sample of Google searches.
Products Rarely Overlap
When both AI Mode and the Popular products carousel showed results for the same query, the carousel displayed an average of 27.8 products, while AI Mode presented 3.9.
AI Mode Shows Fewer Products And Little Daily Overlap
Average products shown per query when both result types returned products.
- Popular products carousel
- 27.8 average products
- AI Mode
- 3.9 average products
027.8
Separate calculation: daily product overlap
1.28%
average daily overlap
Products appearing in both result types for the same query and day, as a share of carousel listings carrying a Google product ID. Daily rates averaged across Aug. 9–31, 2026.
US and UK product-focused queries
The 1.28% overlap figure represents a daily rate. The company divided the products that appeared on both sides by all carousel listings with a product ID, then averaged that rate over the 23 days.
Same Product, Different Seller And Price
The first seller listed was a different merchant for 49.6% of the products that appeared in both AI Mode and the carousel. The company says price and seller changes often happen together. Prices were different on 38.1% of matched products, with AI Mode displaying the higher price 68.4% of the time.
Same Product, Different Offer
Among products appearing in both result types for the same query and day.
- Different first-listed seller
- 49.6%
- Different first-listed price
- 38.1%
0%100%
Among matched products where prices differed
68.4%
AI Mode showed the higher price
This finding applies only to the matched products with different first-listed prices, not to every matched product.
US and UK product-focused queries
Across all matched products, including the ones where the prices matched, AI Mode prices were on average 21.6% higher than carousel prices. Where AI Mode had the higher price, the median difference was 22.2% and the average was 88.5%. The company says outliers, such as comparing a used carousel item to a new AI Mode item, pulled that average up. When AI Mode prices were lower, the median difference was 7.8%.
When you click on a product on either side, a panel opens showing other sellers and their prices, so the first-listed offer is one of several for the same product.
What The Data Doesn’t Show
The data only captures what was shown on the screen and doesn’t include clicks or purchases, so it cannot confirm if shoppers bought at the initial displayed price.
The data doesn’t reveal why the two result types select different products or sellers. Hugo Huijer, the founder of Productrise, wrote that “the cheapest price is less of a factor in AI Mode,” according to his interpretation of the pattern.
Futurism reported Google’s response on September 2, where Google told the outlet:
“While we haven’t verified the accuracy of the claims in this report, all shopping results on Google Search, including AI Mode and the search results page, are powered by the same data source: our Shopping Graph. Shoppers can easily click into a product listing to compare prices for that product across retailers and choose the best option for them.”
Why This Matters
The merchant a shopper sees first in AI Mode can be a competitor even when the product is yours.
Merchant Center’s AI performance insights report, which I covered in July, provides an overview of how a brand appears in AI Mode and AI Overviews as a share of voice, calculated as a percentage of AI impressions. Its help page doesn’t include any seller or price metrics, so the report won’t specify which seller or what price AI Mode lists for a product.
Looking Ahead
AI Mode is accessible with a single click from any product search. It shows up on the search box, Chrome’s address bar, and a tab above the results, performing the same search that the shopper entered each time. Clicking it shows AI Mode’s pick of seller and price for a product, which in this data was often a different seller than the carousel showed. Huijer suggests this might favor brands that can’t compete on price, assuming that more detailed feed data increases their chances of being selected.
The data doesn’t test his prediction, but you can check your own products. Search for top items in both locations and compare who appears first and at what price.
