--- title: "AI Product Recommendations: 70% Cite Affiliate Review Sites" url: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites description: "AI product recommendations study: 70% of 'best product' answers cite a review site that earns affiliate commissions, and 99.4% on Perplexity. See the data." lang: en --- Share Share on X: https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.suffdigital.com%2Fresources%2Fdata-studies%2Fai-product-answers-affiliate-sites&text=70%25%20of%20AI%20Product%20Recommendations%20Cite%20Sites%20That%20Earn%20Affiliate%20Commissions Share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.suffdigital.com%2Fresources%2Fdata-studies%2Fai-product-answers-affiliate-sites Share on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.suffdigital.com%2Fresources%2Fdata-studies%2Fai-product-answers-affiliate-sites Share on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.suffdigital.com%2Fresources%2Fdata-studies%2Fai-product-answers-affiliate-sites&title=70%25%20of%20AI%20Product%20Recommendations%20Cite%20Sites%20That%20Earn%20Affiliate%20Commissions **70%** of AI answers to "best product" questions cite at least one review or comparison site that earns commissions on sales. Perplexity cites one in 99.4% of its product answers, and finance questions rely on them most. Analysis of 17,524 AI product answers · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026 ## Key Findings 1. 1. **70%** of AI answers to "best product" questions cite at least one review or comparison site that earns affiliate commissions, seven answers in ten. Copy stat 2. 2. Perplexity cites an affiliate review site in **99.4%** of its product answers, against 54.7% for Gemini, the lowest of five AI engines. Copy stat 3. 3. Affiliate review sites make up **33.9%** of the sources in the average AI product answer, about one citation in three. Copy stat 4. 4. In AI answers to "best" finance questions, **90.2%** cite an affiliate review site, against 43.7% in answers about electronics. Copy stat 5. 5. Forbes is the most-cited review publisher in AI product answers, appearing in **14.4%** of them, ahead of Wirecutter at 10.3%. Copy stat ## Summary Someone asks an AI engine for the best credit card for travel rewards. The answer names five cards and lists its sources underneath. Look at who wrote those sources and, seven times in ten, at least one is a review site that earns a commission when a reader signs up through its links. Affiliate review sites are publishers that test or compare products and earn a commission when a reader buys through their links. AI engines use them to build their recommendations. For a brand, that makes coverage on those sites a direct input to whether AI recommends you. For a shopper, it means the AI shortlist often draws on the same review publishers that rank on Google. The reliance is broad. **70%** of AI answers to "best product" questions cite at least one affiliate review site, and in the average answer, one citation in three comes from one. Perplexity cites them in almost every answer, and money topics such as finance and insurance lean on them most. ## What we measured On September 23, 2026 we asked 2,000 "best product or service" questions, such as "best robot vacuum" or "best life insurance", across 20 shopping categories, to five AI engines: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews (the AI summary above Google's search results). That produced 17,524 answers, and we recorded every web page each one cited. An affiliate review site is one of about 150 review and comparison publishers that earn money through affiliate links, including Wirecutter, RTINGS, CNET, Tom's Guide, Forbes, NerdWallet, Bankrate and G2; each of the publishers named in this study discloses that it earns commissions through affiliate links. An answer counts as citing one when at least one of its sources comes from that list. A citation is a source link the AI engine shows with its answer. ## Seven in ten AI product answers cite an affiliate review site 70% of AI answers to "best product" questions cite an affiliate review site. AI engines answer shopping questions largely from the publishers that already review products for a living. Seven answers in ten cite at least one of them, and in the average answer that cites any source, 33.9% of the citations point to an affiliate review site. These publishers write the pages that answer "best" questions directly, with a ranked list, the reasons behind each pick, specifications and prices. An AI engine assembling a shortlist finds that work already done. The effect for a brand is that a review publisher's verdict now reaches shoppers twice, once in Google's results and again inside the AI answer, often without the shopper clicking through. ## Perplexity cites affiliate review sites in almost every product answer Every AI engine uses affiliate review sites, but the rate varies widely. Perplexity cites one in 99.4% of its product answers, effectively every time. Google AI Overviews follow at 79.3% and Google AI Mode at 70.1%. Product answers citing an affiliate review site by AI engine Perplexity 99.4% Google AI Overviews 79.3% Google AI Mode 70.1% ChatGPT 61% Gemini 54.7% Source: Suff Digital analysis of 17,524 AI product answers · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026 ChatGPT cites an affiliate review site in 61% of product answers and Gemini in 54.7%, the lowest rate, but still more than half. Google's AI features, which sit on top of Google Search, cite these publishers more often than ChatGPT or Gemini do. No engine answers product questions without them. ## Finance and insurance answers rely on affiliate sites most The question topic moves the rate as much as the engine does. 90.2% of AI answers to "best" finance questions cite an affiliate review site, nine in ten, followed by insurance at 85.8%, home at 84.3% and streaming at 83.1%. These are categories where buyers compare plans, rates and prices before choosing, the work comparison publishers specialize in. Answers citing an affiliate review site by category Finance 90.2% Insurance 85.8% Home 84.3% Streaming 83.1% Kitchen 79.8% Kids 77.5% Cars 76.9% Software 62% Beauty 60.6% Travel 59.2% Pets 57.8% Health 50.2% Electronics 43.7% Health (50.2%) and electronics (43.7%) sit at the bottom. Health answers lean more on medical and government sources. Pets (57.8%) and travel (59.2%) are also below the overall rate. If you sell in finance, insurance or home goods, the review publishers in your category are close to unavoidable in AI answers. ## Forbes and Wirecutter are the most-cited review publishers A handful of publishers carry most of the weight. Forbes appears in 14.4% of all AI product answers, about one in seven, followed by Wirecutter at 10.3%, PCMag at 9.4% and NerdWallet at 8.7%. Share of AI product answers citing it by review publisher Forbes 14.4% Wirecutter 10.3% PCMag 9.4% NerdWallet 8.7% Consumer Reports 7.6% TechRadar 7.3% CNET 7.2% Tom's Guide 7.2% RTINGS 7% U.S. News 6.5% Consumer Reports, TechRadar, CNET, Tom's Guide and RTINGS each appear in about 7% of answers. A brand that earns a place in their roundups is placed in front of every engine that reads them. ## What this means for brands and ecommerce teams Treat review publishers as part of your AI visibility plan. List the review sites that appear in AI answers for your category, then make sure each one has what it needs to cover you: review units, current specifications, pricing and a press contact. A product left out of the roundup an AI engine cites is left out of the AI answer too. Check what those publishers already say about you. If a cited roundup has your old price, a discontinued model or a missing feature, the AI answer repeats the error. Asking the publisher to update a stale review is often faster than trying to change the AI answer directly. Then track the result. Ask each engine the "best" questions your customers ask, note which publishers it cites and whether you are named. Working with an ai seo company (https://www.suffdigital.com/seo/ai-seo-services) that maps the sources AI engines use in your category shows you which publishers to pursue first. ## Embed this research Paste this on your site to embed the charts. It links back to the source automatically.

Source: 70% of AI Product Recommendations Cite Sites That Earn Affiliate Commissions - Suff Digital

## Cite this study APA Suff Digital. (2026). 70% of AI Product Recommendations Cite Sites That Earn Affiliate Commissions. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites Plain link 70% of AI Product Recommendations Cite Sites That Earn Affiliate Commissions - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites ## Frequently asked questions ### How often do AI engines cite affiliate review sites? ### Which review publisher do AI engines cite most? ### Which AI engine relies on affiliate review sites most? ### Which product categories rely most on affiliate review sites in AI answers? ## Related studies - AI SEO Google's AI Overviews Cite YouTube in 67.5% of Shopping Answers: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/review-sites-ai-cites-most - AI SEO Perplexity Cites Comparison Sites in 93% of Credit Card and Loan Answers vs 21.4% for ChatGPT: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-credit-card-affiliate-sources - AI SEO 62% of AI Software Recommendations Cite the Vendor's Own Website: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/software-answers-cite-vendor-blogs - AI SEO 54% of AI Product Recommendations Don't Mention a Price: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-mention-price ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization", "name": "Suff Digital", "alternateName": "Suff Digital Marketing", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#logo", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/logo.png", "contentUrl": "https://www.suffdigital.com/logo.png", "caption": "Suff Digital" }, "image": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#logo" }, "description": "Suff Digital is a full-stack digital marketing agency that turns websites into predictable revenue engines, SEO, paid media, content, CRO, and web design built around revenue, not vanity metrics.", "slogan": "Digital marketing built for what's next.", "email": "hello@suffdigital.com", "telephone": "+1-629-236-0099", "foundingDate": "2022", "founder": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Suffoletto", "jobTitle": "Founder & CEO" }, "contactPoint": [ { "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": "+1-629-236-0099", "email": "hello@suffdigital.com", "contactType": "sales", "areaServed": "US", "availableLanguage": [ "en" ] } ], "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Nashville", "addressRegion": "TN", "postalCode": "37219", "addressCountry": "US" }, "areaServed": { "@type": "Country", "name": "United States" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/suff-digital/", "https://www.instagram.com/suffdigital/", "https://www.youtube.com/@suffdigitalmarketing", "https://www.tiktok.com/@suffdigital" ], "knowsAbout": [ "Search Engine Optimization", "Pay-Per-Click Advertising", "Paid Social Advertising", "Conversion Rate Optimization", "Web Design", "Digital PR", "Link Building", "Website Migration", "Website Maintenance and Support", "Technical SEO", "Local SEO", "AI Search Optimization" ], "hasOfferCatalog": { "@type": "OfferCatalog", "name": "Suff Digital Services", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/ppc" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Paid Social Advertising", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/paid-social" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/cro" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Web Design", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/web-design" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Digital PR & Link Building", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/digital-pr" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Website Migration", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/website-migration" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Website Maintenance & Support", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/website-maintenance" } } ] } }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#website", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/", "name": "Suff Digital", "inLanguage": "en-US", "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites#article", "headline": "70% of AI Product Recommendations Cite Sites That Earn Affiliate Commissions", "description": "70% of AI answers to \"best product\" questions cite at least one review or comparison site that earns commissions on sales. Perplexity cites one in 99.4% of its product answers, and finance questions rely on them most.", "image": [ "https://www.suffdigital.com/images/suff-digital-share-16x9.jpg" ], "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites", "datePublished": "2026-09-24", "dateModified": "2026-09-24", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Suffoletto", "jobTitle": "Founder & CEO", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/who-we-are" }, "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization" }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites", "@type": "WebPage" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#website" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Resources", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Data Studies", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "70% of AI Product Recommendations Cite Sites That Earn Affiliate Commissions" } ] }, { "@type": "Dataset", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites#dataset", "name": "70% of AI Product Recommendations Cite Sites That Earn Affiliate Commissions", "description": "70% of AI answers to \"best product\" questions cite at least one review or comparison site that earns commissions on sales. Perplexity cites one in 99.4% of its product answers, and finance questions rely on them most.", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites", "creator": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization" }, "datePublished": "2026-09-24", "dateModified": "2026-09-24", "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "isAccessibleForFree": true, "measurementTechnique": "Answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode" }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-product-answers-affiliate-sites#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How often do AI engines cite affiliate review sites?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "70% of AI answers to \"best product\" questions cite at least one review or comparison site that earns affiliate commissions (September 2026), and those sites make up 33.9% of the sources in the average AI product answer." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which review publisher do AI engines cite most?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Forbes, which appears in 14.4% of AI answers to \"best product\" questions, followed by Wirecutter at 10.3%, PCMag at 9.4% and NerdWallet at 8.7%." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which AI engine relies on affiliate review sites most?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Perplexity, which cites an affiliate review site in 99.4% of its product answers. Gemini relies on them least, at 54.7% of product answers." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which product categories rely most on affiliate review sites in AI answers?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Finance, where 90.2% of AI answers to \"best\" questions cite an affiliate review site, followed by insurance at 85.8%. Electronics is lowest at 43.7%." } } ] } ] } ] ```