---
id: "action-ensure-fundamentals"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["§ Get the fundamentals right first."]
tags: ["e-commerce-optimization", "fundamentals"]
related: ["claim-ratings-and-price-are-universal", "framework-ai-commerce-adaptation"]
action: "Ensure competitive pricing and strong, authentic review profiles before investing in agent-specific tactics."
outcome: "Establishes a baseline of trust and value that universally appeals to all AI shopping agents."
speakers: ["Jafar Sabbah", "Oguz A. Acar"]
sources: ["geo"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-geo"
originDay: 3
articleStem: "hbr-tier2-06-ai-shopping-agents"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/05/research-traditional-marketing-doesnt-work-on-ai-shopping-agents"
sourceTitle: "Research: Traditional Marketing Doesn’t Work on AI Shopping Agents"
---
# Secure pricing and rating fundamentals

**Action:** Ensure competitive pricing and strong, authentic review profiles **before** investing in agent-specific tactics.

**Do this:** Before spending on complex AI-specific tactics, make sure product listings have highly competitive pricing and strong, authentic review profiles. These are the **only two signals proven to consistently influence AI agents across all models and categories** (see [[claim-ratings-and-price-are-universal]]).

**Expected outcome:** Establishes a baseline of trust and value that universally appeals to every AI shopping agent.

**Framework position:** Step 1 of the [[framework-ai-commerce-adaptation|AI-Centric E-Commerce Adaptation Strategy]] — the foundation that must be in place before segmentation or tailoring.

**Related:** [[claim-ratings-and-price-are-universal]] · [[framework-ai-commerce-adaptation]]