Why Google’s AI Overviews Only Has 3% Retention in Furniture Commercial Searches
Jack Young
- Last Updated: 4 November 2025
BrightEdge recently did a Google AI overview test across thousands of e-commerce keywords from September to October 2025.
It revealed a surprising figure for the furniture and home décor sector: only 3% of tracked commercial intent furniture-related keywords retained a live AI Overview (AIO) after what seems on Google’s part to be a strategic pullback.
This low ‘retention rate’ (the permanence of the AIO feature) is an interesting indicator of Google’s intent.
It would suggest that Google does not want text-based AI summaries to interfere with the commercial journey for high-consideration, visual products.
The Core Insight: Visual Heuristics Over Text Summaries
The reason for the 97% pullback may be rooted in consumer psychology, specifically the concept of visual heuristics. For high-value items like a sofa or a dining table, the buying journey starts not with text, but with the eye: “I like the look of this enough to see what the price and size are.”
An AI text summary cannot satisfy this essential aesthetic and emotional assessment. Google is deliberately removing AIOs from transactional searches, pushing customers back toward the traditional Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) where your high-quality product listings, images, and visual ads are intended to lead the sale.
AI Overviews: Still Important for Research
While Google has reduced AI Overview’s presence for transactional, visual-first furniture searches, these summaries remain common for informational queries. For topics such as care guides, material comparisons, and style advice, AI Overviews continue to deliver quick answers directly in the search results. This distinction means customers researching a topic—rather than shopping for a specific product—are still likely to encounter an AI Overview.
This continued AIO presence for research queries makes it vital that informational content remains part of your overall website content strategy. Customers will check your site to confirm that you match or clarify the advice and trust signals presented in the summary, closing the gap between research and confident purchase decisions.
4-Point Strategic Framework: How to Capitalise on the 3%
To leverage Google’s strategy and maximise conversion, your focus must shift to bridging the gap between the initial visual heuristic (the click) and the later qualification (size, material, trust).
1. Own the Visual First Click (The Discovery Phase)
Since the image is the primary driver of conversion, the quality and context of your imagery in the SERP are non-negotiable.
This transforms what could be a risky, uncertain purchase into a verified choice. Customers gain confidence that they are buying a peach, not a lemon, empowering them to invest in higher-quality mattresses.
- Prioritise high-resolution lifestyle and room-setting shots, including in your Product Listing Ads (PLAs), over simple white-background cutouts.
- Use AI-generated room settings thoughtfully as they can easily distort scale and erode trust. If technology adoption for the benefit of the customer is a goal, then consider using AI for initial style inspiration, but validate scale through Augmented Reality (AR) tools that allow the customer to place the product model in their actual room.
2. Bridge the Gap with Research Content (The Evaluation Phase)
The few AIOs that remain (the valuable 3%) are typically evaluation and comparison questions. This is where you qualify the customer before the sale.
- Create Expert Content Clusters: Invest in informational, middle-funnel content that answers the customer’s deeper questions: “What is the most durable wood for a dining table?” or “How to clean a velvet sofa.”
- Link Research to Product: Ensure that the research information is mirrored on your product pages. If your buying guide praises ‘Oak’ for durability, the oak dining table product page must state and reinforce this.
3. Validate the Purchase with Real-World Trust (The Decision Phase)
- UGC is the ultimate scale validator. It shows the product in a real, lived-in environment. Implement a UGC gallery, if possible, on every product page to provide instant social proof and contextual sizing that a studio shot or AI image cannot replicate.
- Leverage your in-store settings to create highly trusted video content, such as walkthroughs that show the true size and scale of products in a real environment, helping customers better assess fit and proportion. Encourage visits by integrating clear ‘See it in-store’ CTAs on your most expensive, high-risk items.
4. The Enduring Need for Strategic Content Creation
The low AIO retention isn’t a reason to reduce content creation. It’s a sign to focus it where it matters most, conversion-ready on-site experiences. Since Google is directing traffic away from text summaries, your website must be ready to provide the answers.
- Focus on Foundational SEO: Content creation remains vital for driving organic traffic to your product. Focus on building semantic authority through comprehensive, high-quality content clusters that anticipate both the research questions (e.g., “Best type of dining chair”) and the transactional needs (e.g., detailed FAQs, clear policy pages).
- Fuel the Transaction: Use your content to resolve final purchase anxieties. The conversion happens when the customer finds the precise details (dimensions, warranty, delivery logistics) that AI cannot easily summarise. Well-structured, detail-rich content on your product pages and supporting sections is the ultimate barrier to cart abandonment.
