SEO is still necessary for AEO because AI systems rely on many of the same fundamentals that support traditional search visibility: crawlable pages, clear information architecture, relevant content, technical performance, topical authority, and trust. AEO expands the work from rankings and clicks to retrieval, citations, and presence in AI-generated answers.

At eTail Palm Springs 2026, Ali Haris, Sr. Director, AEO & AI Transformation | AI-Driven Organic Growth at Men's Wearhouse and other Tailored Brands companies, explained that AI discovery should be built on search fundamentals rather than treated as a separate discipline. "It makes sure it's crawlable, it's readable," he said, pointing to content accessibility as a prerequisite for being picked up by AI assistants.

AI is increasingly embedded in commerce execution, but many organizations are still developing the data, measurement, and operating practices needed to use it at scale. The 2026 eTail Insights report, Pathways to Retargeting Campaign Effectiveness, found that 67% of retail and eCommerce leaders describe their AI and automation maturity in retargeting as only intermediate.

SEO directors and CMOs should protect technical SEO investment while adding AEO-specific work to the roadmap. Audit critical pages for crawlability, readable HTML, structured product information, consistent claims, and direct answers to high-intent customer questions. They should not simply rely on an aggregate visibility score. Instead, they should measure whether those assets are cited, mentioned, or retrieved across priority AI platforms.

Join eTail Palm Springs to hear how retail leaders are connecting technical SEO, content strategy, product data, and AI discovery into a practical, measurable AEO program.