Conclave 2026

For years, the game was simple: rank on Google, get clicks, win business. But something fundamental has shifted. Shoppers are now bypassing traditional search and asking ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, and Siri what to buy and where to buy it. These AI systems don't return a list of links. They recommend businesses, and they answer with confidence.

This session introduces Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)—the emerging discipline that determines whether your store gets named when AI answers your customer's most important questions. Ross Cockerham, CEO of Punchmark, draws on platform-wide data from hundreds of jewelry websites to show exactly how this shift is already affecting traffic and sales in the jewelry industry—and what the stores winning at AEO are doing differently.