The CEI Framework

16 signals. Five pillars. One evidence-backed readiness score.

CEI separates readiness into the structural conditions AI systems need before they can recommend products accurately, then combines them into a single 0 to 100 Commerce Eligibility Index.

Five-Pillar ProfilePARTIALLY READY
FOUNDATIONDIFFERENTIATIONRETRIEVALINTEGRITYAUTHORITY
Five pillars

The conditions AI needs to read, compare, trust, and recommend.

Foundation

Is the catalog data clean and complete enough for AI to read?

Differentiation

Can AI tell products apart, or do they collapse into generic clusters?

Retrieval

Can AI find the right products for real shopping queries?

Integrity

Are the claims in your catalog internally consistent and verifiable?

Authority

Does the broader internet give AI reasons to trust and cite your brand?

Readiness bands

The score is useful because the evidence is inspectable.

CEI combines signal scores into a 0 to 100 readiness score. Missing or unmeasurable signals are handled explicitly, not hidden as fake zeros.

AI-Ready · 75–100

High readiness across the measured signal set.

Partially Ready · 55–74

Usable foundation with meaningful improvement opportunities.

At Risk · 40–54

Catalog gaps are likely affecting AI discovery or accuracy.

Critical · below 40

Serious readiness gaps or insufficient evidence to score.

Measure, do not guess

Get a readiness view for your own catalog.

A baseline CEI assessment turns the framework into a score, evidence, and a prioritized fix plan.

Request a CEI assessment