Custom Ink — AI Citation Intelligence Snapshot
Custom Ink leads the competitive set with a 16% featured prominence rate—ranking #1 among tracked competitors when AI platforms make primary brand recommendations in corporate gifting queries. This leadership is driven by exceptional performance in custom apparel queries (87.5% mention rate) and platform comparison searches (58.3%), where Custom Ink's brand authority translates directly into AI recommendations. However, significant opportunity exists in holiday gifting queries (13.9%)—the largest category tested (36 of 100 tests)—where Forbes, SHRM, and Inc.com dominate citations but rarely reference Custom Ink despite frequently citing the category. The media influence gap represents the clearest path to improved AI visibility: Forbes alone generated 48 citations across tested queries, but only 18.8% included Custom Ink, compared to competitors like Vistaprint appearing in 39 of those same responses.

Key Performance Metrics

34%
Organic Discovery Rate
34 of 100 unbranded tests
#1
Competitive Position
Featured prominence ranking
100
Total Tests
25 queries × 4 platforms
16%
Featured Rate
Primary recommendation in 16 tests
770
Total Citations
Across all responses
271
Unique Domains
Distinct sources cited
24%
Platform Variation
Gap: ChatGPT (44%) to Perplexity (20%)
40
Brand Citations
customink.com direct citations

Competitive Featured Prominence

Ranking based on which brand was the primary recommendation in AI responses—not merely mentioned, but positioned as the featured solution.

1 Custom Ink
16%
2 Vistaprint
15%
3 4imprint
7%
3 Swag.com
7%
5 Canva
3%
5 Printful
3%
5 Crestline
3%
Featured Prominence Methodology: This ranking measures which brand was the PRIMARY recommendation in AI responses—first mentioned and/or most prominently positioned—not merely listed among options. Custom Ink appears in 34% of responses overall but is featured as the top choice in 16%, demonstrating strong conversion from visibility to recommendation. Being mentioned frequently as an "also consider" option is strategically different from being the primary recommendation.

Media Influence Opportunities

The highest-impact PR targets are editorial sources that AI platforms frequently cite for corporate gifting guidance but where Custom Ink is underrepresented relative to competitors. These outlets have established AI authority—earning placement across multiple platforms—yet competitors capture disproportionate share of those citations. Securing coverage in these publications would directly improve AI recommendation positioning.

Publication Total AI Citations w/ Custom Ink CI Share Opportunity Gap Competitors Capturing
Forbes.com 48 9 18.8% +30 gap
Canva Printful Zazzle
SHRM.org 21 2 9.5% +17 gap
Canva Zazzle Shutterfly
Inc.com 19 2 10.5% +15 gap
Swag.com
HBR.org 14 1 7.1% +12 gap
Swag.com
Baudville.com 10 0 0.0% +10 gap
Canva Crestline Zazzle
Gallup.com 10 1 10.0% +8 gap
Staples Swag.com 4imprint
Entrepreneur.com 8 2 25.0% +4 gap
Staples 4imprint
Business News Daily 6 1 16.7% +4 gap
Staples Vistaprint 4imprint
Deloitte 5 0 0.0% +5 gap
Swag.com
NYTimes.com 4 0 0.0% +4 gap
Swag.com 4imprint
How to Read This Table: "Opportunity Gap" represents citations where competitors appeared but Custom Ink did not. Forbes.com was cited 48 times across tested queries—but only 9 of those response contexts included Custom Ink, while competitors captured coverage in 39. Targeting Forbes for corporate gifting/employee recognition content would directly improve Custom Ink's AI visibility in this high-authority source.

Industry Trade Authority (Strong Position)

Custom Ink maintains competitive presence in promotional products trade publications, the industry's authoritative sources.

PPAI.org
17 citations | 41% with Custom Ink
ASI Central
10 citations | 70% with Custom Ink

Platform Performance

ChatGPT
44%
11 of 25 tests
Strong
Claude
36%
9 of 25 tests
Moderate
Gemini
36%
9 of 25 tests
Moderate
Perplexity
20%
5 of 25 tests
Developing

Performance by Query Category

Category Tests CI Mentioned Rate Performance Assessment
Custom Apparel 16 14 87.5%
Strong Authority
Platform Comparison 12 7 58.3%
Strong
Bulk Ordering 4 2 50.0%
Moderate
Budget Options 8 3 37.5%
Moderate
Drinkware 4 1 25.0%
Moderate
Holiday Gifting 36 5 13.9%
Opportunity Area
Employee Recognition 8 1 12.5%
Opportunity Area
General Corporate Gifts 8 1 12.5%
Opportunity Area
Tech & Accessories 4 0 0.0%
Limited Visibility

Strategic Insights

Holiday Gifting Content Gap

Observation: Holiday gifting queries represent 36% of tests (the largest category) but only 13.9% mention Custom Ink. Forbes, SHRM, and HBR dominate citations in this category but rarely include Custom Ink despite covering corporate gifting extensively.

Implication: Securing thought leadership placement in business publications' holiday gift guides could significantly improve visibility in the highest-volume seasonal query category.

Custom Apparel Authority

Observation: Custom Ink achieves 87.5% mention rate in custom apparel queries—nearly triple the overall average. This category shows clear brand authority recognition across all AI platforms.

Implication: This established authority provides a foundation for expanding into adjacent categories through content that bridges apparel expertise to broader employee recognition solutions.

Perplexity Visibility Gap

Observation: Perplexity shows 20% mention rate vs. 44% on ChatGPT—a 24-point platform gap. Perplexity heavily weights recent web content and news sources in its citation patterns.

Implication: Increasing presence in sources Perplexity frequently cites (recent editorial content, industry news) could improve visibility on this fast-growing search alternative.

Employee Recognition Opportunity

Observation: Employee recognition queries (staff appreciation, meaningful gifts) show only 12.5% mention rate despite Custom Ink's relevant product catalog. SHRM and Gallup dominate citations but rarely mention Custom Ink.

Implication: HR-focused thought leadership content could capture visibility in this valuable B2B decision-maker category where competitor presence is also limited.

Query Appendix

Showing 100 of 100 tests
Query ↕ Platform ↕ Category ↕ CI Mentioned ↕ Featured Brand ↕ Competitors Top Domains

Methodology

  • 25 unique queries tested across 4 AI platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini) for 100 total tests
  • Conducted November 2025 focusing on U.S. corporate gifting and employee recognition market
  • All queries were unbranded (no brand names mentioned) to test true organic discovery and competitive positioning
  • Citation sources classified by type: brand official, editorial media, retail/e-commerce, promotional industry, and reference
  • Featured Prominence Methodology: Competitive ranking based on which brand was the PRIMARY recommendation in AI responses, not merely mentioned. A brand can achieve high visibility (mentioned frequently) but low featured prominence (rarely the top recommendation).
  • Media Influence Analysis: Opportunity gap calculated as citations where competitors appeared in response context but Custom Ink did not, indicating editorial sources where increased coverage would directly improve AI visibility
  • Competitors tracked: Vistaprint, 4imprint, Swag.com, Zazzle, Crestline, Printful, Canva, Shutterfly, Staples Promotional
  • Limitations: This snapshot represents one point in time; AI platform responses vary with query phrasing, timing, and algorithm evolution. Sample sizes for some categories are limited (4-8 tests). Citation patterns reflect current editorial content landscape which changes over time.
Analysis prepared by Innate Insights | November 2025
For questions about methodology or expanded analysis, contact your account representative.