Transparency platform Provenance is pivoting its business to help its clients make “dormant product information” easily discoverable by AI shopping agents.
Provenance – which works with 370 retailers and brands including Holland & Barrett, Ocado, THG Beauty, Unilever and Estée Lauder to independently validate product claims across sustainability, health and efficacy – validates product claims and publishes ‘proof points’ that both shoppers and AI systems can read.
By providing clean, machine-readable proof of marketing claims, the company helps brands ensure their products are visible to AI assistants seeking specific product attributes.
“AI assistants decide which products people see first and shoppers are asking complex questions, from ’vegan shampoo for sensitive skin’ to ’eye cream that reduces dark circles under the eyes’ and looking for trusted recommendations,” the company said.
“In this world, the evidence behind a product’s claims, which AI assistants can read, becomes as important as price and delivery. Brands that can’t substantiate what they say with independent validation, on sustainability, social impact, health benefits or performance, risk becoming invisible,” it added.
Results from early-stage pilots and simulations show that products with Provenance ‘proof points’ received 9.6% to 15.4% higher AI recommendation rates.
To lead the refreshed focus of the company, Provenance has appointed Sarah Arana-Morton as CEO. She was previously chair of the company.
Prior to joining Provenance in 2024, Arana-Morton spent close to six years at OpenCorporates, where she led the world’s largest open company dataset, building essential infrastructure for governments, financial institutions and technology companies.
Before that she worked at Dunnhumby, most recently as global head of commercial, and helped pioneer Tesco Clubcard’s data analytics across global markets.
“AI is completely changing which products people see and buy. The ones that win will be the ones that can actually prove their claims – not just make them,” said Arana-Morton.
“Right now, most product claims can’t be verified by AI systems. They’re stuck in PDFs, locked in marketing copy, or just not backed by evidence at all. That means AI assistants either ignore them or default to the biggest brands. Our job is to fix that,” she added.
Provenance is backed by S4S Ventures, Fiftyfive Capital, Working Capital Fund, Digital Currency Group, The Brandtech Group and Alumni Ventures.
“We help brands show proof of what they’re claiming – whether that’s genuinely vegan, clinically proven, or sustainably made – in a way both people and AI can read and trust,” Arana-Morton added. “When that proof is visible, spending flows to products that actually deliver, not just the ones with the biggest ad budgets. That’s better for shoppers and fairer for the brands doing the right thing.”
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