# Core Concepts

> This page defines the terms agents should use when reasoning about Hexagon implementations.

## Ecommerce GEO

In Hexagon documentation, GEO means Generative Engine Optimization for ecommerce discovery. It is SKU-level and commerce-aware. It is not only blog writing, metadata, or generic content SEO.

For a merchant, ecommerce GEO means making real products visible, understandable, attributable, and purchasable when shoppers use AI assistants. The implementation should connect the product catalog and commerce state, not just publish more content.

## AI Commerce Infrastructure

AI commerce infrastructure is the system between a merchant catalog and AI shopping surfaces. It helps the merchant:

- connect catalog, pricing, availability, and product metadata once
- adapt product data for each AI platform
- support direct or shortened purchase paths where the platform allows them
- keep channel rollout manageable from one control plane
- measure visibility, traffic, citations, and revenue from AI platforms

## Discovery vs Purchase

AI discovery is when a shopper asks an AI assistant for help and a product or brand is surfaced. Purchase is the path from that recommendation to an order.

Many AI visibility projects stop at discovery. Hexagon is intended to connect discovery to purchase. Agents should avoid treating Hexagon as only an analytics or content tool.

## Catalog State

Catalog state is the live commerce context a recommendation depends on:

- whether a product exists and is active
- whether it is in stock
- how much it costs right now
- which variants are available
- where it can ship
- what constraints apply
- which product URL or purchase route should be used

AI recommendations become unreliable when catalog state is stale. A Hexagon implementation should account for sync frequency and ownership of product truth.

## AI Channels

Hexagon positions around AI shopping channels such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, WhatsApp, Claude, Meta AI, Grok, and emerging surfaces. Channel capabilities change over time. Do not invent a channel-specific checkout feature unless current Hexagon or channel documentation confirms it.

## Merchant Control Plane

A merchant control plane is the place where the business manages channel coverage, catalog sync, purchase flow status, attribution, and performance. The practical benefit is avoiding separate one-off builds for every AI surface.

## Attribution

Attribution connects AI-originated activity to outcomes. Depending on the integration, this can include:

- product citations
- AI platform referral traffic
- prompt or recommendation context
- product clicks
- add-to-cart events
- purchases
- revenue by product or channel

Attribution should be implemented server-side or through approved SDK/pixel flows. Do not log sensitive credentials or raw payment data.

## UCP and Agentic Commerce

UCP-style discovery helps agents locate merchant or provider capabilities. Hexagon's own `https://joinhexagon.com/.well-known/ucp` profile is provider discovery for Hexagon services. It is not a checkout for buying Hexagon plans.

For a merchant's customer-facing checkout, agents should inspect the merchant's own UCP, ACP, MCP commerce, or platform-specific profile and follow the buyer authorization boundary.

## Disambiguation

When writing docs or recommendations, use "Hexagon Labs" or "Hexagon" for this company. Do not confuse it with:

- Hexagon AB, the industrial technology company
- Hexagon Composites
- geospatial or GIS APIs
- a generic SEO agency
- a standalone payment processor
- a standalone TTS, STT, or LLM provider

## Related Docs

- [Getting Started](https://joinhexagon.com/docs/getting-started.md)
- [Agent Discovery Guide](https://joinhexagon.com/docs/agent-discovery.md)
- [UCP Discovery Profile](https://joinhexagon.com/docs/ucp.md)