Industry · Retail
Build a shop and brand directory and run it from your own AI
A retail directory helps shoppers find independent stores and makers: record shops, plant nurseries, bike shops or local food producers. Directories.ai imports real stores, organizes them by what they sell, and lets your AI assistant write gift guides and spotlight posts from the listings.
Directories people build in retail
Each of these runs on the same platform. Pick one audience and one area to start; categories and location fields let you widen later.
- Independent bookstores or record shops nationwide
- Plant nurseries and garden centers by region
- Bike shops with repair services
- Farm stands and local food producers
A starting category structure
Categories become your browse pages and your search landing pages, so give each one a unique intro and FAQs.
- By product type
- Repairs and services
- Online ordering
- Local delivery
- Locally made
Where the listings come from
Business searches by store type and city return real shops with websites, phone numbers and hours. Your AI assistant can add details such as brands carried from each store’s own site.
Contact details are only filled in from a real source, never guessed.
How a directory like this makes money
Directories.ai charges a flat price per directory and takes no cut of what you earn.
- Featured store placement
- Affiliate links to products the stores sell online
- Sponsored gift guides
- Display ads
Launch plan
- 1
Create the directory and categories
Describe the niche to your AI assistant and let it set up the category tree. The launch-directory playbook walks through the rest.
create_categoryget_playbook - 2
Populate it with real businesses
Start with the free open-data source, or a Google Business Profile source on your own key, and import by search term and city. Imports land as drafts and never duplicate a business already listed. Records you already hold go in with ingest_listings.
list_listing_sourcesestimate_listing_importstart_listing_importingest_listings - 3
Check quality before publishing
Score every listing, merge duplicates and fix the weakest entries first, then publish in one step.
score_listingsfind_duplicate_listingsset_listings_status - 4
Invite businesses to claim
Send claim invites in daily batches with follow-ups, so owners keep their own details current.
list_claim_outreachinvite_listing_claim
Try asking your assistant
- “Import independent bookstores in every state capital”
- “Write a holiday gift guide from the listings in each category”
- “Draft spotlight posts for the 10 most complete listings”
Frequently asked questions
Can stores add their own photos?
Yes. Claimed stores can update their listing’s details and images.
Can I cover the whole country?
Yes. Import by city in batches and use location fields to build state and city pages.
Keep reading
Ready to run your directory with AI?
MCP access is included on the Growth plan. Pay per directory, cancel any time.