Benchmark Summary

Pixie and Elf led the Kids and Family Graphic Apparel vertical in August 2026 with valid recommendation coverage of 47.8%, up from 38.7% in July 2026. The gap to the next brand was 7.8 points over Tilly & Wilbur, which reached 40.0% in August 2026, up from 28.0% in July 2026.

This was a quiet month by the benchmark's standards, with no brand moving beyond normal month-to-month variation in valid recommendation coverage. Tilly & Wilbur recorded the largest coverage increase, rising from 28.0% in July 2026 to 40.0% in August 2026. Pixie and Elf also gained, from 38.7% in July 2026 to 47.8% in August 2026. The largest coverage decline was Three2Tango Tees, which fell from 5.3% in July 2026 to 3.3% in August 2026.

Across the full baseline-to-current series, the three leading brands all moved upward between July 2026 and August 2026, while smaller brands showed modest gains or declines within normal variation. Pixie and Elf held the leadership position in both months of the series.

The benchmark began with 208 prompt-surface observations in July 2026 and 259 in August 2026, producing 75 and 90 qualified observations, respectively, after qualification.

Current Benchmark at a Glance

Qualified surface breadth counts the canonical AI and search surface families with at least one qualified observation: ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews, and AI Mode. August 2026 added ChatGPT to the previously observed Copilot, Gemini, AI Mode, and AI Overviews.

Research Scope and Qualification

The public benchmark is narrower than the raw collection universe by design.

Brand-level percentages use the qualified observations as the public denominator, not the raw collection. See the AI Market Discovery Methodology.

For the strategic interpretation of this benchmark, read CiteWorks Studio’s analysis of how AI search is recommending Kids and Family Graphic Apparels.

Current Brand Standings

How to Read the Standings

• Presence rate: Share of qualified observations in which the brand appeared in any capacity.
• Valid recommendation coverage: Share of qualified observations in which the brand received a valid recommendation.
• Top-three rate: Share of qualified observations in which the brand appeared in the top three recommended positions.
• Rank-one rate: Share of qualified observations in which the brand was the first recommendation.
• Net sentiment: Positive minus negative sentiment, scaled by mentions.

For formulas and denominator rules, see the AI Market Discovery Metric Definitions.

Recommendation Coverage Movement

This was a quiet month. No brand's movement exceeded the threshold for significant change, and all six brands are classified as stable. Pixie and Elf moved upward from 38.7% in July 2026 to 47.8% in August 2026, and Tilly & Wilbur moved upward from 28.0% in July 2026 to 40.0% in August 2026, but both remain within normal month-to-month variation.

Largest Increase: Tilly & Wilbur

Tilly & Wilbur rose from 28.0% valid recommendation coverage in July 2026 to 40.0% in August 2026, an increase of 12.0 points. The brand also gained on supporting signals, with top-three rate rising from 28.0% in July 2026 to 32.2% in August 2026 and rank-one rate nearly doubling from 12.0% in July 2026 to 18.9% in August 2026. The movement is within normal variation for this benchmark.

Largest Decline: Three2Tango Tees

Three2Tango Tees moved from 5.3% valid recommendation coverage in July 2026 to 3.3% in August 2026, a decline of 2.0 points. Top-three rate followed the same pattern, from 5.3% in July 2026 to 3.3% in August 2026. The movement is within normal variation for this benchmark.

Category Leader: Pixie and Elf

Pixie and Elf led in both months of the series, at 38.7% valid recommendation coverage in July 2026 and 47.8% in August 2026. In August, the brand also recorded 74.4% presence, a 36.7% top-three rate, a 22.2% rank-one rate, and 0.64 net sentiment. The leader's position was stable, with the upward move from baseline not exceeding the significance threshold.

The unresolved issue is how defensible that leadership is at the point of first recommendation. Tilly & Wilbur records a 18.9% rank-one rate, while Pixie and Elf stands at 22.2%, and the benchmark describes the two brands as a tight leading cluster on placement. Pixie and Elf held a narrower lead on first-position placements than on overall coverage, while Tilly & Wilbur's rank-one rate nearly doubled from 12.0% in July 2026 to 18.9% in August 2026. The immediate priority is understanding what is allowing the nearest competitor to sit relatively close on first-position recommendation despite Pixie and Elf's broader coverage lead.

Highest-priority diagnostic: Which prompts, AI/search surfaces, and evidence sources are responsible for Pixie and Elf's narrower lead over Tilly & Wilbur on first-position recommendation?

Recommendation Placement Snapshot

Coverage alone does not show how prominently a brand is recommended. Pixie and Elf and Tilly & Wilbur formed a tight leading cluster on placement.

Pixie and Elf held a narrower lead on first-position placements than on overall coverage, while Tilly & Wilbur's rank-one rate nearly doubled from 12.0% in July 2026 to 18.9% in August 2026. Comparable coverage can still hide different first-position rates.

Buyer-Intent Distribution

All qualified observations in both months fell into the Brand Recommendation class.

The current public series measures the Brand Recommendation class of discovery and does not yet contain qualified observations in the Pricing & Value or Multi-Brand Comparison classes.

Historical Measurement Record

Evidence and Source Layer

This benchmark is built from prompt-level observations that retain the query, AI/search surface, answer, brand outcome, recommendation placement, sentiment, and, where exposed, citations or attributable evidence sources. Source presence is evidence about the information environment. It is not automatically proof that the source caused the recommendation.

Scope Boundaries

This public benchmark does not measure market share, attributable sales, every possible AI response, organic-search ranking, social mention volume, private or sponsored channels, or causality from a metric movement alone. It records the observed behavior of AI and search surfaces within the qualified observation set.

About This Benchmark

The LLM Authority Index AI Market Discovery Index is a neutral, industry-level benchmark tracking how AI and search surfaces recommend brands across buyer-intent classes. It is built from prompt-level observations that are audited monthly, with all brand metrics expressed against a qualified public denominator.

• AI Market Discovery Methodology
• AI Market Discovery Metric Definitions
• AI Market Discovery Research Standards
• Modeled AI Authority Value

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