The Great Value Sort

Definition: A market-wide recalibration in which products with verifiable, measurable value rise in algorithmic preference while products sustained primarily by perceived value — brand mystique, aspirational positioning, narrative-based differentiation — decline.

The Great Value Sort is a macro-level consequence of the Shopper Schism®. When AI purchasing agents evaluate products through computational logic rather than psychological influence, the basis of competition shifts from perception to verification. A product that is genuinely superior — better specifications, more reliable delivery, more transparent pricing, independently verified quality — is rewarded by the algorithm. A product that is merely perceived as superior — through advertising, brand heritage, or emotional positioning — loses its advantage.

This does not mean that premium products decline. A Miele dishwasher with independently verified superior performance, longer lifespan data, and higher energy efficiency will score well in algorithmic evaluation. What declines is the premium that is not backed by verifiable evidence. The brand tax — the price premium paid for brand association rather than functional superiority — comes under computational scrutiny.

The Great Value Sort has asymmetric effects across categories. In commodity categories (paper towels, batteries, basic consumer electronics), the sort is rapid and severe: the algorithm sees no reason to pay more for a branded product that performs identically to a cheaper alternative. In categories where quality genuinely varies (professional tools, safety equipment, medical devices), the sort rewards genuine quality leaders and penalises those trading on reputation alone.

The strategic implication: if your price premium is justified by verifiable performance, the Great Value Sort is an opportunity. If your price premium is justified by brand storytelling that an algorithm cannot evaluate, it is a threat.

Introduced in: Accornero, P.F. (2026). SSRN #6111766, p. 57.

Related concepts: The Shopper Schism® | Algorithmic Standing | The Great Decoupling