Overview
- New research shows 68% of shoppers have used tools like ChatGPT or Google’s AI features to start shopping, signaling a major shift in discovery behavior.
- Marketers report falling performance from classic search, with 62% seeing declines in clicks and web traffic, according to Acquia.
- Since Google’s AI Overviews rollout, overall searches rose nearly 50% while website clicks fell about 30%, and many AI Overview queries end without a further click, BrightEdge found.
- Belief in Answer Engine Optimization is outpacing execution, as 70% expect it to reshape strategy in the next one to three years but only 20% are implementing it so far.
- Brands are rebalancing budgets away from reliance on traditional search into CTV, Meta and, in some cases, TikTok, even as AI overviews increasingly favor large, highly mentioned brands.