AI Search Is Reshaping Consumer Behavior And Brands Must Adapt

Forbes

3 days ago

Artificial Intelligence
AdobeStock_265251947
Consumer behavior is undergoing a massive shift as generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and TikTok begin to reshape the traditional search funnel. It is perhaps the largest shift in the history of the Internet since its conception. We're moving from keyword-driven queries to AI-curated answers, and this transition is rewriting the rules of digital discovery.
According to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, up to one-third of U.S. adults already report using AI tools in some capacity to assist with everyday decisions—from shopping to travel planning. This aligns with Botify's latest 2025 survey of 300 director-level and higher marketing leaders across retail, e-commerce, tourism, and hospitality sectors. The results? A staggering 94% feel at least somewhat prepared to optimize for AI search, with 42% considering themselves 'very prepared,' and 62% have already begun adjusting their strategies.
Prosper - Heard of Generative AI
Prosper Insights & Analytics
Clearly, AI isn't on the horizon; it's already reshaping the map.
Optimizing For Algorithms That Think
In the new era of AI search, being found requires more than simply ranking first. It now includes the need to be understood by consumers, bots, and AI agents and surfaced in generative summaries. 'With platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity now acting as curators for consumers instead of directories, we're seeing a fundamental shift in how visibility is earned, measured, and managed,' said Adrien Menard, CEO of Botify. 'To win in the new AI-driven search era, brands need to think differently about how their content is structured, crawled, and surfaced. They need to think about how, when, and where they're being discovered and by who, whether it's by consumers, bots, or AI agents. Google's recent launch of AI Mode reinforces this shift.'
That means marketers must adapt to a decentralized search landscape, where discovery happens across multiple interfaces beyond Google. When asked which non-Google platforms came to mind, 56% of survey respondents said ChatGPT, while 40% cited TikTok, showcasing a large pivot in consumer habits.
Botify VP A.J. Ghergich notes, 'AI bots use language models to understand and reframe content. If your site isn't crawlable, well-structured, and updated, you're invisible to this new world order. Consider this shift in SEO as a shift to 'Search Everywhere Optimization,' which emphasizes how it is not about just optimizing for traditional search engines anymore, it's about managing your brand's visibility in the AI-driven search era. Between your brand and your next customer sits an AI gatekeeper deciding if you are visible. That means you need to understand how traditional search works, and also how AI is evolving the process and changing the customer journey. Intent-driven content, structured data, and crisp code transform gatekeepers into advocates. Ignore these factors, and you'll miss out on the fastest-growing surface in search.'
Bots Are Buying and They're Also Demanding Performance
The rise of 'agentic commerce' where AI bots act on behalf of consumers to research, compare, and even purchase raises a new challenge: websites need to be optimized not just for people, but for machines. Adobe recently reported a 1,200% spike in AI-driven referral traffic, and according to Botify's recent white paper, the Be Found Everywhere: Your AI search playbook, nearly half of all web traffic now comes from bots.
And this is where internet performance comes into play and becomes even more important.
Catchpoint, the leading provider of Internet Performance Monitoring (IPM), recently partnered with Forrester Consulting on a new report that hones in on the stakes. Their findings? Companies that lack full-stack internet visibility are losing up to $6 million annually due to disruptions like downtime and latency. And two-thirds of respondents said that if their website is slow, it's the same as being down.
"Like regular search, AI search doesn't tolerate lag. If a retrieval bot can't access your site in milliseconds, your content might never make it into the generative layer,' explained Mehdi Daoudi, CEO of Catchpoint. 'Uptime is no longer only focused on the user experience. It's also essential to AI visibility and revenue continuity in the long run.'
Brands that invested in full-stack monitoring saw 54% fewer losses, according to the Catchpoint and Forrester snapshot. The message is clear: performance equals profit, especially in an era where your new 'customers' are often bots.
AI As The New Front Door To Your Brand
This shift is affecting not only consumers, but also how business decision-makers evaluate solutions. As Tim Sanders, VP of G2 Research Insights, recently shared: 'Buyers aren't going through the search-research-list-consensus process anymore. They're not making spreadsheets, holding meetings, or talking to 50 vendors. Now they go straight to ChatGPT, drop in their context, and say, 'Give me three options.' That becomes the shortlist. Sometimes they'll even ask, 'Which one should we buy?' If your brand doesn't show up in that LLM-first discovery moment, , you're not even in the conversation.' G2's latest research found that nearly 8 in 10 business decision-makers say AI search has already changed how they conduct research, and 29% now start their search on platforms like ChatGPT more often than Google.
With OpenAI, Amazon, and Visa all rolling out AI shopping assistants, AI is fast becoming the new front door to commerce. But many brands still don't have a plan in place for how they appear (or don't appear) in these AI-generated responses.
Botify's white paper also shares a practical roadmap for marketers navigating this shift. The framework emphasizes four key areas: assessing risk and opportunity through a formal AI bot governance plan, controlling visibility by determining which content should be indexed or hidden, empowering teams with AI-powered automation tools, and continuously measuring performance to refine strategies across platforms. Menard says, 'Our business now goes beyond rankings. Brands need to manage how they appear in AI-generated responses and that means knowing what the bots see, guiding how they interpret it, and scaling your SEO efforts with agentic automation and speed, which is what we're helping brands do more effectively.'
Rethinking Success Metrics in the AI Era
Traditional SEO metrics are evolving, too. In Botify's survey, 52% of marketing leaders said they've shifted from focusing on rankings to measuring visibility in features like Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT results. Yet 47% still say they don't fully understand how to measure the impact of AI search on their business.
That's a dangerous blind spot. As Ghergich points out, 'What gets measured gets managed. If you're not analyzing AI bot behavior or traffic patterns, your visibility is based on guesswork. And in this fast-moving environment, guessing won't cut it.'
Where Does This Leave Us?
In many ways, AI is returning search to its original purpose: delivering the most useful answer. But now, the "searcher" might not be human. That means brands must build for a dual audience: 1) people and 2) machines, including AI agents and bots.
Marketers are no longer fighting for first place in the rankings. Instead, they're fighting for relevance in the minds of LLMs. Those who embrace this shift prioritize performance and invest in visibility strategies built for AI will have the edge.
Because in the future of search, being seen by the right bot or AI agent at the right time might just be your biggest growth opportunity.