AI-driven conversations accelerate trust and shorten the path to purchase, says AI search optimization expert Ema Fulga.
There is much talk around the technological side of AI and how complex tasks are increasingly automated with agents. Also, how advanced platforms like Nano Banana are disrupting the creative space. Yet, very few acknowledge how it’s changing consumer psychology and, more importantly, the decision-making process.
The classic “Discovery => Consideration => Purchase” model still stands, but the first two steps now happen seamlessly during a conversation with an AI assistant. This tool knows the user better than Google ever did, thanks to powerful memory-like features built into most platforms.
And, this isn’t just a passing trend. Reports show that between January and May 2025 alone, total AI-referred sessions jumped from 17,076 to 107,100. That’s a 527 percent increase in just five months.
AI search and “agentic commerce” are reshaping discovery
The biggest change is how consumers begin their search. Instead of typing keywords in a box, contemporary consumers ask contextual questions. In fact, according to a recent McKinsey report, 70 percent of AI-powered search users start with broad, exploratory questions. For example: “Considering I live in Dubai, what jacket should I buy for the chilly evenings we have here in winter?”.
AI-powered tools like ChatGPT or Gemini then gently nudge the user down the funnel, building trust by asking high-intent, informed questions in the consideration phase, such as: “Since you’re a sales manager at the X company who drives to work, you shouldn’t need anything thicker than…”. Before you know it, you’re asking, “Where can I buy the brown jacket you just mentioned?”.
This means that there’s significantly less friction between research and buying, especially with emerging checkout integrations.
Different demographics, different behaviors
Firstly, everybody, from Gen Z to boomers, is steering away from the traditional route (e.g. keyword search, opening several tabs and reading product pages and review sites), to simply having conversations with AI-powered platforms since it’s so convenient, feels more personal and saves time. However, some generations are more open to it than others.
For Gen Z, who grew up with smartphones and social media, chatting to an AI assistant is just the next step in the evolution of digital life. Nearly 70 percent are already using AI tools like ChatGPT regularly. For brands, this means that if they’re targeting Gen Z, their content strategy can lean heavily into conversational, chat-friendly formats and prioritize quick recommendations rather than long product pages.
Cetaphil, for example, was quick to react when they realized that their predominantly Gen Z target uses ChatGPT to compare products while in a store. As a result, they optimized their web product pages for AI searches.
Other generations, like Millennials, are also open to using AI. Having seen the birth of the digital space, they are tech-comfortable and likely to use it for practical decision-making (shopping, finance, planning) as well as work-related tasks. For Millennials, your content must speak to both lifestyle and functional needs, meaning brands should offer conversational guidance and clear comparisons, but also deeper context (e.g. value and benefits).
Generation X and Baby Boomers are less likely to trust AI, but this, too, is changing. According to a 2025 study, about 45% of baby-boomer–aged adults have used AI in the past six months, and about 11 percent use it daily.
How brands are responding to change
AI-driven conversations accelerate trust and shorten the path to purchase. When a user asks an assistant, “tell me what the best option is and why,” they are already in buying mode — and expecting a personalized, confident recommendation.
Major companies are reacting quickly. Amazon launched Rufus, an AI shopping assistant built into Amazon that helps users discover, compare and choose products with conversation-like queries. Walmart, on the other hand, just announced a partnership with OpenAI that brings conversational shopping and Instant Checkout inside the chat interface, powered by Stripe.
And this is just the beginning. Many major brands are seeing that optimizing for keywords isn’t enough. Neither is fighting for a place in the traditional search ranks. To win at online brand visibility, you need to be, literally, a part of the conversation your target audience is having right now with their trusted AI assistant.
(Emma Fulga is an AI search optimization specialist & Founder of decipher.)
