AI is changing discovery. What does that mean for your business?

How customers discover products and information is constantly changing.

Search engines, social media and marketplaces like Amazon and Ebay, previously shaped how consumers discovered brands.

But now AI-driven Large Language Models (LLMs) form another layer of that ecosystem, with more than 50% of online adults having used generative AI to find answers to questions, according to Forrester.

Thanks to LLMs, people can go beyond traditional search to ask questions and compare options through natural conversation, often before they ever visit a website.

What do businesses need to know to adapt in the face of that influence? Discovery is becoming conversational For what felt like forever, keywords shaped digital discovery.

Customers would type a short query into a search engine and receive a list of links.

But LLMs have changed that dynamic, enabling people to solve their needs in a more detailed and natural way.

Instead of a simple search for “best running shoes” consumers may now ask what products they need for marathon training, whether certain shoes suit a specific foot type, how they compare with alternatives, and where to buy them.

This changes the role of the search interface.

Rather than sifting through a page of results themselves, users are increasingly comfortable letting AI narrow the field for them before they decide where to go next.

Consumers are already using AI tools for practical research and purchase-related decisions.

We found informational (39%) and transactional (37%) prompts account for more than three-quarters of LLM usage.

And AI is not just acting as a neutral directory of options.

70% of LLM responses position a single brand as the primary recommendation.