AI product research isn't early-adopter behavior anymore
A year ago, using ChatGPT to research a purchase felt novel. Today, it's routine.
According to a recent Semrush study of over 1,000 U.S. consumers, 85% of people now use AI at least weekly, with nearly half using it daily. Product research is one of the top use cases: 55% use AI for product research at least weekly.
This isn't something coming next year. It's happening now, and it's changing how people find and choose brands.
The numbers worth paying attention to
43% of consumers have discovered a new brand through AI. Not through an ad or a Google search. Through a conversation with an AI assistant.
Half of all consumers have bought something after using AI during research. And 22% completed purchases directly inside AI tools.
AI traffic to retail sites grew 700% in 2025. That's a channel going from almost nothing to real volume in a single year.
People trust AI recommendations, but they verify. 75% rate their trust at 3 or 4 out of 5. They take AI suggestions seriously, but 86% still check Google or the brand's website before buying.
What this means in practice
1. There's a new "first impression" you might not control
When someone asks an AI assistant about your product category, the AI's response is their first impression of your brand, or your competitor's. You can't write that response, but you can influence it through the signals on your website: specific claims, structured content, fresh information.
2. Being absent is worse than ranking low
In traditional search, ranking #8 on page one is still visibility. In AI responses, you're either mentioned or you're not. If the AI recommends three project management tools and you're not one of them, you don't exist in that person's consideration set.
3. Each AI engine tells a different story
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude each pull from different data and reason differently. Your brand might show up consistently on Perplexity but be completely absent from Gemini. Looking at just one engine gives you an incomplete picture.
The hard part has been measurement
Most marketing teams know AI search is growing. The Semrush data shows 69% of consumers expect AI to play an even bigger role in shopping, and 46% plan to rely less on traditional search.
But knowing it matters and doing something about it are different things. Until recently, the only way to check was to manually ask each engine, one query at a time.
That's why we built theogeo.ai. We run your queries across all major AI engines, detect every mention and every absence, and give you a clear score with specific recommendations for what to improve.
The brands that figure this out early will have a real advantage. The data says the shift is already here.