top of page
Search

The AI-Powered Consumer: What Marketers Need to Know

  • alexandragrundy
  • May 8
  • 3 min read

AI has entered the mainstream, and consumers are leading the charge. Consumers are adopting AI tools that reshape the traditional buyer journey, to search smarter, shop faster, and make more informed decisions. For marketers, this isn’t just a passing trend - it’s a call to rethink strategies and how we connect with the AI-empowered consumer where they are.  

 

1. Consumers Are Rethinking How They Search 

The old “Google-it” approach? It’s evolving. AI is shaking up how people search, with more natural, conversational, and even visual interactions. 

 

What’s Changing: 

  • Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity AI are becoming the go-to for everything from product recommendations to planning trips. 

  • People aren’t just typing in keywords anymore - they’re asking questions, expecting nuanced answers, and skipping traditional results pages. 

  • Google searches in Safari fell for the first time ever last month (April 2025.)  

  • A recent study by Capgemini found that 68% of consumers are prepared to act on Gen AI recommendations, and 58% prefer product recommendations from Gen AI tools over traditional search engines. 


What Marketers Should Do: 

  • Optimise content for AI-generated answers, not just search engines. 

  • Focus on clear, useful content - like FAQs, comparison pieces, and expert insights - that AI tools can easily summarise and recommend. 

  • Think beyond Google - your audience might start their search on TikTok, through voice assistants, or even inside a chatbot. 

Three colored panels show: 1 in 3 consumers use AI weekly, 68% act on GenAI, and Google searches in Safari down for first time.

2. Consumers Expect Search to Be Smarter and Quicker 

People aren’t just searching anymore; they are expecting AI to do the heavy lifting. Speed, convenience, and relevance are now non-negotiable. 

 

What’s Changing: 

  • AI tools are acting like digital research assistants, delivering instant summaries, comparisons, and recommendations. 

  • Voice and visual search are on the rise - snapping a pic of a product or asking your phone a question is becoming second nature. 

 

What Marketers Should Do: 

  • Move away from keyword stuffing - focus on natural, helpful content that AI can pull into a conversation. 

  • Make your content easy to discover in different formats, for example image tagging, voice-friendly phrasing, and mobile-first design all matter. 

  • Anticipate the questions your audience is asking and answer them clearly - the brands that inform will be the brands that perform. 

 

3. Self-Service is the New Norm 

Consumers want to figure things out on their own and AI is making it easier than ever. 

 

What’s Changing: 

  • More than half of consumers prefer finding answers themselves over talking to a person. 

  • Tools like AI chatbots, virtual assistants, and smart product finders are now expected parts of the customer experience. 

 

What Marketers Should Do: 

  • Invest in smart, self-service tools - think product quizzes, recommendation engines, and AI-powered chat. 

  • Don’t forget the human touch - make it easy for people to reach out if they need help. 

 

4. Trust is the Big Variable 

Consumers are curious about AI - but not everyone’s convinced they can trust it yet. 

 

What’s Changing: 

  • Around 1 in 3 consumers are using AI tools weekly. 

  • But, 17% strongly distrust and 16% somewhat distrust AI tools, according to a report by HubSpot.  

 

What Marketers Should Do: 

  • Be upfront about when and where AI is used in your experiences. 

  • Prioritise data transparency and ethical use - tell people how their data is being used and protected. 

  • Build credibility through consistency and clarity, not hype. 

 

5. What the Savviest Marketers Are Doing Right Now 

If consumers are using AI every day, marketers should be too. Leading brands aren’t just keeping up - they’re getting ahead. 

 

They’re: 

  • Using AI tools like Canva’s Magic Studio to create content faster and with less friction. 

  • Analysing consumer behaviour in real-time with AI to tweak messaging, offers, and campaigns on the fly. 

  • Optimising content not just for search engines, but for AI models that power how and where people discover brands. 

 

Final Thought 

The way people interact with brands is changing - fast. Consumers are actively using AI to search, shop, and engage on their own terms. For marketers, that means adapting: show up where your audience is, meet their expectations for speed and relevance, and use AI not just to automate, but to add value. 

 

The AI-powered consumer is already here. Are you ready to meet them? 

 

Comments

bottom of page