Rewriting the rules of online discovery and purchase
Opinion
Generative AI hasn’t just changed what people search for; it’s changing how they discover, evaluate, and decide, as a new study from the7stars shows.
The rules of brand discovery are changing fast. Our recent study reveals that Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini are no longer fringe tools; they’re becoming the front door to information, inspiration, and even purchase decisions.
For marketing and technology leaders, this signals a seismic shift: the next decade’s brand battle will be fought in the prompt box, not the search bar.
Already mainstream, and growing
Half of UK consumers now knowingly use LLMs, with adoption soaring to 75% among 25–34-year-olds. Confidence is high too: 78% feel they understand how to use these tools, and three in four believe LLMs have “revolutionised how they search and find information.”
This is not a passing trend; usage has jumped at least 10 percentage points in two years and is expected to accelerate further in 2026.
Discovery redefined
Generative AI hasn’t just changed what people search for; it’s changing how they discover, evaluate, and decide.
Over half (56%) of Brits now turn to AI tools over traditional search engines for information, and 72% are open to exploring new brands suggested by LLMs.
Where yesterday’s journey began with a keyword and a list of blue links, today’s starts with a question and ends with a curated conversation.
For brands, this means LLMs now sit at the top of the discovery funnel, outperforming social media, blogs, and even influencer content as sources of inspiration.
Consumers say these tools help them discover new brands faster, compare pros and cons more easily, and provide better inspiration than other research tools. Visibility in AI responses is becoming as critical, if not more so, than ranking on Google.
Trust has a new algorithm
Perhaps the most striking finding is trust. 61% of Brits trust AI recommendations, ranking them above influencer content, consumer reviews, and social media. Only search engines and expert reviews score higher.
This marks a fundamental shift in the hierarchy of influence: word-of-mouth used to spread through people; now it flows through prompts.
Yet trust is nuanced. While consumers value AI’s efficiency, 40% say fact-checking AI is difficult, and a third question the ethics of how models are trained. Brands must therefore balance AI visibility with credibility as consumers still want reassurance from trusted sources before they convert.
A conversational purchase journey
LLMs are moving beyond research into the purchase phase. Nearly half of active users now rely on AI tools to shortlist and finalise purchases, and seven in 10 use them to track real-time price changes.
Tasks that once demanded hours of manual effort, such as comparing products and checking deals, are now just a prompt away.
However, conversion is still catching up. Analysis highlighted that LLM-driven referral traffic accounts for only 0.07% of sales on a last-click basis.
But momentum is building: 63% of users say AI makes buying through links easier, and only 44% perceive bias in recommendations. For brands, the moment to prepare for AI as a commerce catalyst is now.
Full-funnel commerce planning and strategy
Search has become the “go to” channel for brand discovery, trust and purchase, but AI is reshaping the landscape.
The brand battle of the next decade will be fought in new ways. Brands that win won’t just appear in search; they’ll be part of a conversation—answering questions, making recommendations and facilitating conversions.
For marketing leaders, the challenge is clear: start optimising for LLMs now, or risk being invisible in the conversations that matter.
At the7stars we’re integrating SEO, PPC, shopping feeds, CRO, and AI-search visibility into a single commerce solution that enables engagement, conversion, and revenue across the LLMs.
This unites efforts into a collective team of talented experts and a single-minded strategy to optimise the experience of all discovery moments and drive better outcomes for advertisers.
Helen Rose is managing partner, insight & analytics at the7stars