Generative AI Becomes Two-Way Force, Altering Company Marketing and Consumer Product Searches

Generative AI is beginning to change how companies attract attention and how consumers decide what to buy. A survey of more than five hundred business leaders, conducted by Adobe Express team, showed that 34 percent had already received customer inquiries through AI-generated recommendations. Among those who gained business this way, the sales linked to these referrals made up 10.8 percent of their annual revenue on average. For nearly three in ten, the number of AI-driven leads passed fifty in a single year.

Some companies said these recommendations performed better than their older marketing methods. About 39 percent of leaders using generative AI for lead generation said the conversion rate was higher than traditional channels, while another 38 percent found it about the same. Only a minority saw weaker results. Chat-based platforms were the most widely adopted, with more than four out of five business leaders pointing to them as the primary tool for this type of marketing.

Investment in visibility within AI systems is also starting to take shape. Nearly a quarter of the executives surveyed said they were already spending more than ten percent of their marketing budgets on strategies that improve how their businesses appear in AI-generated suggestions. Technology companies were the most likely to commit at this level, with 38 percent of leaders in that sector saying they had made such allocations. The survey further showed that 48 percent of all business leaders expect to increase their spending on AI optimization in the year ahead, with almost six in ten tech leaders planning the same. Half of the total group believe AI systems will replace traditional search engines as their main source of leads within five years.

On the consumer side, the same survey reached just over five hundred people across different age groups. One in five respondents said they already use generative AI weekly to discover products, and younger consumers were leading the trend, with 28 percent of Gen Z doing so. Electronics were the most influenced sector, with 48 percent of shoppers saying AI affected their buying decisions in that category. Travel came next at 37 percent, followed by fashion at 25 percent.

The technology is not yet perfect. Almost six in ten consumers said the recommendations could be more accurate. Still, a smaller group of 13 percent said they would be willing to pay for premium versions of AI shopping tools that promise more reliable suggestions. Among Gen Z, that willingness rose to a quarter of respondents. Loyalty has also been tested, with 12 percent of consumers saying AI prompts had persuaded them to change brands, and nearly one in four Gen Z shoppers reporting the same.

Traditional search engines remain part of the picture, with 42 percent of respondents saying they still rely on them most often when searching for products. At the same time, 38 percent said AI-generated results felt more personalized, while a third said they were about the same as search. More than half, 52 percent, predicted that AI will overtake traditional search engines for product discovery within the next five years.

Consumer trust shows a mixed picture. A large majority, 63 percent, said they trust human reviews more than AI suggestions, while 30 percent said they trust both equally. For many, traditional search is losing ground because of problems like irrelevant advertising, overwhelming numbers of results, and concerns over authenticity. These frustrations are opening the door for AI to compete more strongly.

What emerges is a picture of businesses and consumers moving in parallel. Companies are adjusting their budgets to appear in AI-generated recommendations, and consumers are beginning to shift their product searches toward these tools. With both sides expecting greater use of generative AI in the years ahead, marketing and shopping habits may look very different by the end of the decade.