With the rapid advancement of technology, artificial intelligence (AI) search is profoundly changing consumers' online search behavior. According to the latest research report released by Adobe, AI search has become an important source of traffic in the retail industry. Based on an analysis of data on access to more than 1 trillion U.S. retail websites and a survey of more than 5,000 U.S. users, the report fully reveals the current status of AI search usage and its impact on consumer behavior.
Data shows that during the 2024 holiday season, AI search traffic surged by 1,300% compared with 2023. On Cyber Monday, this growth rate reached an astonishing 1,950%. While these numbers are shocking, this change is reasonable considering that AI search is still in its infancy last year.
What is more striking is the user engagement metric. Users guided by AI search have increased their stay time by 8% compared to those who visit websites through traditional searches (such as Google or Bing searches), the proportion of users who browse different pages by 12%, while the proportion of users who leave after just visiting the link has decreased by 23%. These data suggest that AI tools may perform better in providing users with more relevant pages.
However, the launch of AI search tools has not been smooth sailing. Since Google launched the AI Overview (formerly known as search generation experience SGE), many problems have emerged, and users have encountered various confusions during use, such as wrong suggestions, such as adding glue to pizza so that cheese can stick.
Despite many challenges, the rapid development of AI search cannot be ignored. Many consumers are gradually adapting to this new way of searching and are happy to accept the information AI provides them. This change will not only affect the user's search experience, but will also have a profound impact on the entire Internet ecosystem. In the future, AI search may redefine how we obtain information and the competitive landscape of major search engines.
Key points:
1⃣ AI search traffic surged by 1,300% during the holiday season in 2024, and Cyber Monday reached 1,950%.
2⃣ The stay time and number of pages viewed by users who access the website through AI search have increased, indicating that AI search provides more relevant content.
3⃣ Although AI search faces challenges, consumers' acceptance of it is gradually increasing, and the search engine landscape may change in the future.