Google Who? Chatbots Are Now The Favorite Holiday Shopping Tool

COLOMBO (News 1st); This holiday season, a major shift is underway in how people discover gifts, deals, and sales.

Instead of turning to traditional search engines like Google, more shoppers are expected to rely on large language models (LLMs)—AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT—to guide their purchasing decisions.

According to a recent report from Adobe, retailers could see up to a 520% increase in traffic from AI search engines and chatbots compared to last year.

In response, OpenAI has partnered with Walmart, allowing American users to shop directly within the ChatGPT interface, signaling a new era of conversational commerce.

As AI becomes the go-to tool for product discovery, brands are rapidly shifting their digital marketing strategies.

The long-dominant practice of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is now evolving into Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—a new approach designed to make content more discoverable by AI models rather than traditional search algorithms.

GEO is already emerging as a lucrative industry, projected to be worth nearly $850 million this year.

While many GEO consultants come from SEO backgrounds, the tactics are adapting to suit the highly specific, question-driven nature of chatbot interactions. Instead of lengthy blog posts, brands are now focusing on granular, targeted content that answers precise user queries like “What should I put on my skin after a sunburn?”

At this early stage, the focus isn’t on immediate conversions but on brand visibility within AI-generated responses.

As one expert put it, “We’re not measuring ROI yet—we’re making sure our product shows up when people ask.”

To meet this demand, companies are increasingly using AI to generate AI-optimized content, creating a feedback loop where machines help brands speak the language of machines.