Marketers struggle to prepare for AI-driven, click-less journeys

Most marketers do not feel prepared for the growing prevalence of click-less customer journeys, despite an increasing reliance on AI-driven platforms for product discovery. New research suggests a significant disconnect between awareness of the issue and readiness to address it within many organisations.

AI as gateway

AI-enabled platforms are quickly transforming how shoppers make decisions online, with generative engines determining which brands are surfaced rather than consumers directly visiting websites. According to recent survey results, 62% of marketers believe click-less journeys-where customers do not visit brand sites-will become commonplace within the next year, but only 27% feel well-prepared.

"If you're not optimised for AI, you're invisible," said Tara Corey, SVP of Marketing, Optimizely. "Consumers are using AI platforms as the front door to the internet, making purchase decisions without ever reaching your website. And while marketers debate how much of a priority GEO should be, their brands are being summarised, compared, and potentially dismissed by algorithms. The brands that move fastest to understand and influence those moments will define the next era of digital marketing."

Preparation gap

Despite broad recognition of the trend, only 39% of marketers surveyed globally currently regard Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) as a top priority for the next six to 12 months. This figure rises to 65% among UK respondents. Yet, over two-thirds (67%) of consumers report using AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, or Perplexity to research products or services, highlighting a gap between consumer behaviour and marketing execution.

This shift is especially pronounced among younger consumers. Those aged 18-44 are three to four times more likely than those over 55 to use AI daily for product research. More than four in ten consumers say they would trust an AI-generated summary without visiting a brand's website, while nearly one-third have made purchases based solely on AI-generated recommendations. Of these, 87% expressed satisfaction with their purchase.

Brand trust factors

Although AI is increasingly a conduit for purchase decisions, brand recognition continues to play a critical role. Nearly one-third of consumers indicate they are more likely to trust an AI-generated product summary if it is from a known brand, and a similar proportion value a combination of brand and product information. Only 22% say that clear and accurate details alone are sufficient for trust, regardless of brand familiarity.

The challenge for marketers is the perceived lack of control and accuracy in AI-generated brand representations. Only a quarter of marketers polled are very confident that AI summaries reflect their brand or content accurately, while 75% report little to no confidence in this.

Strategic challenges

Marketers cite a range of concerns with using AI in campaigns, including legal and compliance risks (25%), reduced site traffic (20%), the risk of outdated or incorrect content (20%), loss of message control (19%) and difficulty measuring performance (18%).

The lack of clear strategy is also seen as a risk to staff retention. Two-thirds (66%) of marketing leaders say they would leave their company within a year if it fails to develop an AI or GEO strategy. Only 4% claim that such issues would not influence their decision to stay. Currently, just 45% of marketing teams report having a defined AI strategy for GEO.

AI adoption pace

The accelerating adoption of AI in consumer discovery is prompting brands to reconsider how they manage online visibility. As more shoppers shift their research and purchasing behaviour to AI-generated summaries and recommendations, marketers face pressures both to adapt quickly and to address internal capability gaps.

"Consumers are using AI platforms as the front door to the internet, making purchase decisions without ever reaching your website," said Corey.