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Research note · WPP Media (reported by B&T)

WPP Media: three in four Australians use AI search to help them buy

WPP Media’s research found around three in four Australians now use AI search to help make purchase decisions, and one in four AI-assisted buyers changed their mind about what to buy. Brands that AI tools can’t find or trust are being left off shortlists before anyone visits a website.

By the Tonic The Agency team

Key findings

  • 75%of Australians are using AI search to help make purchase decisions.
  • 58%rely on AI summaries in search results; 40% use chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude directly.
  • 2 in 3AI-assisted buyers use AI to check brands’ advertising claims.
  • 1 in 4changed their mind about what to buy after using AI.

What it means

Most of this happens before a click, so it doesn’t show up in analytics. A brand can lose a sale it never knew it was in the running for.

AI tools draw on your website, reviews, retailer listings and media coverage. If those sources are thin, out of date or inconsistent, the tools name a competitor instead. Our AI search visibility guide covers what they look for.

What to do next

  1. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Mode the questions your buyers ask, and note which brands they name.
  2. Make sure your key pages answer those questions in the first sentence, with schema and up-to-date facts.
  3. Check that claims in your ads are backed up on your website, so AI tools can verify them.

AI search optimisation (GEO)