How AI, publishers, and social media are rewriting product discovery
How AI, publishers, and social media are rewriting product discovery
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“headline”: “How AI, publishers and social media are rewriting product discovery”,
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Today’s buying journey no longer begins with a Google search alone. Consumers now typically move between ChatGPT (or another AI chatbot of choice), Google, TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn, and influencer recommendations before they’re ready to buy. Rather than following a linear path, buyers gather information from multiple trusted sources until they feel confident making a decision.
For brands, this means winning product discovery is about building credibility across a fragmented ecosystem of publishers, creators, and AI-powered experiences.
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AI is changing how consumers evaluate products
Generative AI is reshaping product research by compressing what was once a lengthy comparison process into a single conversation. Instead of opening 10 browser tabs, consumers can now ask an AI assistant to compare products, summarize expert reviews, or recommend the best option for their needs. The answers are built from information that already exists across the web, including publisher articles, product reviews, buying guides, and brand content. This changes the definition of visibility.
Ranking high on a search engine remains valuable, but it’s no longer sufficient for getting your brand in front of consumers. According to our research, 55% of AI users now turn to AI tools to research what they buy, and 38% have made a purchase or considered buying a product they hadn’t before based on an AI recommendation.
Brands need to ensure they’re present wherever AI models source trusted information. Editorial coverage, expert reviews, and third-party recommendations are becoming influential because they shape both consumer perception and AI-generated responses.
As AI continues to mature, brands that invest in authority over simple search optimization will be better positioned to influence purchasing decisions.
Discovery now happens before consumers start shopping
Social platforms are the hub for consumer discovery, with influencers, online groups, and personal networks guiding consumers to purchase decisions. Recommendations encountered while scrolling social media feeds often influence consideration weeks before someone actively begins searching for a product.
LinkedIn illustrates this shift particularly well. Once viewed primarily as a professional networking platform, it’s an important destination for industry expertise, product recommendations, and executive thought leadership that shapes B2B buying decisions. Its new Creator Marketplace reflects a move toward investing in creator partnerships, recognizing that trusted individuals are a key part of how buyers discover and evaluate brands.
The same pattern is playing out across consumer platforms. Whether the recommendation comes from a TikTok creator, a Reddit discussion, or a buying guide from a trusted publisher, influence often occurs long before checkout.
Publishers remain trusted voices
Despite the rise of AI, trusted editorial content continues to grow in value. Consumers continue to rely on independent reviews, such as The New York Times Wirecutter, and buying guides from trusted publishers and influencers to validate their purchasing decisions.
These articles also often appear in AI search, making them even more valuable sources of visibility for brands. In turn, partnering with publishers who can promote your product on these sites delivers direct link traffic and surfaces your product in AI search more often than it would organically. This means that for brands, investing in higher-quality publisher relationships is crucial for both sales and long-term visibility.
The future belongs to brands building discovery ecosystems
Consumers no longer follow a linear path to purchase. They move between AI assistants, publisher content, social platforms, creator recommendations, and review sites before making a decision, often revisiting multiple sources along the way. That means product discovery is no longer a single-channel strategy. Building visibility now requires a mix of trusted partners who can influence consumers throughout the research and buying process.
Clarks, the iconic footwear brand, does this particularly well. (Disclosure: Clarks is a client of Awin, where I serve as president, North America.) By expanding its partner strategy across a diverse mix of publisher and partner relationships, the company strengthened its presence throughout the consumer discovery journey while driving measurable business results. Rather than relying on a single marketing channel, Clarks invested in a global ecosystem of trusted voices to connect with shoppers researching and evaluating products.
As AI continues to reshape search and social platforms become influential in purchase decisions, brands must stop thinking in terms of channels and start thinking in terms of ecosystems.
The post How AI, publishers, and social media are rewriting product discovery appeared first on MarTech.
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