Changing Search Behaviour: The Great Democratisation

We all know that Search behaviour has changed, with new platforms and technologies creating more opportunities to engage with people online. You wouldn’t believe how much it’s changed since Flaunt’s founding in 2015. 

Back then, the global search engine market was split between three main providers: Google, Bing, and Yahoo. In the US, Facebook’s platform usage was 62%. However, other social media platforms, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest, were all below 30%.

There is a growing likelihood that both Gen Z and Millennials use social media for search, with growth across platforms like TikTok and Instagram, particularly among younger audiences, as well as on other user-generated content sites like Reddit. 

Reddit isn’t a new platform, but it’s one that brands have heavily underestimated.  When it comes to driving community and connections with your audience, Reddit is the perfect platform for brands to get involved in conversations or understand how the public discusses your brand. As of now, Reddit is the second-most-visited site, overtaking Facebook, and its month-on-month traffic continues to grow. 

An obvious avenue of search that needs mentioning – LLMs. Since the beginning of January 2024, LLMs like ChatGPT have seen month-on-month search volume increase, with no signs of slowing.

There are 66 million ChatGPT searches per day. You might think this is all work-related, but that’s not the case. There’s been a 70% growth in non-work prompts, meaning people are using ChatGPT for fun, planning, and recommendations. 

I’ve used it for creating shopping lists and recipe ideas (it’s a game-changer, honestly), and for efficiency, helping me make the best use of my time, by providing recommendations for tools to use, planning itineraries for holidays, and giving me comparison guides for where to visit abroad. ChatGPT grabs all the relevant information I need and pops it into one place. Because of this, we need to consider ChatGPT’s power when creating marketing materials and strategies for brands. 21.3% of daily prompts have a search intent behind them, with 49% of these categorised as an ‘asking’ prompt, so you want your brand to be showing up.

That said, people still use Google. 84% of people turn to traditional search engines like Google to find a brand; however, there has been a 30% reduction in search engine use between Baby Boomers and Gen Z. This means brand is still vital, but younger audiences are searching elsewhere. To capture your full audience, you need to be across multiple platforms. 

The OnePoll data from the B2B route explores where consumers are finding brands and what influences their purchasing decisions and repeat buying. In contrast, the B2C data examines how professionals are finding vendors, how they’re making decisions, and if AI forms part of their discovery and workflow. 

We analysed the data from 2,000 respondents to help understand real purchasing decisions through fresh consumer insights. 

The route of product discovery has diversified, and social media feeds, videos, and creators have all become meaningful first touchpoints for those under 35. When this audience does product research before committing to a particular brand or product, social media and video content help them to make up their mind – not just product listings. 

Yes, discovery is now multi-platform, with places like Amazon and other online shops such as eBay or ASOS taking some purchasing power.

The decision to purchase from the brand or from third-party e-commerce platforms depends on a range of factors, such as delivery speed and pricing, brand trust, reviews, and more. The data shows that physical stores (60.9%) and owned e-commerce (19.6%) still close the most sales.

People want to return and buy again, so as a brand, you need to make it easy by being present on their route to the shop. There’s a shift in route for ages 18-24, with online search, retailer apps, and AI being popular settings throughout the customer journey, accounting for 40.2% of options; however, this is much lower among older demographics (65+).

Top pages on Google and brand-owned pages set the tone for trustworthiness, with over 80% trust rates across all demographics. Later emerging platforms like AI and short-form video (TikTok and Reels) are now trusted by younger audiences.

We analysed the data from 1,735 respondents to help understand real purchasing decisions through fresh consumer insights. Our survey captures actual buying behaviour across key categories. 

Even though the percentages differ across platforms between B2B and B2C buyers, the shift towards alternative methods alongside traditional search among younger demographics is common to both routes. Discovery in B2B is multi-platform: owned, search, social media, and AI play fundamental roles. Although search still accounts for ⅓ – ½  of product discovery across all demographics, LinkedIn, Video content, and LLM models are increasing their share, with LinkedIn now not even 10% behind search for 18-24 year olds. 

When one source wins the decision moment, owned content and search still lead, but professional networks are becoming increasingly important for younger decision-makers within the field. 

Email and forms remain the most popular entry points. But as a vendor, you need to optimise your response times, routing, and user experience to make sure the decision-maker has a frictionless experience and doesn’t give up on submitting an enquiry. For younger cohorts who are more adept at using LinkedIn or professional networking accounts, add chat features so they can take advantage of them. 

Across ages, it seems like the proof is in the pudding. Showing commercials backed by peer referrals helps drive conversions. For younger buyers, add demo-led content and make your copy AI-summarisable to widen your net across more enquiries. 

People use AI primarily to summarise analyst and vendor notes, compare emails, and estimate pricing. As AI is already embedded in procurement workflows, businesses need to plan to feed these steps with clear, structured specifications, pricing bands, and comparison-friendly content to ensure they show up.

In summary, discovery has diversified across search, social, video, stores, apps, and AI. For B2C businesses, community platforms such as Reddit are gaining influence, shaping search and AI, and driving traffic to company websites. Generational and platform developments are shifting search behaviour. 

On the other hand, vendor sites and search dominate B2B industries, with email/form submissions and AI workflows growing. Social-first content platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, alongside professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn, continue to diversify search.