Google introduces AI shopping within search

Google just launched the ability for you (and AI agents) to buy directly from its search results.

Named the ‘Universal Commerce Protocol’ (catchy), it’s basically a system that connects retailers and search platforms – enabling purchases without having to visit a website. And it’s big, big news.

This comes after OpenAI launched the ‘Agentic Commerce Protocol’ (also very catchy) back in September. And together, these updates represent a massive shift in how people shop online.

No website clicks, no traffic, no real brand engagement at all. Our target audiences will be making purchases from within the search results – whether that’s a human doing the buying or an AI agent working on their behalf.

What does this mean for digital PR?

In the short term, it’s ecommerce that’ll be impacted the most. Expect to see some panicked ecom teams over the next few months. But looking further ahead, this shift has some pretty big ramifications for PR too.

If audiences can research, find and actually buy without leaving search – our work becomes even more important. Potential customers won’t browse your website, read your content, watch your videos. Instead, the shopping process could soon look something like:

• Using AI search to research recommended products/services

• Using AI search to refine their search and investigate the top options available

• Using AI search to compare and contrast these options

• Using AI search to eventually checkout and make a purchase

Meaning? From discovery to purchase, they might never leave AI search. While admittedly pretty scary, this is actually a great opportunity for digital PR. Because…

1. Visibility in AI search will become absolutely essential (if it isn’t already). And we know that earned media is such a key driver of this, so our industry should have a (very) important role in shaping the AI search results.

2. Offsite brand building will become non-negotiable. With less brand engagement (and less control) during the online shopping process, audience engagement before the search will be crucial. The real winners will be the brands who convince customers to buy from them before they even hit the search results.

ChatGPT To Begin Testing Ads in the United States

From calling ads a “last resort” in October 2024, OpenAI is now testing them in ChatGPT.

A tech company backtracking on something? Surely not.

These experimental ads are starting in the US, but if successful I’d expect the tests to roll out pretty quickly. And once OpenAI has latched onto a format that works, there’ll be no looking back.

What does this mean for digital PR?

We all know that PR is a core driver of AI SEO (sorry I just can’t get behind ‘GEO’ ‘AEO’ or ‘AIO’). But now that ads are on the table, brands will have even more opportunities to secure AI visibility. And these won’t just be top-level mass marketing ads. They’ll be HUGELY targeted – analysing your audience’s individual characteristics and preferences (from search history, emails, YouTube and beyond) – ultimately serving up targeted ads at the exact point they’re most likely to make a purchase. Basically, they’ll work really well.

So as PRs, we’ll need to work much more closely with our paid marketing colleagues. How do we align our messaging across organic and paid results? How do we work together to create user journeys within AI responses that maximise results? We need to ensure that we’re working with, not against, paid marketing efforts.

This new era of search is such a big, big opportunity for the PR industry. So we really must make the most of it.

What else is new in digital PR and SEO?

• Google Trends Explore gets AI-powered update. It’ll now suggest relevant, related search terms, letting you more easily find and compare key queries. Sounds useful. Especially for PR and digital PR campaign planning.

• Micorosoft releases advice on AI SEO. How do you become the brand that AI recommends? How do you optimise your brand for humans vs AI agents? Microsoft’s new guide is a great place to start.

• Google’s “Personal Intelligence” connects your searches, emails, photos and YouTube history. Sound scary? A bit, yes. But it’s also exciting, because this is where the future is heading. Truly personalised AI-led experiences operating across everything we do. And it’s coming soon.