A new study from Yext, Inc., the leading brand visibility platform, reveals that American consumers are moving away from single-source search habits and increasingly turning to a mix of tools such as AI platforms, social networks, and review sites before making a purchase. According to Yext’s survey, just 11 percent of U.S. consumers trust the first tool they use when searching online, meaning almost nine in ten users verify or broaden their results across multiple platforms before making a decision.
Traditional search engines remain the most common starting point for product research, with 45 percent of respondents beginning their journey there. However, AI tools now account for 15 percent of initial searches, followed closely by review sites at 14 percent. The study also shows that 73 percent of respondents are using AI-powered tools more frequently compared to last year, and nearly half 45 percent report using them daily. Despite this rise, conventional search engines are still preferred for sensitive subjects like health or finance (62 percent) and for everyday decisions (60 percent).
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Social platforms continue to play a crucial role in influencing consumer choices. Over half of survey participants (52 percent) use social media to find reviews, 48 percent seek local recommendations, and 47 percent explore how-to content or advice. This underscores the ongoing importance of peer validation in the modern purchase cycle, even as AI transforms discovery behaviors.
While AI excels at research and ideation 54 percent of respondents use it for informational queries, 48 percent for creative prompts, and 43 percent for analysis traditional considerations such as price, credible reviews, and product specs still dominate at the final purchase stage.
Yext’s study categorizes U.S. consumers into six key search personas: the Traditionalist, who prefers trusted, structured answers from established platforms; the Price Shopper, who prioritizes efficiency and value; the Explorer, who asks layered questions through AI; the Creator, who uses AI for brainstorming and problem-solving; the Social Proof Seeker, who depends on peer and influencer recommendations; and the Accidental Searcher, who makes spontaneous discoveries while browsing other platforms.
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“Search is no longer a single journey: it’s a messy web of platforms, formats, and expectations,” said Mark Kabana, VP of Data Innovation at Yext. “Consumers bounce between AI, social, and traditional results not out of curiosity, but because they don’t trust the first answer. Brands need to stop optimizing for keywords and start optimizing for delegation. In a fragmented landscape, structured, machine-ready data is your only shot at being chosen not just seen.”
The study highlights an unprecedented shift in consumer discovery, signaling that brands must adapt their strategies to thrive in a multi-channel, AI-powered search environment where credibility and visibility are earned continuously not assumed.
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