# 59% of shoppers would switch brands if an AI recommended a competitor: what that means for your business _Customers are searching for products and services inside AI tools, and businesses that don't show up in those answers will lose sales to competitors that might not even be better._ > An Adobe study found that **59% of consumers who use AI to research purchases would consider ditching their favorite brand if an AI recommended an unknown competitor**. The way new customers discover businesses has changed. Not being visible to AIs today is like not having a sign on your door. **Trends** · 4 Nov 2026 · MerbIQ --- ## The customer has already decided before they call you Think about the path a customer takes before reaching out to any business. A few years ago, they'd type something into Google, open three or four tabs, and compare. Today, a growing share of those same people just open ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity and ask directly: "what's the best jeweler for wedding bands in Austin?" or "where can I find an engagement ring with good value in Chicago?" The AI responds with specific names. Whoever shows up in that answer makes the customer's short list. Whoever doesn't show up doesn't exist for that customer in that moment, no matter how many years they've been in business or how many five-star reviews they've earned. ## The number that changes everything: brand loyalty is no longer a sure thing An Adobe study found that 59% of consumers who use AI to research purchases would consider switching from their preferred brand to an unknown competitor if the AI recommended that competitor. Among Gen Z consumers, that number climbs to 64%, according to the same research. The same study revealed that 62% of respondents had already bought from brands they never would have considered without an AI recommendation. That means AIs aren't just a new search engine: they're an active channel for winning new customers for businesses that previously had no shot against established names. For an independent jewelry shop in Nashville, for example, that's a real opening. If an AI recommends that store to someone who was about to buy from a national chain, the sale changes hands. The same goes for any local or niche business that today competes against brands with much bigger budgets. Fonte: [Pesquisa Adobe (Small Business Trends)](https://smallbiztrends.com/adobe-survey-finds-59-of-shoppers-would-switch-brands-for-ai-picks/) ## Why AIs recommend one business and ignore another AIs don't search the way Google does. They were trained on text from across the internet and keep learning from what they find on websites, forums, reviews, and directories. When someone asks about the best place to buy something, the AI answers based on what it understands about each business: what it does, where it's located, who it serves, what customers say about it. If your business information is scattered, outdated, or simply missing from the places AIs look for references, they won't mention you. Not because you're not good, but because they can't make sense of you. [Find out why AIs don't cite you even when you're the best option](https://merbiq.com/en/blog/como-estruturar-informacoes-do-negocio-para-a-ia-entender-e-citar-2026-10-26). The good news is there's a practical fix. Organizing and structuring your business information in a way that AIs can read, interpret, and cite is the step that separates businesses that show up from businesses that stay invisible. ## The risk of letting AIs speak for you when you've never said a word There's another side to this that most small business owners don't notice. The Adobe study also found that 59% of consumers lose trust in a brand when an AI presents incorrect information about it. In other words, if an AI says something wrong about your business, the customer walks away before you ever get a chance. This happens when a business hasn't fed the right sources with accurate information. AIs fill in the gaps with whatever they find, and what they find might be outdated, mixed up with another business, or just plain wrong. **Keeping your information accurate and accessible in the sources AIs consult is just as important as having a great product.** The answer isn't hoping the AI gets it right. It's making sure the AI has everything it needs to get it right. Fonte: [Pesquisa Adobe (Small Business Trends)](https://smallbiztrends.com/adobe-survey-finds-59-of-shoppers-would-switch-brands-for-ai-picks/) ## What to do now, not later You don't need to abandon Google or stop investing in what's already working. The point is that the channel for reaching new customers has expanded, and ignoring that expansion has a real cost: the customers AIs could be sending your way are going to whoever does show up. The first step is understanding how your business is being seen by AIs right now. [See the concrete signals that show whether you're showing up or not](https://merbiq.com/en/blog/como-medir-visibilidade-nas-ias-de-forma-objetiva-sinais-e-metricas). After that, the work is structuring your digital presence so that ChatGPT, Gemini, and the major AIs can understand your business and recommend it with confidence. Small business owners who do this now will build a real advantage while most of their competitors are still looking only at Google. ## FAQ ### Do AIs actually influence purchase decisions, or are people still searching on Google? Both channels coexist, but AI influence is growing fast. The Adobe study found that 62% of consumers who use AI for research had already bought from brands they wouldn't have considered without that recommendation. Behavior is shifting, and businesses that aren't visible to AIs are losing a growing share of new customers. ### Can small businesses actually compete with big brands inside AI results? Yes, and that's one of the biggest opportunities right now. AIs don't automatically favor whoever has the biggest marketing budget: they recommend whoever has the clearest, most complete, and most reliable information. A well-structured local business can show up ahead of a national chain that never organized its presence for AIs. ### What happens if an AI says something wrong about my business? The impact hits your credibility directly. The Adobe study found that 59% of consumers lose trust in a brand when an AI presents incorrect information about it. That's why controlling what AIs find about you, by keeping accurate and up-to-date data in the right sources, is an essential part of any customer acquisition strategy today. ## MerbIQ What we see when we analyze real businesses is that most still treat AI as a tech curiosity rather than a sales channel. Meanwhile, customers are already inside these tools asking questions and getting competitor names back. The Adobe finding about 59% of shoppers switching brands based on an AI recommendation isn't a projection: it's behavior happening right now. Small business owners who organize their presence today will get ahead while the rest of the market is still waking up to this. --- Build your business's digital identity so AIs can find you and recommend you. — https://merbiq.com Canonical: https://merbiq.com/en/blog/59-of-shoppers-would-switch-brands-if-an-ai-recommended-a-competitor