IDHL has published research showing a 553% rise in transactions from AI search visitors over 13 months. AI-attributed revenue also increased 312% over the same period.
The agency's State of AI Search report drew on 1.5 million AI search-engaged sessions across 175 websites in 20 industries. It found AI search engagement rose 392% during the period, suggesting AI tools are becoming a more significant source of customer traffic and sales.
The data covered sectors including retail, travel, beauty, DIY, property and gifting. The findings suggest AI search is beginning to follow seasonal buying patterns already familiar in traditional search and eCommerce, with category demand shifting at different points in the year.
Fashion activity peaks in spring, DIY and home improvement rise in high summer, jewellery and gifting build before Christmas, property increases in January, and travel follows a twin-peak pattern in December and May, according to IDHL. The report argued these trends show AI search is moving closer to established consumer purchasing behaviour.
The research also compared AI search growth with other digital acquisition channels. AI search expanded faster than organic search, which rose 28%, paid search, up 19%, and direct traffic, which grew 25%.
Platform split
ChatGPT accounted for about 91% of measured AI search activity in the dataset, making it the dominant platform by a wide margin. But the report also pointed to rapid growth among rivals, with Claude sessions up 1,183% over 13 months, Gemini up 404%, and Copilot up 313%.
Those figures suggest that while one platform still leads the market, businesses tracking AI-driven discovery may need to monitor a broader range of services as user behaviour spreads across multiple tools.
Chris Shelbourn, Organic Search Delivery Director at IDHL, said: "We've been tracking the growth of AI search for some time, but what this research shows at scale is that it's becoming a genuine discovery and decision-making channel for consumers. What's particularly significant is that transactions are growing faster than traffic. That suggests AI search isn't just influencing awareness, it's increasingly shaping the moments where people compare options, build confidence and make purchasing decisions. What stands out is how AI search is starting to behave like a real discovery channel, following sector patterns, responding to seasonal demand and driving measurable commercial outcomes. The organisations that will benefit most are those that measure AI visibility and build it into their wider search, content and brand strategies. Businesses need to make it easier for these platforms to understand, trust and recommend their brand."
UK and US
The report found notable differences between markets. UK AI search engagement grew 413% over the year, compared with 302% in the US, which may indicate a more established level of usage in the American market, according to IDHL.
That gap points to uneven adoption across geographies, with the UK still in a faster growth phase. For brands operating in both markets, the figures suggest customer discovery patterns may not develop at the same pace everywhere.
The study presents AI search as an increasingly measurable channel for online discovery rather than a tool used only in early-stage research. Its findings indicate that visits linked to AI platforms are not only rising sharply but also converting into transactions and revenue faster than traffic growth alone would suggest.
Shelbourn also warned against treating AI visibility as a single-platform issue. "An AI search strategy built around ChatGPT alone risks leaving gaps. As Gemini, Claude and Copilot gain ground, brands need to understand how they are appearing across a more fragmented discovery ecosystem. The organisations that act now will be much harder to miss as AI search becomes a bigger part of how customers discover, compare and choose brands," he said.