“Just Google it” is officially outdated advice. Marketers blame AI, algorithms, or platform changes for declining visibility, but the real issue is something bigger. According to SOCi’s newly released 2025 Consumer Behavior Index (CBI), while 83% of consumers still use traditional engines to search, platforms like social media (73%), navigation apps (58%), review sites (19%), and AI tools (19%) have turned consumer discovery into a free-for-all. Brands are fighting for attention across a fragmented landscape, and those still focused on traditional search strategies alone are losing attention and relevance.
“At SOCi, we’ve been keeping a close eye on this shift. Our proprietary data shows search impressions are down 10% year-over-year, and multi-location brands are feeling the impact. While AI tools like ChatGPT are gaining momentum, they aren’t the sole culprit, ” said Monica Ho, Chief Marketing Officer, SOCi. “Consumers want more from their overall search experiences, and the multi-platform discovery journey is a hunt for authenticity, especially for Gen Z.”
This shift has been building over the last few years. SOCi revealed this fragmentation in 2024 with the rise of search on social media platforms, and Gen Z in particular choosing Instagram and TikTok over Google when conducting local searches. Younger consumers are overindexing in seeking real stories, real experiences, and validation from real people – and they are no longer relying on one platform to find it. The 2025 CBI shows that Gen Z bounces between an average 3.6 platforms before deciding on even simple purchases.
“We are not only seeing the continued use of social for search this year, but also the rise of AI search engines like ChatGPT and community websites like Reddit, which are taking market share away from traditional search engines,” Ho added. “This shift is already happening. Unless marketers change their strategies now, they’ll continue to lose not only search demand but visibility as well.”
As search and discovery shifts toward social, AI tools, and forums, the real question isn’t how you rank on Google – it’s whether you show up at all where consumers are actually searching. Are your local pages and reviews optimized? Are you showing up in ChatGPT responses or Reddit threads? How are you appearing in top social media sites? These areas will only become more influential as Social Platforms, AI Assisted Engines and others test new experiences to attract younger generations.
Gartner predicted in 2024 that search demand would drop 25% by 2026. “SOCi’s proprietary data shows we are already on pace to hit that decline,” Ho added. “If brands do nothing, they should expect search demand to drop by more than a quarter by the end of this year.”
The takeaway is clear: Multi-location brands must evolve to stay discoverable in a radically reshaped digital landscape. For marketers, this is a wake-up call: adapt to this fragmented reality now, or risk becoming invisible, irrelevant, or untrusted in the eyes of today’s digitally fluent consumers.
To explore the full findings of the 2025 Consumer Behavior Index, visit soci.ai/insights/consumer-behavior-index.
