Inc. reports AI assistants now take a big share of search clicks and may soon handle payment too, which could change how customers find and buy from online sellers.
AI assistants are changing how people find and buy products online, according to a story from Inc. published October 22, 2026. Its title says AI took 58 percent of search clicks. The next step, it says, is the checkout, where the sale itself may happen inside an AI chat.
The story points to three shifts. Shoppers ask an AI assistant instead of clicking through search results. Chat-based checkout lets them pay inside the assistant, without visiting a seller's website. Self-service ad tools are part of the change too, so brands may pay AI platforms to be recommended.
Inc. describes this as a marketing funnel moving to a place businesses do not control. The funnel is the path a customer takes from first noticing a product to buying it. Sites that relied on Google for visitors feel the loss of clicks first. Any business that sells online could be affected if customers never reach its own site.
The full article was not available. That means the source of the 58 percent figure and the time period it covers are unclear. It is also unclear which AI assistants or ad tools are involved, and what recommendations would cost a brand.
Even so, the direction is clear enough to plan around. Sellers should think about how a customer would find and buy from them inside an AI chat, not only on their own website.
If you sell online, plan now for customers who find and pay for your products inside an AI chat instead of on your own site.
Fake PayPal emails and texts, some posing as a security report, try to get you to tap a link and type your login. Checking your account directly avoids the trap.
Read more: Got a fake PayPal message? Skip its link and check your account yourselfSecurity firm Flashpoint says criminals are trading in refund tricks, gift card fraud and hacked online stores ahead of the holidays. Shop owners should check their refund steps.
Read more: Scammers are targeting store refunds and gift cards before the holidaysDownloading what you replay uses less battery and data than streaming it again and again. Lowering the quality setting saves even more, and frees up phone storage.
Read more: Download songs and shows you replay to save battery and data
