AI search revenue, Reddit, Gen Z buyers: 5 interesting stats to start your week
We arm you with all the stats you need to tackle the week ahead.
· Marketing WeekBy Emily Manock 5 Oct 2026 2:02 pm
AI search revenue has more than tripled in the last year
Revenue attributable to AI search has more than tripled (321%) over the past thirteen months, with transactions attributable to AI rising even faster at 553%, according to new research from IDHL.
The growth in AI search is far outstripping that being seen in conventional search channels. AI search is growing 14 times faster than organic search, which, while still growing, has only increased by 28% since last year.
The report, which surveyed 1.5 million AI search engaged sessions across 175 websites and 20 industries, found that the number of AI search engaged sessions have increased almost five times over the same period.
The level of growth appears to be accelerating, with the number of sessions tripling over the last quarter. Moreover, in the most recent month included in the report (July 2026), AI search sessions have doubled and transactions attributable to AI search have almost tripled.
Source: IDHL
Winning over younger buyers is critical to future growth say UK B2B marketers
Almost nine in 10 (88%) UK B2B marketers believe their company’s future growth depends on the ability to influence younger decision-makers, including Gen Z and millennials.
New research from LinkedIn also demonstrates professional relationships and trusted recommendations are increasingly shaping how Gen Z buyers evaluate brands. The vast majority (85%) of UK marketers believe Gen Z buyers are more likely to consider a brand that is validated by someone in their professional community, and this sentiment rises to 89% in the U.S.
The survey also found that almost half (43%) of those surveyed say content from expert voices – including employees, creators and industry experts – is the most effective way to engage these decision makers.
Over two thirds (65%) of those who currently work with expert voices say their content is more effective than traditional campaign types at turning awareness into consideration, while twice as many UK B2B marketers say campaigns using expert voices have their greatest impact at the consideration stage (44%), than awareness (21%)
Source: LinkedIn
Over half of UK shoppers would rather browse everything themselves than get personalised picks
More than half (51%) of UK shoppers would rather browse everything themselves than get personalised picks–the highest-scoring market surveyed out of US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. This sits in stark contrast with the fact that, across all markets, 86% of those surveyed said they had at least one ChatGPT-referred transaction in July 2026, up from 79% in January
More and more Brits are embracing online shopping as the number of UK shoppers who do their shopping entirely in-person has dropped to around an eighth at (12%), according to new research from Criteo.
Furthermore, around a fifth of UK shoppers (21%) say that they have used AI to shop in the past 12 months, with that figure rising to over a half (55%) among UK shoppers who admit advertising influences their purchasing decisions.
Perhaps unsurprisingly these factors could be driving Brits to spend more. Almost half (43%) of UK shoppers are saying that are spending more online on groceries, hygiene and pet care than they did a year ago.
Source: Criteo
Number of UK women on Reddit almost doubled
Over the past four years, the number of British women using Reddit has almost doubled from 11% to 19%, according to new data from YouGov. Among UK men, who make up 60% of the platform’s userbase, that figure has risen from 20% to 26% over the same period.
Over eight in ten of women using the platform are Gen Z (40%) and Millennials (45%), compared with 17% and 27% respectively among British women overall.
They also tend to be heavier social media users. A third (32%) of women who use Reddit spend more than two hours a day on social media, compared with 20% of British women overall. At the other end of the scale, they are less likely to spend 30 minutes or less on social media (16% versus 26%).
As such, women on the platform are more likely to than the female population overall to discover products through influencers or bloggers (35% versus 22%), product reviews (38% versus 30%), search engines (51% versus 44%), online marketplaces (35% versus 28%) and online advertising (34% versus 28%).
Source: YouGov
AI could wipe out ‘traditional’ entry level marketing jobs by 2030
Given automation impacts tasks typically performed by juniors, new research from Gartner predicts AI will “allow the majority of high-performing marketing teams to eliminate the traditional bottom rungs of the corporate ladder” by 2030.
Almost a fifth (18%) of the 1,300 marketing leaders surveyed have already eliminated early stage marketing roles due to automation.
However, AI is also posing opportunities, as 16% report having created new roles in the face of technological advancement.
CMOs are being urged to assess junior marketers’ strategic and critical thinking skills when hiring, as expectations on staff change from demonstrating executional skills.
Source: Gartner