Discovery Is Becoming Easier. Decision-Making Is Becoming Harder.
Vanessa Ton – Sr. Manager, Research and Market Intelligence
For years, marketers have focused on helping consumers find information. Today, information isn’t hard to find.
Consumers can ask AI for recommendations, watch expert reviews, compare vehicles side by side, calculate payments, and research nearly anything they want in seconds. AI is quickly becoming part of the shopping process, and more consumers are turning to it early in their journey to help them get started.
But here’s what’s interesting: as information becomes easier to access, decisions aren’t necessarily becoming easier to make.
In fact, our latest research found that 78% of vehicle shoppers start their journey undecided, the highest level we’ve seen. That means most shoppers aren’t looking for validation of a choice they’ve already made. They’re trying to narrow a growing list of possibilities and figure out which vehicle best fits their needs.
That was one of the biggest takeaways for me this year. Not that AI usage is growing. Not that video continues to gain influence. Not that interactive tools are becoming more important. It’s that shoppers have more ways to find information than ever before, yet many are still working through the same question: Which vehicle is right for me?
The challenge isn’t finding answers. It’s figuring out which answers to trust.
Today’s shoppers are weighing affordability, ownership costs, technology, incentives, and an ever-growing number of vehicle choices. More information hasn’t made decisions easier. It has simply shifted where the complexity shows up.
What’s becoming clear is that shoppers rely on different sources at different points in the journey. AI is often helping consumers get started by surfacing options and narrowing the field. But as shoppers move closer to a purchase decision, they increasingly turn to trusted content to answer remaining questions, compare choices, and build confidence in their final decision.
That’s why trusted content continues to matter. Reviews, video, expert content, interactive tools, and third-party validation help shoppers evaluate tradeoffs, understand what fits their needs, and feel confident they’re making the right choice.
The rise of AI doesn’t change that. AI can speed up discovery and simplify research. But shoppers still need help making sense of their options and determining what fits their needs, priorities, and budget.
Platforms will evolve. Technology will evolve. But the goal remains the same: helping consumers make confident decisions. The brands, publishers, and marketers that simplify that process will continue to earn influence, regardless of how shoppers discover information.
Download our 2026 Content Influence Study One-Sheet for a closer look at how AI, content, and consumer influence are shaping vehicle discovery and purchase decisions.
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