Search Marketing Takeaways for Leaders: March 2026
From answers to action: visibility, trust and platform native discovery
AI-led search is surfacing links more prominently, platform-native discovery is accelerating, and trust signals are doing more of the work. Here are the key shifts this month and what leaders should prioritise next.
From aisles to agents: what John Lewis selling via ChatGPT and TikTok signals for modern discovery
John Lewis’ move to sell via ChatGPT and TikTok Shop is a useful signal of how discovery and decision-making are changing. This article unpacks what it means for modern search, trust and validation, and why brands need to think beyond clicks, with a practical view on where to focus next.
The funnel isn’t broken. It’s just not how people buy anymore.
Most marketing teams still plan as if attention moves in a tidy line: awareness, consideration, purchase, loyalty. It is a useful simplification, but it is increasingly out of step with reality.
Modern consumer decision-making is shaped less by “stages” and more by four overlapping behaviours: streaming, scrolling, searching and shopping (the “4S”).