AI isn’t just changing marketing—it’s changing your customers. From the way users search to how they make decisions online, artificial intelligence is reshaping digital behaviour in ways that brands can’t afford to ignore. And for conversion rate optimisation (CRO), that means rethinking how we understand, engage, and convert audiences in an AI-shaped world.
Whether you’re in retail, travel, finance, or hospitality, the customer journey is evolving rapidly. Here’s how AI is influencing user behaviour—and what you can do to ensure your CRO strategy keeps pace.
How AI is shaping user behaviour
AI is everywhere in the user journey: from search engines and product recommendations to voice assistants and AI-powered chat. But the real shift is in how users expect experiences to be personalised, intuitive, and instant. A few key behavioural changes include:
1. Users expect smarter, faster answers
With tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI search results, people are becoming used to getting accurate, conversational answers without clicking around. This is driving a shift from keyword-based journeys to intent-led journeys—and brands need to be present with content that answers, not just sells.
2. Trust signals matter more than ever
AI-generated content is making users more sceptical of what they see online. Clear authority signals—like reviews, user generated content (UGC), expert commentary, and brand transparency—are becoming even more important to reassure and convert.
3. The rise of AI co-pilots
Many users are now using AI tools alongside search to research purchases, plan trips, or compare services. That changes the playing field: your CRO strategy needs to consider how people are being guided through decisions by AI, not just by your website.
What this means for CRO
Conversion Rate Optimisation has traditionally been about refining journeys through testing and UX improvements. That’s still essential—but AI means we need to take it further. Here’s how:
Reassess your value messaging
As users spend less time comparing tabs and more time asking AI for recommendations, your messaging needs to be sharper, clearer, and aligned with your audience’s intent from the first click.
Use AI to power smarter CRO
AI tools can be used to identify pain points, predict user drop-off and test variations at scale to identify success faster.
Think in journeys, not pages
AI is nudging users down different paths, and CRO needs to respond. Map out how users arrive at decisions and test flows holistically, not just page by page. At the same time, it’s crucial that web pages can stand out for themselves; relying on information in other pages on the site can cause users to click around and increase the chance of them bouncing.
Test trust signals
Experiment with review placements, expert quotes, AI content disclaimers, and credibility cues. As trust becomes a key differentiator, these small elements can make or break conversion.
A CRO future powered by AI insights
Success in CRO now means understanding how AI changes your customer—and using that insight to shape smarter, more agile strategies. It’s not about reinventing your site; it’s about evolving your approach to match the modern, AI-influenced user.
How Found and Everysearch help you stay ahead
At Found, we specialise in building conversion strategies that are rooted in real search behaviour, powered by insight, and optimised for performance. With our proprietary platform, Everysearch, we go beyond surface-level data to understand how audiences truly behave—across organic, paid, and AI-powered environments.
If you’re ready to adapt your CRO strategy to the age of AI, we’re here to help you lead the way.
