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TODAY’S MAZE
Happy Thursday! Google is no longer just a signpost for the web—it is becoming the final destination. New data reveals the tech giant now retains the majority of search interactions, marking a decisive move away from sending users to external websites.
With billions committed to infrastructure that handles checkouts directly, the traditional organic traffic model is fading fast. The question facing merchants is: how do you capture customers when the search engine stops referring them?
In today’s MarketMaze focus:
Google absorbs search traffic
OpenAI tests ChatGPT ads
Amazon names seller chief
AI Search Framing
Intent drives higher revenue
+Handpicked recent news you need to know
LET’S ENTER THE MAZE!
- Artur Stańczuk, MarketMaze Founder
MAZE STORY
The Maze: Google’s AI Overviews now capture a staggering 58% of all search interactions, signaling a definitive shift where the search giant prioritizes keeping users within its own ecosystem over sending traffic to external sites.
Alphabet executives committed up to $185 billion in 2026 capital expenditures to build infrastructure where AI agents facilitate transactions rather than just recommending links.
New checkout flows enable consumers to move from discovery to purchase directly inside conversational experiences, effectively removing the need to visit a brand's website for the final sale.
Major publishers like People Inc. have seen search referrals drop by half in two years, validating fears of a zero-click generative AI environment that hoards user attention.
Why it matters: Ecommerce leaders must stop viewing search engines as referral channels and start treating them as closed marketplaces, forcing a pivot toward diversification and direct customer retention strategies.
In a future where Google Artificial Intelligence answers and checkouts reduce the need to visit websites, who is best positioned to win commercially?
- 🏷️ Global brands (strong name recognition inside search results)
- 💰 Low-cost sellers (price-first offers surfaced by Artificial Intelligence)
- 🏢 Large platforms (Amazon and other marketplaces absorbing demand)
- 🧠 Data-rich players (companies with strong first-party customer data)
- 🌍 United States players (faster adoption than European competitors)
☝️ Vote to see results!
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MAZE STORY
The Maze: OpenAI initiates ad tests on free ChatGPT tiers and recruits Meta veterans for integrity roles, prompting rival Anthropic to launch a Super Bowl campaign mocking the shift.
OpenAI is establishing a dedicated "ads integrity" team to safeguard brand safety, recruiting engineers to build systems that scale revenue without compromising user trust.
Anthropic purchased Super Bowl airtime to mock the pivot, releasing a provocative 1-minute spot arguing that ads are incompatible with a helpful AI assistant.
CEO Sam Altman fired back on X, labeling the critique clearly dishonest while clarifying that ChatGPT ads will never influence answers or interrupt the user experience.
Why it matters: This signals the inevitable arrival of a massive new performance marketing channel, forcing brands to prepare for an era where AI interfaces control product discovery.
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MAZE STORY
The Maze: Amazon appointed Amit Agarwal to lead its pivotal Selling Partner Services division as current VP Dharmesh Mehta transitions to advise CEO Andy Jassy. The leadership shakeup arrives as Amazon deploys its agentic Alexa+ AI as a free perk for U.S. Prime members.
Agarwal, a 27-year veteran who launched Amazon India in 2013, expands his portfolio to include the massive third-party seller organization while retaining leadership of international emerging stores.
Mehta moves to the prestigious "shadow" technical advisor role after overseeing a marketplace segment that generated $42.5 billion in revenue last quarter and accounts for 62% of total unit sales.
To bolster loyalty beyond logistics, the new Prime benefit offers unlimited access to agentic capabilities like booking dinner reservations that handle tasks 76% of other AIs cannot.
Why it matters: Agarwal’s expanded purview signals a potential strategic unification of international marketplaces and seller services, likely simplifying global export for merchants. Positioning advanced AI as a core Prime benefit leverages Amazon's service ecosystem to lock in subscribers against standalone chatbot rivals.
DATA TREASURE
The Maze: AI search is not neutral. It chooses what to highlight and how to explain it. New analysis shows ChatGPT and Google often surface the same brands, but frame them in fundamentally different ways, reshaping how users discover, compare, and decide in commerce.
ChatGPT mentions selection in 54% of shopping answers and deals in 50%, positioning brands as tools that do things for users
Google AI Overviews mention selection in 51% of cases but deals in only 41%, framing brands through competitive rank and market position
Across intents, ChatGPT shows brands more consistently, while Google sharply limits visibility depending on query type
Why it matters: AI search is becoming the first storefront. How a brand is described now matters as much as whether it appears. Framing shifts power from ranking to narrative, with direct consequences for ecommerce, media spend, and brand control.nce now depends less on growth stories and more on stability, pricing, and jobs.
DATA TREASURE
The Maze: Not all attention is equal. Monetization improves sharply when focus and intent are added to traditional media metrics.
High focus users spend up to 2x more than low focus users, even with similar exposure time.
Small gains in attention quality drive outsized revenue impact compared with adding more impressions.
Formats tied to purchase intent monetize closer to their true potential.
Why it matters: Retail media works because it sells attention that wants to buy. In ecommerce, intent is the most valuable inventory.
BRIEFING
🏬 Everything else in Ecommerce & Big Tech
🇺🇸 Uber reported 20% revenue growth in Q4, with its food delivery division jumping 30% to beat analyst estimates.
🇬🇧 Tesco plans to ramp up its F&F clothing brand's digital presence, testing online-only models to capture a larger share of the UK fashion market.
🇺🇸 E.l.f. Beauty beat earnings expectations and raised full-year guidance, driven by its acquisition of Hailey Bieber’s Rhode skincare line.
🇺🇸 Anthropic bought a Super Bowl spot to mock ChatGPT's upcoming ads, emphasizing its own ad-free "Claude" interface.
🇪🇺 Samsung Ads expanded its partnership with Amazon DSP into Europe, giving advertisers programmatic access to CTV inventory.
🇦🇺 Revolut rolled out merchant acquiring tools in Australia, allowing businesses to accept payments directly within the Revolut ecosystem.
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MarketMaze team
