I recently grabbed dinner with a friend who had just bought a new pair of sneakers.
I asked, “How did you find them?” because I know he’s the type to rely on Wirecutter and hours of research to buy something as simple as a potato peeler.
So I was expecting to hear that he’d gone to a few stores and tried on a dozen pairs before deciding.
But instead, he told me he’d used a single conversation with ChatGPT to narrow down his options, choose a pair, and buy them from a store nearby. The same day.
He was thrilled with his purchase, and over pasta, I learned more about how he now uses AI to plan trips, prep for meetings, and research apartments.
And it struck me that the way people buy today already looks a lot different than it used to.
So that’s what today’s issue is about: how AI and recommendations are reshaping the ways people discover and decide what to buy.
⚡️ Signal #1: AI is becoming a powerful recommendation partner.
With increased adoption and capability, AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews are shifting how buyers research, compare, and evaluate what to buy.
So instead of reading the top blog post on “best yoga mats,” consumers can now ask detailed, personalized questions to get a curated selection - in this case, of the best yoga mats for their sensitive knees - in just minutes.
This positions AI as a new middleman between buyers and sellers.
And in many cases, that first discovery touchpoint happens before someone ever sees your website or social media accounts.
⚡️ Signal #2: Websites are increasingly read by AI, not just humans.
Websites used to be digital places to tell people who we are, what we do, and how we can help them.
But as more people turn to AI for personalized recommendations, those systems are increasingly “reading” websites, too.
In fact, automated traffic from bots and AI agents now makes up 51% of web activity. (WP Engine)
This has led to growing discussions about “hybrid web” design, where copy is still written for humans, but structured in ways that AI can interpret and use.
Because whether you’re discovered (or not) may depend on if AI has the right information to include you in the first place.
⚡️ Signal #3: The modern buyer’s journey is happening outside of your funnel.
For years, we’ve relied on the visual of a marketing funnel to represent a person’s journey from discovering your brand through becoming a customer. (Hubspot)
But in its new 2026 marketer’s guide, Google reports that today’s buyers are searching, streaming, and scrolling their way into purchases in less linear ways.
In fact, rather than going shopping, it’s more accurate to say that they’re always shopping, especially when you consider the prevalence of ads and content.
So their journey isn’t just non-linear. It’s also happening in places your funnel doesn’t reach.
As one example, Google’s report describes a homeowner who streams DIY kitchen renovation videos on YouTube, then searches Google for “quartz vs. granite countertops.” Then they check nearby stores and reviews, and ultimately buy something after seeing a 10% off coupon.
That purchase wasn’t the result of a step-by-step funnel designed by the countertop business.
Instead, the majority of those interactions took place outside of a classic funnel, and outside of the business’s website entirely.
Buyers used to discover businesses through directories, like the phone book.
Then Google introduced search.
Then social media introduced algorithms.
And now AI has introduced prompting, where buyers can ask for personalized, curated recommendations…without needing to browse at all.
This shift does more than just cut down on research time. It also fundamentally changes people’s expectations about the decision-making process.
Instead of piecing together information from reviews, roundups, and referrals, they can now receive tailored guidance in seconds.
And on top of that, buyers are now inundated with recommendations, whether that’s from AI, their favorite creators, or targeted ads.
So a lot of decision-making happens outside of your world, before someone hears from you directly.
To me, this underscores the importance of being recommendable, though I’m not just talking about structural website updates for AI.
It shows the deeper importance of being trusted and recommended by real people, too.
Because it’s friends who share their favorite recipe tracking apps.
It’s creators who share their favorite renter-friendly wallpaper brands in their DIY videos.
And it’s businesses like ours that can be shared - or overlooked - in those moments.
So if discovery is increasingly driven by recommendations, then it may be worth considering where and how your business shows up.
Reflection
You might ask yourself:
Where (or how) do most people discover my business for the first time? (Be specific: which platforms, people, partnerships, ads, AI queries, etc.)
If someone had to recommend my work in one sentence, what would they say? (And is that message coming across clearly in my content and messaging?)
Is my website AI-friendly? And if not, what could I do in less than an hour to make improvements without drowning in a too-big project I don’t have the energy for?
Try this
After writing this issue, I had ChatGPT suggest a beginner-friendly prompt to help you explore your recommendable-ness:
I offer [specific program/service/product] that helps [audience] achieve [specific outcome].
If someone were asking ChatGPT or Google for recommendations in my space, what kinds of queries would they use?
Based on that, would my business likely be recommended? Why or why not?
And what would need to be clearer about my positioning or content for me to show up more often?
(Tip: Focus on one signature offer, not your entire business.)
And as an optional follow-up:
Here’s my website: [URL]
Based on my site, how likely is it that I’d be recommended for the queries you listed?
What signals are strong, and what’s missing?
I’d be curious to hear what you learn.
Thank you for reading this issue of Solo Signals! I’d love to hear what you think, so feel to reply or leave me a comment by viewing the web version.
Send me a signal ⚡️
The more experiences I can draw from, the stronger each brief can be.
So if you’d like to contribute to an upcoming issue, here’s the latest survey about AI usage.
(And whether you love it or hate it, any response is helpful.)