AI summaries focus on consumer decisions

Converteo and Qwairy analyzed how AI-generated summaries on Google respond to consumer queries about products and services in France. The study examined how these summaries are used during three stages of the purchasing process: discovery, consideration, and purchase.

Consideration phase most active for AI summaries

In France, 82% of the 736 queries analyzed triggered an AI summary. The consideration phase, where consumers compare options, was the most common trigger at 55.4%, compared to 27.2% for the information phase and 17.4% for the conversion phase. This trend was strongest in sectors with long-term commitments, such as services, telecommunications, and energy.

Commercial sites dominate cited sources

Out of 12,019 cited references in the AI summaries, commercial sites like brand websites, e-commerce platforms, and price comparators made up 57.2%. Media sources accounted for 9.9%, and social networks for 9.5%. Only one French media outlet, Ouest-France, appeared in the top 10 cited sources.

French queries often lack brand names

Nearly two-thirds (62.5%) of the queries that triggered AI summaries did not mention a specific brand. Maxime Vivos from Converteo noted that generic queries could lead to a more diverse range of sources, including product comparison articles or influencer videos, which were not prominently featured in the study.

AI responses vary greatly

The study found that AI summaries are highly volatile, with 92.7% of responses changing between sessions. Even the most frequently cited sources, like YouTube, had relatively low shares, with YouTube accounting for only 3.56% of citations. This variability means that the same query can yield very different results each time.

Competitors change in AI responses

When a brand is cited in an AI summary, the competitors listed alongside it often change. This happened in 85.4% of cases, showing that the competitive landscape in AI responses is fluid and unpredictable. Unlike traditional SEO, where rankings are more stable, AI-driven results shift frequently.

Site authority influences citations

In the consideration phase, AI summaries often mention around 4.7 competitors in France. Sites with higher domain authority, measured on a scale up to 100, were cited significantly more often. Sites with a domain rating of at least 70 were cited 2.7 times more frequently than others.

Full study available in white paper

The full analysis is included in a white paper titled AI Overviews & AI Mode in France: Understanding the Impacts and Managing the Shift for Large Groups, which is available through the provided link.