AI-Generated Answers Redefine Brand Discovery
AI-generated answers in search are AI-written summaries and recommendations that draw on many online sources, shaping which brands, products and claims appear before users click any result. As large language models power more search experiences, discovery is shifting from lists of blue links to conversational answers that decide which vendors and sources to include. Gartner has forecast that traditional search engine volume could fall by 25% by 2026 as search companies replace classic results with AI chatbots and virtual agents, while Pew Research Centre found that Google users who saw an AI summary clicked a traditional result in only 8% of visits compared with 15% when no summary appeared. For marketers, this means brand visibility in AI answers is now as important as rankings in conventional search.
Inside Sitecore’s Scrunch Acquisition
Sitecore has acquired Scrunch, an AI customer experience platform built to monitor and improve how brands appear in AI-generated search results across large language models such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. According to Sitecore, brands need scalable ways to see where they appear in AI answers and correct what AI is missing or misrepresenting. Scrunch’s Agent Experience Platform tracks buyer queries, brand mentions, competitive positioning, citations and content gaps, then recommends source and content improvements. Bloomberg reported the deal valued at USD 225 million (approx. RM1,035 million). Sitecore CEO Eric Stine said the combined platform lets customers understand how they are represented in AI-generated answers and then automatically act on those insights to maximise how they reach and serve buyers. This joins AI search visibility data with enterprise marketing automation instead of leaving it in a standalone analytics tool.
From Monitoring to Real-Time Content Optimization
The strategic shift in this deal is not only monitoring brand visibility in AI answers, but wiring those insights directly into content workflows. Scrunch identifies where a brand is visible, missing or misrepresented and then reformats existing content so AI agents can read and use it accurately, without changing the experience for human visitors. Those insights flow into Sitecore’s content management, content marketing and digital asset management systems, turning answer engine optimisation into an ongoing feedback loop. Marketers can move from diagnostics to publishing fixes in a single environment, correcting gaps in product information, proof points and structured data that affect AI-generated search results. Case studies show how fast this can compound: Akamai reported a 364% increase in brand presence for non-branded prompts and a 218% lift in citations when it used AXP-enabled pages to improve AI search visibility.
Why AI Search Visibility Is the New SEO Battleground
Traditional SEO focused on keywords, rankings and click-through to owned channels. In AI-driven discovery, the “win” happens earlier, when the model chooses which brands to mention and which pages to cite. Semrush data reported by Business Insider found only 22% of surveyed marketers have a fully integrated AI search and SEO strategy, while 37% say competitors are mentioned more often in AI results. That gap shows why brands now need dedicated tools to manage brand visibility in AI answers across engines, not just on classic search pages. Enterprise marketing automation platforms are responding by embedding AI search visibility features, as Sitecore has done, so teams can treat AI answer performance like any other measurable channel. The new goal is to keep brand messaging accurate, consistent and easy for AI agents to use wherever buyers ask their first questions.
