More Than a Bargain: Value through Search
For brands looking to gain from the shift in consumer values that put quality and experience before price, it’s tough to convey through the screen. To win your business, consumers need reassuring that your value exchange promise is true. How can you meet their expectations from the moment your first search impression comes into view?
The past few months in organic search have seen a lot of change. Since the launch of Google’s AI Overviews (AIO) in September 2024, we’ve seen a massive shift in how search is used, engaged with and valued.
Evidence is mounting that AIO’s are keeping more people in search, with falls in click through rates on the back of large numbers of zero click searches. That’s despite growth in the overall number of searches. Many of our clients have seen impression growth of over +30% into 2025, as more of us turn to the browser for quick answers and information.
For consumers, as the meaning of genuine value evolves, so does competition for attention in search. Informational AI answers now take the top spot in 13% of queries on Google, adding a new competitor to overcome to secure a click.
Conveying genuine value through search
Structured data, free product listings, Google Shopping and more have all helped price be the key consideration in search. It’s easy to show, filter, and promote with details on delivery, returns, reviews and more. Usually price wins out, but as buyers’ needs are evolving it’s tough to win, now that value is no longer just about price.
Eye-catching imagery, brand heritage, unique features, deep topic knowledge and service quality can be hard to covey through an organic listing where every character counts. Care and attention must be applied to ensure what is shown, conveying clear unique benefits outside or price. Standout is paramount to secure the click – unearthing that unique hook beyond the cost to the consumer can get ahead in crowded results pages.
Building these values and messages beyond the first search view matters more than ever today. Once you’ve won a consumer on value, they will be checking brand searches, brand + review searches, brand + complaints searches and more.
These results must all be considered as part of your buyer’s journey. Wherever you are featured, from your business maps listings to the Knowledge Graph, review profiles, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and on… all need to work in unison, carrying your credentials forward to reinforce what you stand for at every interaction.
Expect consumers to be doing their research away from search and your site – so you must too. Have a good handle on where you’re being seen, and check what values come forward where you do. Own those placements and align them perfectly with what you stand for, over and above price.
Evolving Expectations
Taking our four personas, how can consumer benefit, beyond price, be met and surpassed through search?
- Reductionists prioritise quality over quantity, choosing carefully who to do business. Accreditations, partners or memberships that can justify and support your price will smooth over value concerns and help meet the needs of reductionists.
Any ethical, quality and production values should be emphasised to align with the expectations of reductionists. Details such as carbon credentials, ingredients & sourcing, country and method of manufacture, minimal waste initiatives or sustainable materials should be communicated early. Consider accredited schemes such as Made in Britain, Fairtrade or Green Certifications such as B Corp. Ensure this has pride of place in search listings and brand info. Involvement with partners like these will have the greatest impact for reductionists over affordability.
- Pioneers seek innovative, unique products or services that enhance their status; seeking personalised brand experiences, limited edition releases & unique offerings past the price they pay.
In recent years, the rise of niche driven SEO in search had surged. Being able to reach and communicate with pioneers through new descriptive terms, topics and themes can offer more volume exposure to unreached audiences. Being present in new areas of search helps to meet the value of pioneers head on as they look for something special, over and above that market norm.
Exploring new product ranges, new ways of describing or talking about services, and hunting for new pockets of search volume, with alternatives, trends and similar sectors can be capitalised. Reach pioneers through unique searches that communicate with them clearly, on their terms and in their language. Those that are present, strong and attractive in these spaces will instantly garner favour with pioneers beyond the cost of what’s on offer.
- Time Keepers seek cost-effectiveness, products or services that save time and simplify their routines whilst maintaining quality.
Apart from price, for timekeepers it’s essential to focus on what a product can do. Along with the benefit it brings to the end user, that long-term, lasting value that is important. Tangible factors can play a part, such as delivery efficiency, clear, supportive returns info, and trusted customer reviews.
Showcase speed, ease of purchase, nimble customer experiences and real-world benefits of a purchase. Attached to price, these messages go a long way to reassure time keepers that doing business with you will be simple, stress-free, prompt and well supported. A relationship they’re looking for that aligns with what’s important to them.
- New Nihilists are those that tread a fine line between affordability and uniqueness. Loss leaders and low prices will appeal, but more than low cost alone, they must be supported.
Be affordable – and demonstrate added value and passion about your offer. Encourage upgrades from lower priced purchases to mid-range selections, where spending a little more will offer longer term satisfaction and align perfectly with their values.
Make any costlier benefits clear for cross and upsold alternatives, to help to build on their need for affordability first. Extra benefits can work well to meet their expectations, with things like lifetime quality, unique warranties, loyalty benefits and multi-buy promotions. These unique strengths are important to them and can go hand in hand with affordability.
Align your user experience with values that matter
Once engaged into site, take time to ensure the greatest benefits of doing business with you isn’t just limited to your ‘about’ page. Price alone won’t cut it, and every point of landing should be scrutinised, so every user has a comfortable, clear feel of how you align with the values that are important to them; culture, approach, attitude and purpose, right from their first few seconds on your site.
Any claims made in your organic listings should be reinforced and reassured. Into your user journey, develop them further using trust and social proofs, with independent accreditations to add stand out and elevate what you do beyond how expensive you are.
Despite the evolution of value expectation and the impact on buying behaviour, there remain opportunities to meet these. Sometimes the hardest part is self-reflection – what are your absolute core values? Those key, unique properties that drive the business forward and fuel its buyer appeal.
Perfecting value through personalised AI Shopping
Outside of site and search, we’re seeing huge investment in AI powered shopping solutions. Just last week, chatGPT announced upgrades to its shopping features through search, and Perplexity has recently partnered to make it’s AI shopping experience more powerful.
To date, personalised search has always tried to play a part in offering results based on a buyer’s own interests, behaviour and values, tailoring results accordingly. This can be useful, but leans into keeping consumers in their buying bubbles, making it hard to open them up to refreshed value-drive shopping experiences organically, without the use of paid media.
AI Shopping proposes to take personalisation one stage further, with ChatGPT set to harness a user’s AI conversation memory to perfectly tailor their shopping results to their attitude, preferences and ultimately values. Whether it’s discussions about music tastes, clothes, styles, looks, colours, seasons… beliefs, budget, materials, fabrics, ingredients, allergies…the potential is enormous. If harnessed correctly, personal value could become synonymous with AI powered shopping.
I’m hopeful that AI will be used to promote more personal, tailored shopping experiences. With clearer results, better aligned with a consumer values, offering well aligned, clear comparisons & summaries, feature breakdowns and user review info all in one place. Brands could see less returns and less cancelled orders, while consumers enjoy easier, simpler, more satisfied shopping. Think Spotify’s ‘Discover Weekly’ but turbocharged for buying behaviour.
Personally, one area I’m hopeful and eager for AI to enrich is travel shopping. With a family of 4, I certainly lean into being a timekeeper when it comes to holiday shopping. Researching the right holiday at the right time, for weather, price, comfort, entertainment, travel and more, at times it can feel like a second job just finding the right match.
With all the data we have available, I feel like there will be immense potential to streamline the shopping process. I’m hopeful we can craft and tailor a seamless, more precise travel buying experience without the needs to pogo in and out of websites, resorts, and packages – without managing 50 tabs in my browser.
As consumer value evolves away from price to wider benefits, there remain opportunities for brands to meet these needs and showcase their strengths. Close attention must be given to every element of the user journey, from search right through to purchase. As newer features evolve from personalised search to ai-powered shopping engines, the future is bright for buyers – and for brands that take the time to really know their audience.
