Trustpilot Teams Up with AI Firms Amid Decline in Traditional Search Popularity

Trustpilot is actively pursuing partnerships with major eCommerce companies as AI-driven shopping experiences gain significant traction across the industry.

🛈 In a recent interview with Bloomberg News, Trustpilot CEO Adrian Blair emphasized that AI agents operating on behalf of consumers require extensive data about the businesses they engage with. He explained that the most efficient AI systems depend on comprehensive datasets like those maintained by Trustpilot, and the company aims to collaborate with leading eCommerce platforms to enhance data utilization.

Trustpilot projects an operating margin of 30% by 2030, partially attributed to increasing use of its content by large language models (LLMs). According to Bloomberg, user traffic patterns already confirm this trend. Over the past year, AI-driven search click-throughs surged 1,490%, fueled largely by Google’s adoption of AI as the default in search results.

Data from Promptwatch reports that Trustpilot ranked as the fifth most cited domain globally in ChatGPT references during January 2026.

🔍 Adrian Blair noted that LLMs have created a new distribution channel for Trustpilot’s content, driving increased exposure and referral traffic from AI-powered algorithms.

Earlier in February 2026, Amazon and OpenAI announced a strategic collaboration to deploy generative AI systems on AWS, utilizing custom models tailored for Amazon’s consumer-facing applications. This agreement encompasses both infrastructure support and model development.

Meanwhile, Walmart’s alliance with Google enables shoppers to purchase directly via the Gemini chatbot. Google has established similar arrangements with Shopify and other retail leaders.

Shopify’s Universal Commerce Protocol allows AI agents to access product information and complete transactions within the AI environment—specifically the Gemini platform—eliminating the need for users to leave and navigate to retailer websites. Microsoft’s Copilot Checkout partnership with PayPal follows a similar pattern, facilitating seamless AI-based buying experiences.

Shopify has also pursued partnerships with Microsoft and others to enable merchants to sell through chatbot interfaces, introducing “agentic storefronts” where transactions are conducted inside AI conversations. While some marketing professionals express concern about losing valuable shopper data when purchases occur through third-party AI proxies, this drawback is often offset by the new revenue streams generated via AI platforms.

Amazon, on the other hand, currently challenges unauthorized third-party AI agents accessing its platform, seeking to retain control over user data and advertising revenue by developing its own proprietary assistant, according to The Wall Street Journal.

🗣️ Adrian Blair reaffirmed that user-generated reviews maintain their value, regardless of AI involvement in purchase decisions. He described Trustpilot’s dataset of reviews as a long-term asset whose relevance continues to increase alongside evolving consumer interactions.

Trustpilot’s stock recently experienced downward pressure, reflecting a broader software sector decline influenced by media speculation about the future of SaaS platforms, triggered in part by statements from Anthropic.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report, titled “How AI Becomes the Place Consumers Start Everything”, details how consumers are beginning their product research and purchases on AI platforms, refining queries iteratively rather than performing multiple traditional searches sequentially.

(Image credit: “E-Commerce Visa (Test tamron 17-50 2.8)” by Fosforix, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0)

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