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Kiwi search habits turn multi-modal says IAB New Zealand latest survey
IAB New Zealand has released the findings of its latest survey on search habits, which looks into how Kiwis are engaging with generative AI and voice search technologies.
The results provide timely insights into the evolving behaviours of New Zealanders in discovering information, researching products and evaluating trust across traditional search engines and AI-driven platforms.
Key findings
- Search is an always-on utility: 82.4% of respondents reported using a search engine multiple times daily.
- Voice and vision enter the mainstream: Nearly half (48.4%) have utilised voice search, and 33.2% have experimented with visual search tools such as Google Lens.
- Chat GPT has broken through: Approximately 48.4% have engaged with ChatGPT, and 39.2% have used an AI chatbot in place of traditional search engines at least once.
- Trust is level-pegging: While 79.6% trust search results “moderately” or “completely,” 36.4% express similar trust levels in AI chatbots, indicating a growing confidence in AI-driven search tools.
Diverse behaviours
The diversification of search behaviours suggests that Kiwi consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable seeking information across multiple platforms, including traditional search engines, voice assistants and AI chat interfaces.
Notably, while 69.2% of respondents still frequently use search engines before making a purchase, 42.4% sometimes turn to chatbots for product research, highlighting the growing influence of AI in consumer decision-making processes.
“We’re seeing the classic Rogers Adoption Curve accelerate,” says Richard Conway, IAB New Zealand member and founder and MD of Pure SEO.
“Once half the market has tasted generative AI, the rest won’t be far behind. The opportunity for New Zealand businesses is to treat AI chat as an adjacent search channel, and one that rewards depth, clarity and structured data.”
Reshaping the playbook
For marketers, this trend emphasises the importance of optimising content architecture, such as implementing structured data, schema markup and concise FAQ sections, to ensure visibility across various search modalities.
Adnan Khan, IAB New Zealand Emerging Technology Council member and managing partner at Stitch says, “The shift toward generative AI and multi-modal search isn’t just changing how consumers discover brands – it’s reshaping the digital marketing playbook.
“To stay ahead, marketers should proactively use AI chat platforms to answer common customer questions – particularly seasonal or event-driven queries – before they’re even asked. Start small, measure customer engagement, refine your content based on real-world insights and gradually expand what’s working. Brands that learn quickly and adapt to shifting consumer habits will lead in this new era.”
