Commerce advertising faces shift toward trusted publishers

mrge has published its semi-annual industry report, State of Commerce Advertising 1/2026, examining how changing consumer research and discovery behaviour is reshaping Commerce Advertising. Based on a survey of publishers, advertisers, and networks, the report points to a growing preference among consumers for authoritative publishers and trusted sources of information.

The findings suggest that publishers are under pressure to move beyond their traditional role as traffic drivers and establish themselves as reliable authorities. This shift has direct implications for budget allocation, partnerships, and long-term monetization strategies across the industry.

The research also highlights a widening gap between market developments and organizational readiness. While AI-generated summaries are gaining importance over traditional search rankings, only 11.3 percent of surveyed companies describe themselves as very well prepared for an environment dominated by zero-click discovery. In contrast, 32.8 percent say they are not prepared at all or only slightly prepared.

Dave Reed, chief executive officer, mrge: "We are experiencing the next evolutionary stage in Commerce Advertising. As consumers increasingly rely on AI-summarised results and turn to publishers they trust, brands need to navigate a new landscape, reaching consumers in the right contexts at the right price with the right data-driven optimization. In this landscape, publishers need the tools to effectively maximize their yield across the waterfall and spot areas of value where they can increase both monetization and advertiser ROAS."

AI agents are already influencing purchase decisions for a large share of respondents. Almost 60 percent say AI-powered chatbots and shopping assistants are affecting online sales today or will do so in the near future. By the end of the year at the latest, respondents expect more than a quarter of their online revenues to be influenced by AI-supported tools during the decision-making phase.

To address zero-click discovery, many companies are pursuing parallel strategies that combine short-term stabilization with longer-term transformation. On the compensatory side, 37.2 percent are strengthening affiliate partnerships, while 33.5 percent are increasing paid media budgets to offset declining traffic. At the same time, 31.7 percent are optimizing content for AI-led discovery, and 22.6 percent are testing AI-driven shopping assistants and marketplace models.

Investment priorities for 2026 reflect a continued focus on channels where purchase intent can be clearly measured. Two thirds of respondents expect the largest budget increases in affiliate marketing, followed by social commerce at 36.7 percent. AI-driven discovery, cited by 27.1 percent, remains a secondary investment area for now.

Beyond traffic losses, zero-click discovery is creating broader structural challenges. Respondents point to insufficient measurement frameworks, limited internal AI expertise, and a lack of organizational and cultural readiness for change as the main barriers to progress.

Despite these challenges, overall sentiment across the Commerce Advertising sector remains positive. More than 57 percent of respondents report being satisfied or very satisfied with their business performance in 2025. Looking ahead, over 63 percent plan to increase their Commerce Advertising budgets in 2026, indicating sustained confidence in the sector’s economic strength.

The full report can be accessed here

www.mrge.com

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