AI assistants become SME search engines
The new study «KMU Digital Pulse 2025» by localsearch and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) shows that the search for information and booking of SME services is increasingly shifting to AI-based systems. Those who cannot be found in ChatGPT & Co. lose visibility and thus business.
AI is increasingly competing with traditional search engines: according to the new study «KMU Digital Pulse 2025» by localsearch and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, almost 20 percent of the Swiss population already uses systems such as ChatGPT or Copilot to find out about offers from small and medium-sized enterprises. The trend is particularly strong among younger people: SMEs that do not appear in AI assistants therefore run the risk of being overlooked and thus losing business opportunities.
AI becomes the entry-level search engine
The majority still start their search for a suitable SME using traditional search engines, but 13 percent already choose an AI tool directly – the same number as those who use social media. In the 18 to 29 age group, this proportion is significantly higher at 21 percent, while it drops to 6 percent among 60 to 79-year-olds.
Usage is growing rapidly
According to the study, a total of 19 percent of the population has used AI in the past twelve months to find out about SME services. Around half of the people in Switzerland are likely to do so in the near future, if current usage and stated intentions are combined. However, the study also shows that: There is a significant gap between customer requirements and digital offerings..
Search and booking merge
AI is not only changing the way we search for information, but also the way we make bookings: 39 percent of respondents can imagine making appointments directly via voice-based assistants such as Siri, Alexa, or ChatGPT in the future. According to the survey, approval ratings remain constant at around 40 percent up to the age of 59, only falling significantly among 60- to 79-year-olds.
Pressure to act for SMEs
For SMEs, this means that digital visibility no longer ends with search engines, but must also be ensured in AI systems. With the new version of its product digitalONE, Localsearch is therefore positioning itself as a partner that wants to make company profiles visible not only on search engines, directories, and social media, but now also on central AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Copilot.
Source: localsearch.ch
