Bain & Company Highlights the New Marketing Reality: AI Agents Are the New Middleman

Bain & Company has published new insights into the growing role of AI agents in the marketing funnel, as large language models (LLMs) increasingly gatekeep the buying journey and disrupt traditional discovery channels.

As buyers rely more on AI-powered tools for product recommendations, comparisons, and research, the marketing landscape is shifting rapidly.

Bain’s latest study explores the implications of “zero-click” journeys, in which AI summaries compress the decision process and reduce brands’ opportunities to differentiate or even appear during the buying journey.
Buyers are utsourcing research tasks to AI, from browsing reviews to ranking product options. Data shows conversion rates through AI-powered search are closing the gap with traditional discovery paths, and conversion rates can be up to twice that of standard search journeys for certain products. Survey findings indicate that 80% of consumers now rely on “zero-click” results for at least 40% of their searches.
As AI intermediates discovery and decision-making, traditional website traffic is declining. Recent reports show traffic to many company websites has decreased by up to 30%, while traffic from generative AI sources increased by 1,200% between mid-2024 and early 2025.
The marketing funnel is fragmenting: AI agents are now driving discovery, evaluation, and short-listing inside their models, often before brands have a chance to engage directly. Companies not optimizing for AI search are already losing customers—without even realizing it, since traditional lead-tracking signals like page views or downloads may never occur.
To stay relevant, companies must prepare for three concurrent customer journeys: direct-to-brand website traffic, AI-intermediated traffic, and a declining but still significant share of traditional web traffic. Success requires optimization across all three, with special focus on adapting to how LLMs curate information.

Content quality is central to success in the AI-driven funnel. Bain highlights five characteristics LLMs prioritize:

• Conversational language: Blogs and explainers over static webinars.
• Agent-friendly structures: Ordered lists and definitions to aid AI summarization.
• Clean, scrapable sites: Accurate, up-to-date, and fully indexed websites.
• Off-site earned authority: External expert citations validating brand claims.
• Deep customer conversations: Strong presence in external reviews and forums.

Leading companies are already shifting tactics. Bain recommends a practical three-step approach:

1. Identify the new metrics: Understand value at stake and new traffic dynamics.
2. Build intelligence: Develop scorecards to monitor AI search visibility and brand appearance.
3. Experiment quickly: Launch and scale agile influence tests to improve AI referrals.

With LLMs increasingly cutting brands out of early buying stages, traditional SEO is no longer enough. Marketers must now optimize for AI agents—not just human buyers—to succeed in the new marketing era.

Bain & Company’s analysis reaffirms its commitment to helping businesses in the Middle East and globally navigate and thrive amid technological disruption.