How Decisions Are Now Made

1. B2B Procurement (SaaS, Vendors, Logistics, Services, etc)

Where AI quietly redirects the largest pools of capital

Global B2B procurement represents the largest decision surface in the economy, with over $30T in B2B e-commerce alone and more than $100T in total B2B spend worldwide E.

AI is already embedded in sourcing, supplier discovery, and RFP evaluation. In surveys:

• 92% of CPOs report exploring generative AI
• ~37% were piloting or deploying AI in procurement workflows by 2024 D

Early adopters report:

• AI-driven sourcing uncovering 2–3× more suppliers than traditional search M
• 2×–5× ROI improvements in sourcing and procurement pilots D
• 83% of supply-chain executives reporting revenue or margin uplift tied to AI adoption M

Even conservative assumptions show AI influencing hundreds of billions of dollars annually, with credible paths toward trillion-dollar impact as adoption scales.

Why this matters:

In procurement, visibility equals eligibility. If AI doesn't surface your company during sourcing, you are invisible — regardless of product quality.

2. Consumer E-Commerce

From search results to AI recommendations

Global online retail surpassed $7.4T in 2025 I. AI is rapidly replacing traditional product discovery:

• 38–59% of consumers report using generative AI during shopping F P
• 73% of AI shoppers say AI is now their primary product research tool A

Behavioral data confirms impact:

• AI-referred traffic spends 32% more time on site A
• Revenue per visit from AI traffic increased 84% in months, rapidly approaching parity with traditional channels A
• Conversion gaps between AI-assisted and non-AI shoppers have narrowed dramatically through 2025 A

AI doesn't just assist — it frames the choice set, increasingly determining which products get considered at all.

Why this matters:

Retail winners won't just rank well. They'll be the products AI confidently recommends.

3. Travel Planning & Booking

AI as the itinerary architect

Global travel spending reached ~$8.6T in 2024 M. Planning is shifting from search-driven workflows to AI-generated itineraries:

• 58% of U.S. travelers now use AI to plan trips AF
• Global AI usage in travel planning exceeded 40% in 2024, trending toward 60%+ T

AI influences:

• Destination selection
• Hotel and airline choice
• Overall itinerary structure

While early chatbots showed high error rates (~90% in early 2024), accuracy and trust have improved materially with newer models AF. AI-driven travel searches on retail platforms grew 4,700% YoY as planning and booking began to converge F.

Why this matters:

If you are absent from AI-generated itineraries, you are absent from consideration.

4. Real Estate & Mortgages

High-stakes decisions, AI-guided discovery

Residential real estate represents multi-trillion-dollar annual transaction volume globally. AI has rapidly become a primary information source:

• 82% of Americans now use AI for housing market information R
• 67% report using ChatGPT specifically for real estate insights R

AI tools:

• Expand buyers' search radius
• Surface listings they would not otherwise see
• Explain pricing, financing, and market dynamics

Consumers still trust agents slightly more overall, but AI now ranks nearly equal in perceived market knowledge and ahead of friends or family as an information source R.

Why this matters:

AI doesn't need to replace agents to change outcomes. It only needs to redirect attention.

5. Automotive

AI changes what buyers consider — and what they pay

Global new and used vehicle sales exceed $3–4T annually. AI adoption among car shoppers has accelerated sharply:

• 44% of car shoppers report using AI tools C
• 97% of AI users say AI influenced their purchase decision C

Measured effects include:

• AI users saving 3× more vehicles
• 2× higher lead generation from AI-assisted searches C
• Increased flexibility on make/model selection, enabling substitution and deal-driven switching

Why this matters:

If AI suggests a different model or dealer, the decision is already lost.

Beyond the Top Five

We also analyzed additional decision workflows: including financial products, professional services, healthcare, education, and B2B finance.

Many show:

• High AI adoption AB
• Growing influence on discovery and shortlisting
• Less mature evidence tying AI directly to executed transactions

The progression is consistent:

Discovery → Shortlist → Selection → Transaction

Each step increases the economic stakes.

What This Means for Companies

Across every high-impact category, the same truth emerges:

Your brand is no longer defined by what you publish.

It's defined by what AI systems can confidently verify, cite, and recommend.

AI-influenced purchasing is already shifting billions of dollars annually M D A. As AI becomes transaction-ready, those shifts will compound.

This creates a new competitive axis:

• Do AI systems understand what you do?
• Can they verify your credibility?
• Do they include you when asked "who's best?"

Second Wind exists to answer yes — continuously.

The Companies That Win

The winners won't be the loudest brands.

They'll be the brands AI can:

• Parse clearly
• Trust confidently
• Cite repeatedly
• Recommend decisively

AI is already shaping the market's decisions.

The only question is whether you show up when those decisions are made.