Ecommerce searches in AI engines continue to increase as the holidays approach, and optimization isn't about choosing one or another Google platform. It’s about using all types that serve different needs for users across its ecosystem.

Half of consumers use AI-powered search. McKinsey & Company estimates it will impact $750 billion in revenue by 2028. Half of consumers already use AI-powered search, but an estimated 20% to 50% of traffic is at risk from traditional search as it captures decisions earlier in the journey.

About 50% of Google searches have AI summaries -- a percentage that is expected to rise to more than 75% by 2028, according to trend analysis from McKinsey & Company.

Ecommerce search-related questions have become more common, especially the holiday season approaches and consumers search for gifts. 

Brands are not guaranteed to show up in AI-generated results. While SEO focuses on own-site content, in many instances a brand's own sites only comprise 5% to 10% of the sources that AI search references.

McKinsey & Company suggests that sources vary by large language model (LLM), location, category, and question type, and these sources that serve up will most likely evolve over time as LLMs evolve.

YouTube now dominates Google with top-cited sources for ecommerce AI Overviews. It appears in 6.9% of ecommerce AI Overview citations -- almost 3x more than any other non-brand domain, according to BrightEdge data.

While the hierarchy of the citation begins with YouTube, that is followed by Amazon with 2.9% of tracked keywords, Reddit with 2.4% of tracked keywords, Wikipedia with 1.9% tracked keywords, and Facebook with 1.2 tracked keywords.

AI Overviews will cite multiple sources for each query at the top of the results page, but this list from BrightEdge cites the top sources for ecommerce searches.

An engine or system built for specific user needs --  from traditional search engine results pages that power AI Overview and evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), to AI Overviews that serve quick answer, and AI Mode -- targets complex questions and tasks with deep reasoning.

The category breakdown may provide more insights. 

In The Kitchen Appliances category, for example, about 62% of blender citations are for "best blender for smoothies" or "vitamix vs ninja" on YouTube.

In the apparel category, Reddit leads with 39% for queries like "best running shoes,” or "winter coats that actually work.”

Every AI Overview cites multiple sources (typically 3-5+), but the overlap patterns reveal YouTube's central role. When Amazon is cited in AI Overviews, YouTube also gets cited 72% of the time, while Reddit is cited 24% of the time and Wikipedia is cited 9% of the time.

When Reddit is cited in AI Overviews, YouTube also is cited 72%, Amazon is cited 29% and Wikipedia is cited 8% of the time.