Key Findings at a Glance
- 26% of Gen Z Australians turn to Google search first for product research, versus 40% of the total population
- 74% of young Australians start their product research on social media or AI rather than a traditional search engine
- 30% of Gen X Australians now discover products through social scrolling
- Social media drives 29% of all product discovery — more than three times the rate of brand websites (9%)
- 42% of young Australians go to a brand's social profile to make final purchase decisions; just 11% start on brand websites
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10 June, 2026
The Great Google Exodus: Only 1 in 4 Gen Z Australians now start their search on Google
New Oysterly Media research finds the search shift is real, it is generational, and it has already happened — with 74% of young Australians starting their product research on social media and AI, and Gen X following close behind
While Australian consumer search habits have undergone a radical transformation, corporate marketing strategies largely remain anchored in the past.
New research from Oysterly Media, conducted with Oaktree Insights and Consulting, finds that just 26% of Gen Z Australians now turn to Google search first when they want to buy something, compared to 40% of the total population. The gap is growing.
The Oysterly Media research shows Australian consumers, particularly younger ones, made this shift well before Google formally acknowledged it. The finding lands at a moment of significant disruption in global search: TechCrunch reported in May 2026 that Google has just announced the biggest overhaul of its search product in 25 years, moving away from ranked links toward AI-powered conversational experiences and autonomous agents. The audience moved first.
Melissa Laurie, CEO and founder of Oysterly Media, says the data points to a fundamental mismatch between where marketers are spending and where their customers actually are.
"Australian marketers are still allocating significant budget to search channels their customers have already moved away from. The data tells us where the audience is. The next step is making sure the spend follows them there," she continues.
Social media and AI are the new search engines
Seven in ten young Australians (74%) now begin their product research on social media or AI rather than a traditional search engine, according to the Oysterly Media research. That finding tallies with global data from the Kantar Beyond the Search Bar report (Meta-commissioned, March 2026), which found short-form video is the dominant discovery format: 61% of purchase consideration actions happen via short- form videos and Reels, with creator demos and reviews at 43% and user-generated content and customer reviews at 41%.
The Oysterly Media research, which surveyed 1,200 Australians in Q1 2026 as part of its report The Changing Landscape of Discovery and Trust, found that social media now drives 29% of all product discovery among Australians.That’s more than three times the rate of brand websites. Nearly half of young Australians (42%) go to a brand's social profile to make final purchase decisions, with just 11% starting on brand websites.
The Google exodus is cross-generational
Another significant finding in the Oysterly Media research is that the social search shift extends well beyond Gen Z, with three in ten Gen X Australians now discovering products while scrolling on social media feeds , which may surprise some marketers, many of whom continue to plan short form video investment primarily as an afterthought to more traditional methods.
Melissa Laurie says the Gen X finding should prompt a rethink of how brands allocate social investment. "The idea that short form videos is something you create to reach young people is no longer accurate. Gen X grew up in an era of window shopping and word of mouth. The social feed is just a digital version of both, and they have taken to it. Brands that are not building for that audience in social are leaving real money on the table."
Global data reinforces the scale of the structural shift. According to eMarketer (April 2026), Google's share of US search advertising spending is forecast to fall below 50% in 2026, down from 67.1% a decade ago, with advertisers projected to spend more than $100 billion on non-Google search ads by 2028. TechCrunch's reporting on TikTok's accelerating move toward a super-app model, integrating search, reviews, maps and in-app purchasing into a single platform, points to where that spend is heading.
Trust and speed: why social search converts
Separately, the Oysterly Media research found that more than eight in ten Australians now cross-check information before buying, with fake reviews, sponsored content and AI-generated material driving widespread scepticism across all generations. The implication is that the formats winning on social such as creator demos, customer reviews, and authentic short-form content, are succeeding because they feel less like advertising.
The Kantar research finds that 63% of consumers say purchases happen faster when social plays a role in their decision, and 65% feel more confident in their purchase when they have encountered the product on social first. Four of the five top purchase triggers are inherently social, driven by peer validation, creator endorsement and user-generated content rather than brand-led advertising.
"Australians are changing where they search, and what they trust. Brands that understand that shift and build content that earns attention rather than buying it, are the ones that will come out ahead," Melissa says.
Key Findings at a Glance
- 26% of Gen Z Australians turn to Google search first for product research, versus 40% of the total population
- 74% of young Australians start their product research on social media or AI rather than a traditional search engine
- 30% of Gen X Australians now discover products through social scrolling
- Social media drives 29% of all product discovery — more than three times the rate of brand websites (9%)
- 42% of young Australians go to a brand's social profile to make final purchase decisions; just 11% start on brand websites
Methodology
The Oysterly Media research was conducted with Oaktree Insights and Consulting and surveyed 1,200 Australians in Q1 2026 as part of the report The Changing Landscape of Discovery and Trust. Supporting global data is drawn from the Kantar Beyond the Search Bar report (Meta-commissioned, March 2026, 500 consumers aged 18 or older across the US, Brazil, Germany and India) and eMarketer (April 2026).
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About us:
About Oysterly Media
Oysterly Media is an Australian-founded short form video agency headquartered in Singapore, specialising in social-first content strategy, creator partnerships, and short-form video production for brands across the Asia Pacific region. Founded in 2022 by CEO Melissa Laurie, Oysterly Media works with brands to build discovery-led content strategies for platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook. oysterlymedia.com
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Fiona Hamann
Hamann Communication
M: 0415 191 659
