Trusted signals, commercial power: Procurement’s new role
Procurement’s next commercial mandate
Retail has seen its share of digital disruptions, from the first wave of e-commerce to the rise of social platforms like TikTok. Now, another inflection point is here, and it’s happening faster than most leaders realize.
Generative AI is no longer a curiosity; it is re-shaping how consumers discover and decide what to buy. 72% of consumers already use generative AI frequently, and half of those users have acted on AI recommendations in their purchases. Meanwhile, Google’s AI Overviews reach more than 2 billion people every month, spanning 200+ countries and 40+ languages.
In parallel, surveys show that 58% of shoppers now use AI search to discover products, and 40% made purchases based on AI answers in just the past quarter. For Gen Z, AI discovery is already a default behavior, not a future trend.
And yet, one of the most overlooked levers in this new landscape is Public Relations (PR). Traditionally seen by procurement as a small, low-negotiation spend category, PR rarely commanded the attention given to media or production. But that framing no longer holds. In the age of AI discovery, PR has become a critical driver of trusted, verifiable signals. The very content that determines whether a brand appears as the recommended answer.
These shifts signal a clear truth: traditional SEO is no longer enough. It’s no longer about where you rank on a results page, it’s about whether your brand is named in the answer that AI delivers.
For marketing procurement, this is not just another technology story. It’s a commercial moment where agency and vendor choices, contracting structures, and execution models will decide which brands become visible in AI ecosystems, and which fade into the background.
Becoming the answer, commercially
According to Benjamin Lord, founder of Antidote, the gap today is not data; it’s execution. Tools and dashboards are multiplying, but few organizations have the integrated operating model required to act on them. That’s where procurement can step forward.
By re-shaping scopes, aligning partners, and enforcing governance that is fit for AI-led discovery, procurement leaders can help brands become the “recommended answer”. The role is not to control the creative but to ensure the infrastructure, accountability, and investment pathways are in place.
Roadmap: Seven levers for action
Here are seven practical areas where procurement can add tangible value:
1. Audit & benchmark AI visibility
Before changing strategy, brands need to know where they stand. Procurement can commission independent benchmarks to measure which brands, products, categories, and competitors appear in AI Overviews and ChatGPT-style results. This frames the commercial opportunity.
2. Refocus content for AI
Unlike traditional SEO, AI systems prize clarity, accuracy, and authority. Procurement can ensure scopes of work push agencies and content partners to create structured, verifiable assets that AI models can easily surface. Think FAQs, knowledge graphs, and consistent category language.
3. Elevate PR as a core driver of GEO
PR has shifted from peripheral to pivotal. AI platforms draw heavily on earned media, reputable coverage, and third-party references to build their answers. Procurement can reposition PR not as a marginal budget, but as a strategic visibility tool. That means:
- Ensuring PR deliverables are structured to feed AI discovery (clear facts, authoritative sources, traceable citations).
- Requiring integration between PR and SEO partners, so earned media amplifies owned content rather than operating in silos.
- Negotiating contracts that emphasize outcomes in visibility and authority, not just activity levels.
4. Align Cross-Functional Teams
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is not a siloed activity. It requires marketing, PR, social, data science, and procurement moving in lockstep. Procurement can broker alignment across agencies and internal teams, ensuring deliverables are integrated and measurable.
5. Invest in early mover pilots
The window for early advantage is open but narrowing. Procurement can help prioritize pilots in high-margin or high-traffic categories, fund them quickly, and capture ROI data to inform broader rollout.
6. Measure differently
Traditional click-through rates are less relevant in AI discovery, where answers may reduce web traffic. Procurement can drive adoption of new KPIs — such as brand mentions in AI answers, impression share, and qualitative user testing — to ensure accountability.
7. Address trust & accuracy risks
AI search is not always correct — studies show error rates near 60% in some cases. Procurement can strengthen contracts with clauses covering misinformation, brand safety, and corrective rights, protecting the company if AI platforms misrepresent its products.
Closing thought
AI discovery is not a distant horizon; it is already reshaping shopping journeys for billions of consumers. Some competitors are seizing the moment, while others remain invisible (pun intended).
For procurement leaders, this is a chance to shape the commercial guardrails, supplier strategies, and operating models that will decide brand visibility in an AI-driven marketplace.
The call to action is simple but urgent: don’t just measure the shift — help your organization become the answer.
