TLDR: OpenAI’s ChatGPT has experienced an extraordinary 740% growth in search market share over the past 12 months, escalating from 0.25% to 2.1%. This significant expansion, alongside a 70% rise in global prompts during the first half of 2025, underscores a profound transformation in how users access information and products. Shopping-related queries have doubled, and click-through rates have tripled, indicating ChatGPT’s emerging role as a formidable challenger to traditional search engines.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has dramatically reshaped the artificial intelligence and digital search landscape, reporting a staggering 740% growth in search market share over the last 12 months. This surge has seen ChatGPT’s market share climb from a modest 0.25% to a significant 2.1%, positioning it as a potent challenger to Google’s long-held dominance through its conversational AI capabilities.
The impact of this growth is further evidenced by user adoption trends in 2025. Between January and June of this year, global ChatGPT prompts soared from 17 million to 28.6 million, marking a 70% increase in just six months. This rapid acceleration, particularly through March and April, before stabilizing near 29 million, signifies more than mere experimentation; it represents a fundamental shift in how individuals seek information, products, and advice.
E-commerce is a particularly affected sector. The share of shopping-related prompts within ChatGPT rose from 7.8% to 9.8% during the first half of 2025, meaning approximately one in ten searches are now commerce-related. This 25% gain, layered on top of the overall 70% increase in usage, indicates that the absolute number of shopping queries has more than doubled. Consumers are increasingly turning to AI not just for answers but for guidance in their purchasing decisions.
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Furthermore, data from the U.S. reveals a significant increase in user engagement with linked content. Click-throughs from ChatGPT answers tripled in the second quarter of 2025, jumping from 95,000 in March to 300,000 by June. Concurrently, average click rates surged from 2.2% to 5.7% as OpenAI integrated more live links into its responses. This demonstrates that ChatGPT is not merely a recommendation tool but is actively functioning as a search engine, directing users directly to websites and products. For businesses reliant on traditional search, the imperative is clear: adapt content for AI discovery or risk being left behind as user attention migrates to generative engines like ChatGPT. Brands, both B2B and B2C, must now prioritize ‘AIO’ – optimizing content specifically for AI-driven platforms.
