AI Is Changing How Supply Chain Technology Buyers Find Suppliers. Are You Part of the Answer?

A transportation management system supplier can have an excellent product, strong customer references, a capable sales organization, and an established position in the market. Yet a prospective customer searching for a solution may never encounter that supplier. Not because the company lacks the necessary capabilities, but because an AI-generated comparison has already presented a different set of alternatives.

This matters to companies selling logistics and supply chain technology. For years, suppliers have used search optimization, industry research, webinars, customer stories, and digital marketing to reach buyers. Those investments still matter. But AI-generated responses may now shape a buyer’s understanding of the market before that person visits a supplier website or contacts sales.

New research from Semrush, published October 21, illustrates the change in Google’s search results. Semrush tracked 400 U.S. desktop commercial keywords in banking, ecommerce, and software from September 2025 through August 2026. Google’s AI Overviews appeared for 88% of these keywords at the end of the study, up from 45.75%. Review searches reached nearly 90% coverage, while ‘best product for a particular use’ searches reached 96.12%. Weighted by estimated search volume, coverage was approximately 97% within the sample.

The study measured whether Google displayed AI Overviews, not whether other AI assistants recommended particular suppliers. It did not examine logistics technology specifically or measure clicks or conversions. Even with those limits, it offers a useful signal: AI-generated summaries are becoming a prominent part of commercial software discovery.

This story was originally published by Logistics Viewpoints. Read the full story at Logistics Viewpoints →