India Leads Asia in LLM Search Reach, Influences 65% of AI-Assisted Brand Choices: BCG

Large language models (LLMs) search currently features in 22 per cent of purchase journeys in India and shapes final brand choice in 65 per cent of LLM‑assisted journeys, a report said on Monday. The report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said India's 22 per cent use of LLMs of purchase journeys is the highest rate among the four Asian markets studied -- India, China, Japan, and South Korea -- and nearly four times Japan's 5 per cent.

Further, it is also closing in on social media in India, which leads discovery at 29 per cent signalling its rapid emergence as a key purchase touchpoint for marketers. The LLM search has become one of the fastest‑emerging touchpoints across four Asian markets studied — India, China, Japan and South Korea — and already ranks among the top five touchpoints by reach, ahead of TV and radio, print and billboards.

"Brands can't assume LLM search will arrive on the same timeline everywhere, where you need to show up, and how quickly, depending entirely on the market you're in, and India shows just how far along that shift can already be," said Parul Bajaj, India Leader, Marketing, Sales and Pricing at BCG and report coauthor. "Across the four markets, LLM search shapes the final brand choice for 52 per cent to 68 per cent of the consumers who turn to it. India sits near the top at 65 per cent, the only market in the study where LLM search actually outranks social media, at 64 per cent, as the most influential touchpoint among the consumers who use it," Bajaj added.

The report reminded marketers that LLM search may not yet match social media's reach, but it already rivals its influence. As adoption grows, brands will need to think about visibility not just in social feeds but increasingly in AI-generated answers and recommendations. The report noted that over half of LLM-assisted purchase journeys led consumers to consider brands they would not otherwise have found, widening the opportunity for brands with lower visibility through traditional touchpoints. Consumers said that AI-generated answers helped remove the guesswork of navigating sponsored advertising. AI-generated answers provided personalised, objective, and transparent recommendations, they noted.

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