LLM usage isn’t denting Google’s search market share (yet)

A preview of a study by Sparktoro using Datos clickstream data indicates that 99.8% of sampled LLM users also used traditional search engines, suggesting that while LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity are growing in usage, they aren’t taking a significant portion of Google’s market share just yet.

Think about your own LLM usage. Many of the queries typed into LLMs are productivity or process based instead of “search” based. Anecdotally, many of us still look for a brand or specific product in Google over LLMs. For now, it seems traditional search isn’t going anywhere, but that could change in the coming years.

Amazon faces massive boycott threat from consumers

Amazon (AMZN) has a major problem on its hands after it recently raked in record profits.

The online retail giant, which has over 315 million customers worldwide, recently saw increased consumer momentum during the holiday shopping season.

Amazon’s fourth-quarter earnings report for 2024 revealed that its U.S. sales increased by 10% year-over-year during the quarter. This contributed to the company generating an operating income of $9.3 billion in the U.S., a roughly 30% increase from what it earned during the same quarter in 2023.

“The holiday shopping season was the most successful yet for Amazon and we appreciate the support of our customers, selling partners, and employees who helped make it so,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in the earnings report.

Amazon may soon face a dip in sales

Amazon’s sales, however, now face a major threat from frustrated consumers across the country.

The People’s Union USA, a group that has recently organized boycotts or “economic blackouts” of large corporations across the country, has just made Amazon its next target.

If you dominate local pack rankings, Google may demote your organic rankings

There has been a change to Google’s algorithm that is substantially changing traffic for tons of businesses we’ve been analyzing. I’ve spent the last 3 months analyzing tons of our clients and doing tests to see if I can figure out what changed and why. It took me so long because I actually didn’t believe what I was seeing.

The good news is that I have figured out some patterns which I’m going to share with you today, and it is going to completely change advice that myself and other respected SEOs have given in the past. In fact – some of my advice on how to set up a Google Business Profile is going to be completely opposite of what I was advising before. I’m going to dive in and show you what we’re seeing, but more importantly, what you can do about it. While we have seen dramatic decreases as a result of this change, we also found a way to get around it, which we’ll be sharing in this article.

What is this algorithm change?

If you dominate local pack rankings, Google will demote your organic rankings. I named it the diversity update because I believe what Google is thinking is if they already showed a user a business in the local pack, they don’t really want to show that same business again in the organic results down below.

From pharmacy to doorstep: Revolutionizing medicine delivery

At 11 PM, when Anshula’s father developed a sudden fever, she was worried as the nearest pharmacy was closed, and the idea of waiting hours for an online order felt impossible. But within 30 minutes, a courier arrived at her doorstep with the prescribed medicine—no frantic midnight searches, no long waits.

Start-ups such as Farmako, Medstown, Plazza and others have started 30-minute services, raising funds to expand and take on the giants.

Huge demand

Gurugram-based quick medicine delivery start-up Farmako, which initially partnered with local pharmacy stores and Swiggy Genie for 30-minute medicine delivery observed huge demand and decided to pivot to quick medicine delivery.

“We live in a world where groceries are delivered in 10-15 minutes. We wanted to push the limits to test whether we can do a 15, 20-minute delivery,” said Aman Bhandula Founder and CEO of Farmako.

The company currently has operations in the Delhi- NCR region with three pharmacies (Delhi, Gurgaon, Moradabad) and is planning to expand its presence to 10 more cities, and 50 additional stores by 2025, he added.

Explaining the process, Bhandula said, “Users can order via our mobile app and WhatsApp. They get connected to our pharmacist on a real-time chat, who helps them place the order. Our riders pick up medicines from our store and deliver them in 30 minutes.”

Google Shopping unveils AI-powered fashion and beauty features

Google today rolled out new AI-driven shopping features to help users visualize and try on fashion and beauty products virtually. These updates aim to make online shopping more interactive and personalized.

Key features:

Vision match. Users can describe desired clothing items and AI generates visual suggestions with similar shoppable products. For example, search for a garment, scroll to “Can’t find it? Create it” prompt, refine the AI-generated ideas, and browse shoppable products.

Virtual makeup try-on. Shoppers can test celebrity-inspired makeup looks using AR, combining products from multiple brands. For example, search for celebrity looks or trends like [spring makeup] on mobile, tap “See the looks on you” and “try it on” to test products.

Expanded virtual clothing try-on. Now includes pants and skirts from hundreds of brands, viewable on diverse model body types. For example. search for pants or skirts, select items with a “try on” badge, and view on diverse models from XXS to XXL.

By the numbers.

Over 1 billion shopping activities occur daily on Google.
More than half of shoppers struggle to find specific clothing items they envision.
Over 50% of U.S. makeup users seek online inspiration for new looks.

Spending on Information Security in India to Grow 16% in 2025

End-user spending on information security in India is projected to total USD 3.3 billion in 2025, an increase of 16.4 per cent from 2024, according to a new forecast from Gartner, Inc. Building on the momentum from the previous year, security services is projected to record the highest growth among all segments, with an expected 19 per cent increase in 2025.

“Persistent security challenges, such as data sprawl from generative AI (GenAI) use, ransomware attacks, evolving regulatory landscapes, and robust cloud adoption are driving Indian enterprises to increase their information security spending across all segments in 2025,” said Shailendra Upadhyay, Senior Principal at Gartner. “These urgent challenges necessitate real-time threat detection and incident response across hybrid ecosystems.”

Consequently, chief information security officers (CISOs) in India are prompted to focus on strategic investments in cloud security, access management, and data security and privacy to strengthen organisations’ security posture and support business resilience, added Upadhyay.

Time for news from BC Web Wise!

Celebrating 25 years of digital evolution, We have mastered SEO, social, and everything in between! Check out our latest post where we’re sharing some fun ‘Did You Know’ facts about the digital world and BC Web Wise’s growth along the way!