A Fortune 200 company searched for itself in Gemini — and didn’t show up at all. Could that be you?
Gartner projects traditional search volume will drop 25% by end of 2025 as buyers shift to AI-powered answer engines. And in a Master B2B community poll, 67% of B2B professionals say they’re already using answer engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude for work-related searches instead of Google. The shift isn’t coming, it’s already here.
In this episode of Master B2B’s Friday 15, hosts Brian Beck and Andy Hoar are joined by Andy Didyk, CEO of Ntara, to break down agentic commerce, the data transparency dilemma, and what B2B companies must do right now to stay visible in a zero-click world.
FAQ
Q: What is agentic commerce? A: In the strict definition, agentic commerce is AI agents autonomously making purchases on someone’s behalf — agent talking to agent or agent talking to a website to complete a transaction. But as Andy Didyk of Ntara explained, the broader and more immediately relevant definition encompasses people using answer engines as a significant part of their purchasing process and decision-making. It’s similar to how “e-commerce” became an umbrella term covering merchandising, fulfillment, warehouse management, and more. The immediate concern for most B2B companies isn’t autonomous purchasing agents — it’s the fact that buyers are already using ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to research and evaluate products before they ever visit a supplier’s website.
Q: Why are B2B companies invisible to AI answer engines? A: A major reason is that much B2B product data is locked behind password-protected sites. Many distributors and manufacturers require login credentials just to view basic catalog information, pricing, and availability. Answer engines can only index what they can access — and when they can’t see your data, they’ll substitute information from competitors who do make theirs available. As Didyk put it, “By withholding information as an organization, you’re actually doing a disservice to your clients” because the engines will find something to fill the gap regardless.
Q: Is there really a “content arms race” happening in B2B? A: Yes. Andy Hoar framed the key question: if AI engines don’t have your information, they’ll find it from your competitors. Didyk agreed there’s a strong case for this metaphor, but added an important nuance — it’s not just about showing up, it’s about the accuracy of the information. Many current AEO tools measure whether you’re mentioned, but they don’t evaluate whether the engines are representing your product specifications correctly or whether the data is current. That accuracy dimension will become increasingly critical.
Q: How fast is the shift from traditional search to answer engines? A: Extremely fast. In the Master B2B community poll, 67% of respondents said they’re already using answer engines over traditional search for work-related queries. Didyk predicted that number would be 80/20 within weeks. Gartner projects traditional search volume will drop 25% by end of 2025. Brian Beck shared that ChatGPT’s own model predicts answer engine queries will exceed traditional search by 2029. And critically, as Didyk observed, “Those who have gone to answer engines don’t go back.”
Q: What practical steps can B2B companies take right now? A: Didyk recommended several starting points: develop a practice or center of excellence around AI search visibility, start monitoring how your company and products appear in answer engines by simply querying them yourself, identify “hidden data treasure troves” within your organization that could be surfaced to give engines more context, release product information that’s currently locked behind password walls, and ensure the data you’re providing isn’t just present but accurate and current. The key insight is that it’s not just about being mentioned — it’s about whether the engines are representing your products and specifications correctly.
Q: Should B2B companies be worried about releasing pricing and product data publicly? A: This is the fundamental tension. B2B companies have historically been reticent to share pricing, inventory, and brand information publicly due to competitive concerns. But the zero-click environment changes the calculus dramatically. As Andy Hoar pointed out, in traditional search Google could show multiple URLs and companies could choose whether to share data. In a zero-click answer engine environment, the engine picks a winner — and it’s unlikely to pick a company that withheld pricing and availability information. The competitive advantage of showing up in AI results may finally tip the scale toward transparency.
