Study: Will AI chatbots change Aussies’ financial journeys?

This question has been on the minds of marketers in finance: Will AI chatbots change Aussies’ financial journeys?

To find out, we commissioned a study of their finance purchase journeys and also analysed search trends in Australia.

What we discovered: Financial journeys are changing and in ways that might surprise marketers.

The study and analysis uncovered two key findings:

1. Australians that use an AI chatbot (e.g. Gemini, ChatGPT) in their financial purchase journey are equally as likely to use Google Search as those that do not.¹
2. Australians’ search interest in the finance category, ranging from credit cards and insurance to loans and savings accounts, has continued to rise.²

Here, we examine how the findings and the use of AI in finance marketing can help your business grow.

Finding: Use of AI chatbots increases touchpoints for engagement

According to the study conducted by Kantar, a small percentage of Aussies are using AI chatbots in their finance journeys to help them identify potential needs and explore products.

The study also found that consumers in Australia who use AI chatbots in their financial purchase journey visit more touchpoints and have a broader range of brands that they consider.³ And they turn to Search to validate the information provided by AI chatbots.

Source: Google/Ipsos, Australia, The Relevance Factor, n=6,846, consumers who use Google Search, March 2024.

According to the study by Kantar, Australians that use an AI chatbot (e.g. Gemini, ChatGPT) in their financial purchase journey are equally as likely to use Google Search as those that do not.⁴

And Google is the No. 1 place consumers say they go to cross check that the information they find elsewhere is true (4.8X higher than the next closest platform).⁵

Especially in finance, where accuracy matters, Aussies view Search as a trusted touchpoint in their purchase journey, helping them with finance decision-making.

Finding: Search interest in finance is rising

Our analysis of search trends in Australia also showed that interest in finance on Search is growing.

Search interest in finance categories, including credit cards, insurance, home loans, and saving accounts rose by 7% year over year.⁶

Source: Google Trends, Australia, Credit Card, finance categories include credit cards, car insurance, home insurance, home loans and savings accounts, week of 7 Jan.–8 June 2024 vs. week of 7 Jan.–8 June 2025.

We also found that with AI Overviews, which provides AI-generated summaries on a complicated topic or question and useful links, people are using Search more. They’re visiting a greater diversity of websites for help with more complex questions and are more satisfied with their results.

How to use AI in finance marketing to drive growth

As Search becomes more helpful and predictive with Google AI, it opens up new opportunities for businesses to engage with customers and drive growth.

AI-powered Search does that by empowering deeper understanding of users’ intents and what they might need next.

That leads to better search results and more relevant ads in new moments and contexts which didn’t exist before. It also means businesses can better influence decision making through Search marketing.

Take for example a search on “how to avoid foreign transaction fees on credit cards.” AI-powered Search could offer tips on selecting a credit card, as well as show ads related to travel-friendly credit cards or low-fee international banking services.

The newly launched AI Max for Search campaigns offers a suite of targeting and creative enhancements that brings the best of Google AI to your Search campaigns in one click:

• It lets you power up your performance by expanding your reach into new queries that you weren’t accessing before.
• It’ll intelligently adapt your ad content to match the emerging intent in real time, so that your ad stays relevant.

The data already shows that advertisers that activate AI Max in Search campaigns will typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar cost per acquisition or return on ad spend. For campaigns that are still mostly using exact and phrase keywords, the typical uplift is even higher at 27%.⁷

So if you oversee financial services marketing in Australia, know that it’s not just AI chatbots that are changing Aussies’ financial journeys. AI-powered Search is also transforming customer journeys and it’s showing up as an ever more relevant touchpoint for Aussies.

To maximise your performance now and be ready for the ever-evolving Search experiences of tomorrow, start adopting the latest Google AI-powered ads solutions today.