The insight: Gen Z consumers are starting their purchase journeys more often on Google properties, including YouTube and Gemini, according to a Business Insider report citing Morgan Stanley data.

Google’s rise is coming at the expense of Amazon, Meta, and Walmart, all three of which lost ground in the six months from September 2024 to March 2025.

By the numbers: While Gen Z shoppers have moved away from Google Search as their primary method of discovery, those losses have been more than offset by YouTube’s growing importance as a channel for product discovery and research. Google’s new suite of AI-powered features could also be making a difference, as Gen Zers are more likely than any other generation to have used AI-based search tools to shop.

Google’s influence is most obvious in the discovery phase.

• The majority—56%—of 16- to 24-year olds turn to Google Search, YouTube, or Gemini first when researching products online, up 4 percentage points from a year ago, per Morgan Stanley Research. That compares with just 10% who visit Amazon first, and 12% who start their searches on TikTok.
• Google’s lead is narrower but still substantial when it comes to price comparison: 40% of the 16-to-24 age group turn to the company first, followed by 25% for Amazon and 12% for Walmart.

More worrying for Amazon is Google’s rising appeal among Gen Z shoppers who already know what they want to buy. The proportion of Gen Zers ages 16 to 24 who visit Google properties first in that scenario hit 30% in March, a 10 percentage-point increase YoY. By contrast, Amazon’s share fell from 40% to 34% in the same period—a sign that it needs to do more to engage younger shoppers and earn their loyalty.

Our take: Google is doing a good job of leveraging the popularity of YouTube and increasing interest in genAI-powered shopping tools to win over younger shoppers and establish itself as the first port of call in their customer journeys.