Digital Strategy Digest: CMA Puts Google Under SMS in Search, India Tests AI Chatbot Commerce, Reddit Strengthens Agency Ties
Three moves that will shape budgets and roadmaps: UK regulators tighten oversight on Google search, India trials chat-first shopping and payments, and Reddit recruits a holding-company heavyweight. Here's what matters and what to do next.
CMA designates Google strategic market status in search
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has given Google strategic market status (SMS) across general search and search advertising after a months-long review and public consultation. The designation enables targeted interventions to improve competition and innovation across the UK's digital economy.
Scope matters: AI Overviews and AI Mode sit inside the designation, while Gemini as a standalone assistant is out of scope for now. Google's news and syndication products are included, signaling a wide regulatory perimeter. The SMS label does not allege misconduct and does not impose immediate obligations; the CMA will consult on remedies before acting.
- Scenario-plan for search changes: model impacts from potential adjustments to ads auction dynamics, default settings, data access, and interoperability.
- Reduce platform concentration risk: diversify acquisition across Microsoft, Apple, Amazon retail media, and direct partnerships.
- Prepare for AI Overviews volatility: track zero-click rates, attribution gaps, and content cannibalization; adapt SEO and content syndication strategy.
- Strengthen first-party data and consent flows to maintain performance under potential data separation or transparency requirements.
- Engage the consultation process via trade bodies; shape outcomes on measurement, reporting, and fair access.
India pilots AI chatbot e-commerce
India is testing shopping and payments directly inside AI chats. NPCI's pilot integrates ChatGPT with UPI so users can discover products and pay without app switching. Razorpay is facilitating the rollout with Axis Bank and Airtel Payments Bank, with Gemini and Claude expected to join.
This compresses discovery, decision, and checkout into a single conversational flow. It raises the bar on intent capture, fraud controls, and brand trust inside chat interfaces.
- Stand up a conversational commerce pilot: product Q&A, offers, and one-step UPI checkout; start with high-frequency SKUs and clear return policies.
- Instrument end-to-end measurement: session intent, drop-off points, conversion, AOV, and agent handoff triggers.
- Build guardrails: real-time fraud scoring, payment limits, and explicit consent for data use within chat.
- Localize flows: language variants, price sensitivity cues, and post-purchase support inside the same chat thread.
- Align with PSPs and banks on reconciliation and dispute flows before scale-up.
Reddit makes major hire to deepen holding-company partnerships
Reddit is set to bring in Sharb Farjami, who is stepping down as CEO of WPP Media North America, to lead relationships with Publicis, Omnicom, WPP, and other holding companies. The role likely fills the gap left by Alex Underwood's July departure to Smartly.
Expect an enterprise push on measurement, brand suitability, and commerce integrations-aimed at unlocking bigger, multi-brand deals and cleaner buying paths for agencies.
- Revisit Reddit's role in the mix: test high-intent communities for upper-funnel insights and lower-funnel performance.
- Standardize creative for community norms: native tone, UGC-style assets, and clear utility in copy.
- Demand clean pipes: API access, third-party verification, and consistent brand safety tiers across buys.
- Structure learning agendas with agencies now to capture any Q4-Q1 incentives tied to the leadership change.
What to watch next
- CMA remedy proposals and timelines-especially anything affecting defaults, ad tech interoperability, and AI search presentation.
- NPCI expansion of chatbot commerce beyond the pilot and the inclusion of additional AI models and PSPs.
- Reddit's measurement and brand safety updates as the new leader courts enterprise commitments.
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