For Product/Service Inquiries, Gen Z Prefers Generative AI Over Web First; Over 80% of Respondents Seek Information Outside Official Company Channels

LINE Yahoo Communications Inc. (hereinafter, "our company"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of LINE Yahoo Corporation responsible for customer support for LINE Yahoo's services, conducted a survey on the pre-inquiry behavior of 1,066 men and women aged 18 to 79 when they have questions, uncertainties, or need to confirm information about products and services.

The survey revealed that among Gen Z (ages 18-29), "Generative AI services such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot" were the most common first step for information gathering regarding product and service inquiries, accounting for 35.9%, surpassing "Web" at 31.7%.

Furthermore, it was found that 83.6% of all respondents initially use channels other than official company channels, such as the web, generative AI, or video/social media. Only 12.0% of respondents initially use official company channels (official website, FAQ, app, official LINE account, customer support), indicating that much of the information search begins outside of these official channels.

On the other hand, only 16.7% of respondents reported that their initial method "completely resolved the issue / completely confirmed the information." The rate of complete resolution for those who first used customer support was 30.4%, the highest among all methods. This highlights the role of customer support in providing reliable solutions and individual confirmations, even as self-resolution through channels outside official company channels becomes more widespread.

Gen Z Consults Generative AI First for Product/Service Questions

When asked about the first method used to search for information or make inquiries about products and services when encountering problems or needing confirmation, 35.9% of those aged 18-29 chose "Generative AI services such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot," making it the most popular option, surpassing "Web (31.7%)" and "Video/Social Media such as YouTube, X, Instagram, and TikTok (20.7%)".

83.6% of Respondents Check External Channels Before Official Company Channels for Information

For all respondents, "Web" was the most common initial method, used by 39.2%. This was followed by "Generative AI services such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot" at 28.9%, and "Video/Social Media such as YouTube, X, Instagram, and TikTok" at 15.5%.

In contrast, "Official company websites, official FAQs, official apps, and official LINE accounts" accounted for 7.7%, and "Company customer support" accounted for 4.3%.

Combining web searches, generative AI, and video/social media totals 83.6%, revealing that a large number of respondents gather information through external channels before official company channels.

Generative AI Nears Web Usage Among 30s-40s; 14.0% Use It First Even Among 70s and Older

Looking at age groups, 31.8% of those in their 30s and 40s use generative AI first, a figure close to web usage at 35.1%.

While those in their 50s-60s and 70s and older exceeded 50% for initial web usage, 14.0% of those aged 70 and above also used generative AI first. This suggests that pre-inquiry information checks using generative AI are beginning to spread across a wide range of age groups, not just among younger generations.

16.7% Achieved Full Resolution with Initial Method; Customer Support at 30.4% is Highest

When asked if their initial method led to problem resolution or confirmation, 16.7% reported "completely resolved / completely confirmed." Another 61.8% stated "somewhat resolved / somewhat confirmed," bringing the combined total to 78.5%.

While self-resolution through web searches, generative AI, and video/social media is expanding, cases that are completely resolved by the initial method alone appear to be limited.

Looking at the percentage of "completely resolved / completely confirmed" by initial method, company customer support achieved the highest rate at 30.4%. Although users who initially contacted customer support represent only 4.3% of the total, their complete resolution rate was the highest among all methods.

In the Generative AI Era, FAQs and Help Pages Serve as the Foundation for Accurate Information Provision

This survey revealed that a significant proportion of users turn to generative AI as their first information-gathering tool when they have questions about products and services.

As the use of generative AI further expands, it is expected that users will increasingly check information through generative AI before directly accessing official company channels.

Therefore, customer support in the generative AI era needs to not only make FAQs and help pages easily discoverable and understandable for users but also ensure that they facilitate accurate, official information-based answers and judgments when users check information via generative AI. Designing touchpoints before inquiries, rather than just responding after an inquiry is received, will become a more crucial element of future customer experiences.

Comment from LINE Yahoo Communications Customer Support Representative

Iida Harutsugu, Reuse CS Promotion 2nd Department, Commerce CS Headquarters

At LINE Yahoo Communications, we value "user-first" and have been enhancing our help pages and introducing machine responses utilizing generative AI. Furthermore, from 2026 onwards, we are jointly developing and introducing an AI agent with LINE Yahoo to answer user questions on our help pages.

As self-resolution methods before inquiries expand, inquiries directed to customer support staff are becoming more concentrated on complex issues that require individual assessment. Therefore, we believe it is important to support user self-resolution through generative AI and other means, while also creating a system that allows us to address inquiries requiring human intervention with greater care, leveraging the strengths of official support.

We will continue to strive to provide users with a better support experience by utilizing both technology and human support.

<Survey Overview>

Survey Name: Survey on Pre-Inquiry Behavior in the Generative AI Era

Survey Period: June 16, 2026 - June 23, 2026

Survey Method: Internet Survey

Target Audience: Men and women aged 18-79

Valid Responses: 1,066

Implementing Body: LINE Yahoo Communications Inc.

Survey Content: Information search and inquiry behavior within the past 3 months when encountering "problems," "uncertainties," or needing to "confirm" information about products and services.

Notes:

- Proportions may not sum to 100.0% due to rounding to the second decimal place. The base number varies for each question due to branching. - When using the survey results from this release, please clearly state "Survey conducted by LINE Yahoo Communications."

<Company Overview>

Company Name: LINE Yahoo Communications Inc.

Head Office Location: JRJP Hakata Building 12F, 8-1 Hakata Station Central Gai, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture

Representative: Yuusuke Suzuki, President & CEO

Capital: 490 million yen (as of April 2026)

Establishment Date: November 18, 2013

Number of Employees: 1,599 (as of April 2025)

Related Locations: LINE Yahoo Communications Inc. Hachinohe Branch, Tokyo Branch, Kochi Branch, Kitakyushu Branch, Oita Branch, Naha Branch, etc.

Main Business Activities: Operation of services provided by LINE Yahoo (Customer Support, Testing, Monitoring, Creative, Business Planning, etc.)

Web URL: https://lycomm.co.jp/