News and insights
The latest 2026 research and news on websites, AEO/SEO, AI and marketing, written by The ADDs team with what Thai businesses should do next. Every article links its sources.
Google adds more links to AI Mode and AI Overviews: will people actually click?
On 15 October 2026, Google announced that AI Overviews and AI Mode will show more inline links, placed higher, plus a section for official sites and wider article carousels. It shared no click data, and Search Console’s AI reports still show only impressions. Meanwhile, Ahrefs estimates AI Overviews cut the click-through rate of the top result by about 58%.
Apple and Google’s 2026 app rules: the deadlines Thai app owners should check now
Apple has required Xcode 26 since 28 April 2026, and Google Play requires API 36 from August 2026. Apps left without updates risk being unable to ship fixes.
Web designChrome starts measuring Core Web Vitals for single-page apps: what React and Next.js sites need to know
CrUX has added experimental Core Web Vitals that count soft navigations in single-page apps for the first time. Stable scores have not changed, but it is worth checking now.
Digital marketingThailand’s 2026 digital ad spend edges back to growth: what DAAT’s revised forecast means
DAAT and Kantar now expect Thai digital ad spend to grow 0.3% in 2026 to about THB 32.3 billion. Where the money moved, and how Thai businesses should adjust.
AEO & SEOSearch your brand, and AI answers first: AI Overviews now show on 83% of branded searches
Ahrefs found AI Overviews on 83% of US branded searches, and most cited sources are not the brand’s own site but Wikipedia, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Brand & design2026 design trends: imperfect by design, local flavour and the return of craft
Canva, Adobe and Figma point the same way for 2026: work with human traces, emotion and local character, set against endless AI-generated imagery.
AI for businessAI helps shoppers choose, but they still pay on your site: agentic commerce in 2026
Adobe expects AI traffic to US retail sites to grow 130% this holiday season, while ChatGPT’s in-chat checkout has been pulled back. Where businesses should invest.
Apps & techPromptPay passes 2.5 billion transactions a month: lessons for checkout design in Thailand
NITMX data shows 2.53 billion PromptPay transactions in August 2026, with tourists paying by cross-border QR more often. How web and app checkouts should adapt.
Digital marketingThai e-commerce grew 51.8%: social commerce, creators and the PDPA risk sellers can’t ignore
Momentum Works says Thai e-commerce grew fastest in the region in 2025, TikTok Shop counts over 5 million Thai sellers, and the PDPC is now fining stores that leak customer data.
Web designEurope’s accessibility law at one year: a French court orders Carrefour to reach 100%
A court in Caen rejected Carrefour’s 71% compliance claim and ordered its website and app made fully accessible within six months. A signal for anyone selling to the EU.
AI for businessFigma’s 2026 AI report: AI is changing how teams work together, not just how fast
Figma surveyed over 8,400 people in 10 countries. Designers are coding and developers are designing at record rates, and 9 in 10 say design matters at least as much with AI.
Brand & designThailand’s most valuable brands in 2026: what MAMA, Big C and the banks teach smaller brands
Brand Finance Thailand 50 2026 values the top 50 Thai brands at US$45 billion. MAMA grew 65% and Big C is the strongest. Lessons any Thai business can use.
Web designWebAIM Million 2026: accessibility gets worse, 95.9% of home pages fail
The WebAIM Million 2026 found an average of 56.1 accessibility errors per home page, up from last year. Low-contrast text is still the top problem, and busier pages break more.
Brand & designKantar BrandZ 2026: AI lifts the world’s top brands, and why meaningful difference matters more
The world’s top 100 brands rose 22% to US$13.1 trillion in 2026. Google is back at No. 1 and AI brands surged. Here is what Thai brands can take from it.
AI for businessMost Thai organisations now use AI, but 86% can’t say what it delivers
A NECTEC survey finds 53.7% of Thai organisations use AI, yet average readiness is only at the “Aware” level and most have never measured results. Where to start.
Apps & techState of Mobile 2026: people now spend more on apps than games, and AI is why
Sensor Tower says non-game app spending overtook games for the first time in 2025. AI apps surged while retail apps slipped. How Thai businesses should think about apps.
AEO & SEOGoogle’s AI search guide: skip llms.txt, keep the SEO basics
Google’s official guide says AEO and GEO are SEO. No llms.txt, no content chunking, no special schema. What works is original content and a site Google can read.
Digital marketingDigital 2026 Thailand: what the latest numbers say about where Thai audiences are
Key figures from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 Thailand report on internet users, social media, LINE, TikTok and Facebook, and how Thai marketers should read them.