As buyers make decisions through LLMs, Bobcat's Laura Ness Owens is focusing more on customer experience

Laura Ness Owens, chief marketing officer at Bobcat, a manufacturer of compact construction and landscaping machines, said that she wants to meet customers where they are searching for information.

Previously, the customer journey could start with search and the company's website, she said. "Today, many customers are going right to the large-language-models and saying, 'I want the right loader for me, to do this type of work', so they are skipping much of that research stage that we were able to guide."

Owens says that product reviews, earned media, and dealer reviews factor into those LLM results. "You have to understand that the good, the bad, and the ugly are out there," she said. "It's pushed us to really focus greater on that customer experience."