Briefing: 16th Mar, 2026
We read the news, so you don't have to
Hello and welcome back to the Monday Knight Briefing - where we share five things worth knowing this week. Let’s dive in.
1. Meta adds new “location fees” for European ads
Meta has announced that it will start adding new “location fees” to ads served in certain European markets, effectively passing on the cost of digital services taxes introduced by governments. The fees will range from 2% in the UK to 3% in France, Italy and Spain, and 5% in Austria and Turkey.
Importantly, these fees will apply to ads based on where they are shown rather than where your business is based, and they will be added on top of campaign spend, rather than deducted from budgets.
The percentages may look small, but for brands spending heavily across Europe it could become a noticeable extra line item.
2. Google AI overviews are cutting search clicks
A new report suggests that Google’s AI Overviews are significantly reducing the number of clicks from search results, as users increasingly get the answer directly on the results page rather than visiting a website.
Studies show that when an AI Overview appears, organic click-through rates can drop by around 61%, with paid CTR falling by roughly 68%. 
For marketers and publishers, this reinforces the growing importance of visibility inside AI answers, alongside traditional organic rankings and paid ads.
3. Shopify prepares for shopping inside ChatGPT
Shopify has told merchants that their products will soon be discoverable and purchasable inside ChatGPT through its new “agentic storefronts”. Instead of clicking out to a store, users will be able to ask ChatGPT for product suggestions, see items pulled from Shopify merchants, and complete the purchase within the conversation.
Interestingly, OpenAI appears to be stepping back from fully owning the checkout experience. Earlier plans for “instant checkout” seem to have evolved into a model where Shopify handles more of the storefront infrastructure. In practice, that may mean purchases still happen through Shopify, but inside an in-app browser within ChatGPT.
The technology is interesting, but the bigger shift is behavioural. Product discovery is starting to happen inside AI conversations rather than search engines or social feeds. And moves like this suggest tech companies expect people to become increasingly comfortable buying within these environments.
4. Google reviews might matter more than you think
I came across a report about Google Reviews this week that felt worth sharing, mainly because I’m not sure how many businesses actually include responding to reviews in their marketing plans.
The report suggested that 88% of consumers are more likely to choose a business that responds to reviews, and that businesses that consistently reply also tend to see better visibility in local search.
It’s a simple activity that can easily get overlooked, but numbers like that suggest there may well be a case for making it part of your marketing routine.
5. Meta buys Moltbook
A few weeks ago I mentioned Moltbook, the strange but fascinating social network where AI agents talk to each other instead of humans. Since then, things have moved quickly, and Meta have acquired the platform.
For anyone who missed the original story, Moltbook is essentially a Reddit-style platform populated by AI agents, where bots post, comment and interact while humans mainly observe the conversation
What Meta plans to do with it is still unclear, but I assume it has something to do with them wanting to have AI agents both working for them and potentially in the mix with users on their platforms too.
And that’s a wrap for this week. Thanks for tuning in and checking out our weekly roundup. Hit reply if you want to chat!