Yahoo News Intellias Study Highlights Rapid Adoption of AI in U.S. Consumer Shopping Experiences
New research from tech provider Intellias revealed how consumers use AI in different ways every day. The company said U.S. shoppers polled “are increasingly expecting retailers to leverage AI to improve their buying journeys.”
Researchers at the company said that of the U.S. consumers surveyed in the study, 33 percent said they’re using generative AI tools, including 60 percent of Millennials and 49 percent of Gen Z.
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“This widespread and fast-growing adoption of GenAI is prompting consumers to recognize where they encounter AI within their buying journeys — with 41 percent of consumers currently aware of retailers using AI in shopping experiences — and where they expect retailers to leverage AI capabilities to improve customer experiences,” the report stated.
Coming in at 28 percent, pricing and promotions top the list of how AI added value to the shopping experience and was followed by loyalty and rewards at 23 percent. Online product discovery also came in at 23 percent, which was followed by product validation and product recommendations — both at 19 percent.
However, there was skepticism among the respondents — especially regarding data security. “With the speed at which GenAI has been adopted by retailers and consumers in 2023, perhaps it is inevitable that the pace has led to some wariness among shoppers, with 44 percent of those polled saying that they are mistrustful of brands and retailers using AI in their shopping experiences,” the report’s authors said, adding that 66 percent of those polled said they are concerned “about how their data is used after an AI interaction during their shopping journey; and a further 65 percent are concerned that retailers and brands hadn’t put in place sufficient compliance/data safety procedures when using AI.”
Still, 57 percent of those surveyed said “they didn’t mind retailers using AI in their buying journeys as long as they were transparent about it.” For Millennials, that sentiment rose to 66 percent.
Alexander Goncharuk, vice president of retail at Intellias, said the “hype-curve surrounding GenAI will continue to accelerate” this year and will be driven “both by the consumer who will become even more used to AI-interfaces in their day-to-day lives, as well as by the retailers innovating and exploring different use cases that drive efficiencies and enhance customer experience across the value chain.”
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