Consumers are warming up to AI assistants, survey finds - 1/3 of us would allow AI to make purchases

Date:
Sat, 22 Mar 2025 14:57:00 +0000

Description:
AI shopping assistants are helpful, but trust is missing, even if it promises better deals.

FULL STORY ======================================================================
- Data privacy concerns limit AIs role in ecommerce, survey finds
- AI-driven customer service still needs improvement
- AI in ecommerce must prioritize solving real problems

An Omnisend survey of 1,026 US respondents reveals while AI-powered
assistants are becoming more common, most shoppers still prefer making purchasing decisions themselves.

The study found about 34% of consumers would allow AI tools to make purchases on their behalf, but this means that 2/3 of shoppers wouldnt, even if it
meant securing a better deal. This reluctance highlights a gap between AIs growing presence in ecommerce and the trust consumers place in it.

Despite their hesitation, consumers acknowledge AIs ability to improve
shopping experiences, with 38% finding personalized product recommendations helpful and 31% saying it speeds up the process.

AIs growing role in shopping

However, concerns over data security shape consumer attitudes toward AI shopping assistants, with over half worrying about data mishandling and 28% expressing complete distrust in businesses' data practices.

Beyond data privacy concerns, doubts about AIs effectiveness in shopping persist, with 39% of consumers abandoning purchases due to frustrating interactions like inaccurate recommendations and poor AI chatbot for business experiences.

Additionally, 40% of shoppers are frustrated by the lack of human support in AI-driven customer service, while 21% find AI recommendations unreliable, reinforcing the need for the best live chat software and a human presence.

Nearly half of the respondents favored enhanced service quality over automation, believing that AI should prioritize assisting with customer
support over making aggressive sales recommendations and purchasing
decisions.

"Consumers are open to AI enhancing their shopping experience, but theres a
big difference between receiving personalized recommendations and handing
over full purchasing control, said Greg Zakowicz, Sr. Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend.

Large-scale adoption of AI-driven purchasing requires a fundamental shift in consumer behavior and thats not happening anytime soon," they said.
"Shoppers want to know exactly what theyre buying, whether its a size, color, or brand. Trusting an AI to make those decisions autonomously is a tough
sell."

Retailers must bridge the trust gap between AI technology and consumer expectations by prioritizing transparency through providing clear information on data processing and still allowing customers to retain some degree of control.

Leveraging the best email marketing service and best social media management tools can also help brands communicate AIs benefits while ensuring a more personalized, consumer-friendly approach.

AI is a tool thats only as good as the problems it solves," said Zakowicz.
"As companies race to integrate AI into their customers shopping experiences, they need to be more focused on its problem-solving qualities versus its potential. Providing poor experiences, whether by AI or a human, will result
in lost sales.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/consumers-are-warming-up-to-ai-assistants-survey -finds-1-3-of-us-would-allow-ai-to-make-purchases

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