Consumers were used to browse multiple sites when shopping online. compare. I will reflect on it. I'll make a decision. But it is changing rapidly.
Artificial intelligence is becoming the first voice they can talk to, trusted advisors, filters, and often, they consult with. Almost 60% of consumers say they have used AI to help them shop.
What's even more surprising?
According to a recent consumer survey conducted by BloomReach on the impact of AI on consumer behavior, I trust almost half of my AI more than my friends when it comes to choosing what to wear.
At the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, Professor Lucatian closely tracks these changes.
Professor Lucachian.
Cian, a behavioral scientist and marketing expert at CIAN, studies how people perceive and interact with the technology of everyday life. His recent research suggests that AI is reconstructing its shopping journey from within.
Darden's report caught up with Cian about what this change means for the future of consumer trends.
What makes these changes in consumer behavior so important?
It's not just seeing the emergence of new tools. This is a fundamental change in how people make decisions. Consumers are increasingly offloading the mental burden of choice to AI while still maintaining their ultimate say. I call this “increasing decision-making.”
That shift compresses traditional customer journeys. Almost 77% of people who say AI helps AI make faster decisions, but older marketing funnels don't really apply anymore. Influence must occur faster, faster, more intuitively.
Why do you think AI tools gained traction with shoppers so quickly?
What's important is how AI fits into the behavior people already have. These tools do not force you to adopt anything completely new. Improve familiar habits. In particular, they help reduce the overload of choice and increase confidence in decision making.
Combining it with the digital acceleration caused by the pandemic, we hit the sweet spot: high value, low friction. That's why AI is facing such a big moment in retail and beyond.
According to the report, 46% of consumers say they trust AI more than their friends when it comes to costume advice. What does it teach us about changing perceptions of trust and objectivity?
It reveals changes in how people define “honest” advice. Friends may soften their feedback to save our feelings. AI doesn't do that – it has no emotions or social motivations. People see it as a kind of objective integrity, especially when making decisions that emotional bias can interfere with.
That said, this trust is contextual. People may welcome AI's opinions on style, but they are not ready to hand over deep personal or emotional decisions. It's a subtle, situational kind of trust.
From a marketing perspective, how should brands respond to this demand for AI-driven conversational capabilities?
Brands aren't just trying to attract consumers. They are also trying to beat products that recommend AI systems. Our research (Longoni and Cian, Journal of Marketing Research) shows that people trust their actual purchases more, but still prefer human input when buying more emotional or hedonistic products.
This means that marketers need to adapt. It's not a one-size-fits-all strategy. Understanding when and why consumers rely on AI is key to creating effective messages and experiences.
What should companies be aware of when using AI in customer experience?
Excessive automation can backfire. People like speed and peace, but when things get complicated, they expect human touch. There is also the risk of creating a “black box” experience. Here it is unclear why the product was recommended and what is happening behind the scenes.
If customers feel that AI is pushing what's best for the company, trust disappears quickly, not for them. Transparency, control, and clear exchange of value will be essential to advance.
We believe that AI is heading towards a future that is like a personal shopping companion. It learns over time and predicts our needs. It does not respond to commands alone. It suggests things before we think we ask.
At the same time, AI will increasingly function as a gatekeeper for brand messaging. In that world, brands don't just build trust with consumers. They also need to gain confidence in the algorithms that determine what consumers are seeing.
