AI Is Stealing Your Customers: Bots, Recommendations, And The Demise Of Brand Loyalty

As AI assistants climb the ranks of go-to consultants for shoppers — currently the third-most common starting point at 16.7%, behind search engines (26.8%) and retailer apps (19.9%), according to recent EMARKETER research — their role in the shopping journey is transcending discovery and “potentially challenging brand loyalty.”

“More than three-quarters of respondents (76.2%) say AI is at least somewhat helpful when they are shopping and nearly a third (32.7%) say it helps them decide faster,” says the report, created with Publicis Commerce and entitled Trust Issues: How AI Is Shaping Decisions In The Path To Purchase. 

The study found that nearly half (49.1%) of those who are offered a brand-alternative by an AI assistant or chatbot are “likely” or “very likely” to try that different brand or product. That percentage is obviously even higher for those who said they strongly trust AI product recommendations.

(Source: EMARKETER)

“By showing up in these early moments, brands may have new opportunities to influence choices that once defaulted to familiar or preferred brands, especially among consumers who rely on AI to guide purchase decisions,” the report says.

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