Dive Brief:
- Digital shoppers feel overwhelmed by options. Despite an increased emphasis on personalized experiences in recent years, 7 in 10 customers feel either no improvement or an increase in the time and effort required to make a purchase decision, according to an Accenture survey of 19,000 consumers in 12 countries released last week.
- Three-quarters of customers want to more quickly and easily identify the right product for their needs, from physical goods to travel packages.
- Consumers suffering from information overload want a simpler experience when making purchasing decisions, according to Accenture. Generative AI can help companies offer curated journeys focused on fewer, more relevant options, analysts told CX Dive.
Dive Insight:
While offering customers product details and a variety of options can be helpful, too much information ultimately impedes the customer experience, according to Jill Standish, senior managing director and global lead of retail at Accenture.
“It can mean that consumers have to spend more time and effort deciding what to buy, and often end up feeling overwhelmed,” Standish told CX Dive in an email.
Companies can reduce the decision-making workload by using generative AI to fuel better personalization, according to Oliver Wright, senior managing director and global lead of consumer goods and services at Accenture.
One option is using AI to personalize search results. Walmart added generative AI search to its app to help customers find relevant items, and a majority of retail leaders say AI has an important role in their search strategy.
Chatbots can also streamline a customer’s online shopping journey. Half of consumers are open to using conversational AI to help them make purchasing decisions, according to the Accenture study.
“The adoption of these gen AI technologies by consumers will bring the most significant reconsideration of what and how they decide to purchase that we have seen in decades,” Wright told CX Dive in an email.
