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There’s no getting away from AI at the moment. With artificial intelligence at the heart of a dramatic technological shift, it’s not just disrupting industries but our everyday lives too. But how does this change our expectations as consumers? And how must brands adapt to these changes in expectations.
It’s fair to say that AI has gone well beyond the novelty stage now, with valuable everyday use cases emerging daily. From a business perspective, it’s important to stay on top of how the world is using AI. If you haven’t already, make sure you consider these four expectations that are being driven by our interactions with AI.
Personalisation
The key selling point of AI is the technology’s ability to learn and apart, meaning that we all have unique experiences when using platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini. These platforms have the ability to understand us, get to know us and offer tailored responses off the back of this.
But this is now extending into other areas of our lives. Consumers now expect businesses to think like AI, and our experiences with brands should look hyper-personalised as a result. From personalised offers to personalised gifts, businesses should start to consider how they can tailor every aspect of their offering including service, product and overall experience.
Instant Responses
Another reason why the likes of ChatGPT have taken off at a rapid rate is that individuals are able to receive instantaneous responses and recomendations to queries. Whether you’re using AI to help with writing content for your business or you simply need help with your nutrition, you no longer need to crawl through Google’s endless list of results.
But as adoption grows, instant responses are likely to be the expectation in all areas of life. Businesses must consider this for their communication channels, waiting days (even hours) is likely to be unacceptable in the near future.
Scepticism
It’s important to point out that AI isn’t all good news. There are many people that dispute the accuracy of AI-generated content, and to be fair, there are countless examples of AI getting things wrong. Unfortunately, this scepticism translates into other areas, whether they are linked to AI or not.
From social media content to digital ads, we’re now starting to question everything we see. And businesses must prove that everything is legitimate. It also increases the importance of physical interactions. An in-person experience can’t be disputed or faked, and in a world where AI is becoming the norm, a positive real-life experience counts for so much more. In terms of what brands can do to increase their physical presence, look towards in-store customer service, live events and gorilla-style marketing.
Predictive Recommendations
The better it gets, the more we’re starting to rely on AI. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is open to debate. But this tendency to get AI to do the thinking for us does have ramifications for businesses. Consumers now expect products to be placed in front of them rather than going searching for what they need.
E-commerce algorithms serving up ‘products you may like’ based on previous purchase isn’t new, but is it time to go beyond this? Current trends, preference shifts and other external factors also influence our future purchases.
Final Thoughts
AI is certainly disrupting the business landscape, but it’s important that businesses think beyond ways to incorporate AI into current practices. They must also consider how it is changing the way consumers shop and their expectations. Maybe we don’t know for certain how AI will change the world just yet, but all the signs point towards quicker, more personalised offerings that must be prepared to battle rising scepticism.