There has been a lot of hype in the business world surrounding generative AI and its possible impact on internal operations. But how will it impact the customer experience? To better gauge how consumers currently use, and want to use, gen AI-based solutions, Adobe surveyed 3,000 U.S. consumers across age ranges.
Overall, nearly all surveyed respondents have heard of gen AI, with 53% saying they have used it. Of the consumers that regularly use gen AI, 41% say they use it everyday. Respondents’ current behaviors and preferences were assessed by industry category, spanning retail, hospitality, and tech industries. Adobe Analytics also analyzed online traffic to U.S. retail and travel sites to understand how these tools and capabilities influence ecommerce browsing and buying behaviors.
Retail
Adobe Analytics insights, which are based on aggregated and anonymized data across U.S., found that online traffic to retail sites from gen AI tools has jumped 304% year over year (YoY). Up to 58% of consumers indicated that gen AI has helped improve their online shopping experiences, with 52% saying they would use gen AI tools to make buying clothes online easier. Approximately 77% of respondents want brand experiences to be personalized to their needs, with nearly half of consumers indicating that they’re more likely to shop with brands that use gen AI on their site to facilitate these more relevant experiences.
Gen Z consumers are especially receptive to this technology: half of these consumers say they use gen AI to make shopping and, specifically, price comparison easier and faster. Half of Gen Z respondents also said they use gen AI technology for customer service and support.
Tech
More than half (53%) of survey respondents said they largely use gen AI in their personal lives (81%), followed by work (30%) and school (17%). The most common use cases include research and brainstorming (64%), drafting written content (44%), and creating visuals or presentations (36%). The two less popular use cases were creating programming code (21%) and creating images or art (29%).
Over the coming years, consumers are most excited to learn how gen AI can help them build a new skill (43%), make shopping and price comparison easier (36%), and receive better customer service and support (33%).
Travel
Adobe Analytics found that online traffic from generative tools to travel retail sites has increased 553% YoY. Nearly all surveyed consumers said they would embrace gen AI if it allowed them to: receive a seamless breakdown of pricing options for travel (93%), discover the working hours for restaurants, hotels and services (90%), and find nearby restaurants, parking and phramacies (90%).
Opportunities for Improvement
Although many consumers are already using gen AI in their personal and professional lives, respondents unanimously agreed that there is still room for improvement: 45% believe the technology is not as helpful as it could be. The top opportunities, according to consumers, include:
- Providing faster and better customer service (65%);
- Generating more personalized interactions based on individual preferences (48%);
- Making products and services cheaper (44%); and
- Creating more exciting and creative experiences (36%).
