Customer focus, from a relationship perspective based on courteous service in stores and loyalty programs. If this is still the proposal of many companies, it's time to change. The consumer's purchasing behavior has evolved. Digitalization has transformed retail for years, but now artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly redefining consumption, automating and customizing purchasing decisions, often invisibly
And this change is just beginning. According to the consulting firm McKinsey, by 2030, 70% of purchase decisions may be made without human intervention. This means seamless journeys, voice shopping, 24-hour service without queues and increasingly demanding consumers. Furthermore, 42% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from brands that offer personalized recommendations.
Being customer-focused, today, demands more than just listening to the consumer. It is necessary to understand how technology interferes with your choices and make ethical decisions about how to use it. Transparency, Empathy and digital responsibility must go hand in hand with innovation, scores Andrea Rios, omnichannel specialist, Founder of Orcas and guest lecturer at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation MBA
According to the specialist and CEO of Orcas, it is also possible to rely on AI in different sectors and purposes, how to organize complete trips, from flights and hotels, up to the walks. Furthermore, can already be used to offer financial services, based on the user's history. Not to mention the routine grocery or pharmacy shopping, in which the algorithm almost "guesses" the customer's shopping list
That's why, Andrea cites 3 changes that AI has brought to the consumer purchase journey
- Automated preferences curation
The trend, increasingly, that the entire purchase journey is guided by AI. In the discovery phase, AI acts as a curator of preferences, suggesting products even before the customer expresses a need. The TikTok example, Amazon and many other platforms that use algorithms to anticipate desires prove this, explain Andrea Rios
- Smart comparison and dynamic pricing
Already in the consideration phase, virtual assistants and AI synthesize reviews and compare products, while dynamic pricing systems adjust values in real time, creating highly personalized experiences. The purchase, in turn, is completed by chatbots, with smart checkouts and minimal human interaction
- Fast and effective customer service in after-sales
In after-sales, these solutions solve problems, prevent cancellations and keep the consumer engaged. In the market, AI is already a reality, the Indian company Meesho, for example, already using generative AI for customer service. With over 160 million users, the platform implemented a voicebot that responds in English and Hindi and resolves 95% of the requests. Technology reduced call center costs by 75%, providing greater efficiency for the company and more agility for the consumer
Faced with the increasing control of AI throughout the entire journey, many ethical questions arise. Who really makes the decisions? The consumer or the AI, in the service of interests that are not always clear? How to take advantage of the benefits this transformation offers, maintaining transparency and ethics with the client?”, provokes the specialist
The answer lies in how companies choose to use AI. Support tool, she becomes an essential strategic pillar. Whoever knows how to combine data intelligence, Digital empathy and ethical automation will have a huge competitive advantage. More than efficiency, the challenge is to create delightful experiences without losing the human touch to attract and retain the increasingly demanding consumer, data-driven and influenced by systems that it does not always understand. The brands that act with intelligence and sensitivity will come out ahead, finalizes
