Aussie shoppers embrace Ai in ecommerce

Developed in collaboration with the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), Salesforce has released its latest Connected Shoppers Report. The report reveals how Australia and New Zealand retailers and shoppers are adapting to the incoming Ai revolution. Shoppers are engaging with the tech, and in response, 91 percent of retailers in ANZ are investing in generative artificial intelligence. 

“Consumers are traversing a number of physical and digital touchpoints throughout the shopping journey – from browsing in stores to buying on social,” said Rob Garf, VP and General Manager, Salesforce Retail. “Our research shows that generative AI is a game changer for retailers to increase personalisation and decrease friction – ultimately driving loyalty and increasing share of wallet.”

Shoppers are embracing the tech with millennials leading the charge. 31 percent of all ANZ shoppers admitting they’d be interested in using generative AI to get inspiration for product purchases, and 52 percent of millennial shoppers are interested in using the technology.

 “High-tech and high-touch are becoming vital tools to entice the modern shopper. Today’s customers want it all – a tailored, fast, frictionless shopping experience – and artificial intelligence tools certainly have the potential to improve that experience,” said Paul Zahra, CEO of the ARA. “In overseas markets, we’re already seeing the uptake of interactive technologies such as the virtual fitting room – and it’s only a matter of time before these reach the Australian retail landscape.”

This news follow’s last week’s release of research from PayPal who found that more than 2-in-5 Australians businesses are already using Ai for ecommerce. PayPal’s 2023 ecommerce Index revealed that 42 percent of Australian businesses are already using AI for ecommerce purposes, and more than 2-in-5 Australian consumers would use AI to help them shop online, spanning a variety of categories in the retail industry.  The top six use cases for Ai when it comes to online shopping are: searching for the best prices (30 percent), personalised list of promotions and discounts (29 percent), automated intelligent chat for customer service questions (23 percent), planning a holiday (19 percent), styling their home (15 percent), as an AI shopping assistant (15 percent).   

Andrew Toon, General Manager of PayPal Australia said, “Ai has captured the world’s attention and imagination but for many of us it’s already a normal part of our day-to-day lives. From hailing a ride share to the facial recognition on your phone, receiving weather predictions or using a chatbot to tell your supermarket the milk didn’t arrive – it has become so ubiquitous that we may not even realise its presence.”