A survey of shoppers in five key Western markets has shown that UK consumers are the most likely to express hesitation about the rollout of AI features by retailers.
During Wimbledon last month, an Instagram influencer called Mia Zelu caused worldwide headlines after pictures of her at the tournament went viral. The reason for this mini media storm was that, despite realistic-looking photos, Zelu is entirely AI-generated.
A new survey by enterprise ecommerce platform Scayle, owned by Zalando, shared exclusively with Retail Week, shows this kind of imagery is the sort that a sizeable proportion of British shoppers is keen to avoid making its way into retail.
British shoppers are 10% to 15% less comfortable with AI use in retail than those in the other markets surveyed for the study – the US, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
The survey showed 41% of Brits expressed hesitance about both AI-generated video content and AI-powered customer service chatbots, compared to 21% of French shoppers for video content and 24% for customer service chatbots. France was the most enthusiastic market for AI tools.
However, the use-case that Brits were most worried about was AI-generated product imagery and AI-generated models like Mia Zelu. Nearly half (44%) of Brits said they were hesitant about retailers deploying this technology.
“UK shoppers are demanding better digital experiences, but they’re also more protective of their data. Public debate around privacy and ethics has made them cautious about how retailers use AI,” says Rico Adler, director of solution consulting at Scayle. ”That’s why retailers shouldn’t blindly invest in AI, but into building great experiences their customers will love.”
When asked about how they thought AI would positively impact their buying experience, discovering products faster was the answer chosen most frequently by British shoppers.
Over a fifth (21%) ranked it in first place and a further 18% ranked it second place from a list that also included better or more personalised customer service, tailored offers, or greater transparency around products and services. That is notable given that product discovery is the use case pushed by leading AI providers like OpenAI and Google.
“AI can only create value if shoppers are comfortable with it,” says Adler. “When AI shows clear benefits, like smarter search or faster service, retailers should explain the upsides of these features to shoppers and highlight the convenience they bring.”
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