45% of retailers to up use of AI for customer experience in next 3 years

In a bid to improve the customer experience, more and more retailers intend to begin implementing artificial intelligence within the next three years, according to retail management consulting firm BRP.

by Helen Leggatt

BRP's '2017 Customer Experience/Unified Commerce Benchmark Survey' found that more than half (55%) of retailers are focused on optimizing the customer experience to increase customer loyalty.

Tactics include improving the mobile shopping experience as well as creating a seamless cross-channel experience. Furthermore, retailers will be attempting to bring more in-store experiences, such as being able to physically examine merchandise and interact with sales associates, to their ecommerce offerings.

"The customer experience in a unified commerce world is much more complex than it is in a pure play ecommerce or brick-and-mortar retail environment and we are seeing retailers map out the entire customer journey to design the optimal customer experience," said Perry Kramer, vice president and practice lead at BRP. "This complexity expands exponentially as the proliferation of social media, the Internet of Things, (IoT), artificial intelligence and machine learning influence the retail world and more specifically, the customer journey."

Indeed, recent research from Fujitsu has shown that consumers are dissatisfied with the level of technology being adopted in-store by retailers, as well as its usefulness.

"The digital pace of change is faster than ever," says Rupal Karia, MD, Retail and Hospitality, Fujitsu UK & Ireland. "Consumers will embrace retailers who can give them the experience they want, before they know they want it. The message is clear: consumers are prepared to spend more with the retailers that deliver digital, and leave those that don't."