Holidays, Euphoria, Online Shopping and the Assistance of Artificial Intelligence You Don’t Need?

The beloved Christmas and New Year holidays are just around the corner, and already the online stores do not stop offering us various promotions and interesting products, which of course we cannot pass by indifferently. But how do we know what we need and which is the perfect choice for us? What to order from the online store whose ad we came across on Facebook? Yes, every one of us has thought this… Clothes, makeup, home products, appliances… A bit of everything. But the truth is that during this time of the year, driven by the holiday euphoria in our home, there is always at least one or a few extra purchases we have made. And in order not to “throw our money to the wind”, but to shop rationally and according to our needs and abilities, it is good to have a helper at our side. Be it mom, friend, sister or… Chatbot.

Do Internet users trust artificial intelligence when placing orders online?
According to research by Storyblok, a specialist in content management systems (CMS), there is a serious disconnect between what brands think consumers want and what they really need when shopping online.

Despite the euphoria around ChatGPT, a global survey of 1,000 consumers reveals that 85% of them are not interested in using artificial intelligence to help them make purchasing decisions. Furthermore, if offered an AI recommendation, 60% said it would not make them buy something and 17% said it would actually make them less likely to make a purchase.

In contrast, another global survey of 500 senior marketers reveals that 64% of them report regularly turning to AI to help create digital content, while only 11% say they have never used it.

When asked which is a brand’s most important marketing channel, the majority of consumers (43%) said a brand’s website is more valuable than its mobile app (34%) or social media accounts (16%). 70% of consumers also say they primarily use a smartphone for online shopping, highlighting the need for brands to offer mobile-optimized web experiences.

“It’s easy for brands to fall into the trap of chasing the latest trends instead of giving people what they actually want. As these survey results show, consumers have authentic content and useful websites on their wish list this holiday season”, said Dominik Angerer, CEO and co-founder of Storyblok.

Interestingly, previous Storyblok research has shown that businesses continue to underestimate the importance of their website, with only 28% citing improving website design as a priority and only 36% saying they would add more features. This is despite the fact that 60% of consumers regularly abandon purchases due to poor website user experience, and businesses estimate that this costs an average of US$72,000 in lost sales per year. Significantly, 48% of businesses also admit to being ashamed of their website.

The current survey also reveals that influencers are not as influential as they used to be. 57% of consumers say that the endorsement of a celebrity or influencer would not make them purchase a product, and 24% say it would make them less likely to purchase it.

At the same time, it turns out that creating trending content is one of the most effective ways to build trust. 90% of consumers say content created by brands is important in shaping their perception of brands and their products. Only 5% say they are more likely to buy new brands instead of brands they trust.