Are AI-Driven Chatbots Only Frustrating the Online Shopper Journey?

AI-powered chatbots were seen as the most disruptive artificial intelligence (AI) application causing friction in online shopping experiences, according to a recent survey of 1,000 U.K. consumers from tech provider Intellias.

Of the survey respondents, 25% agreed chatbots are the area where AI most disrupts their shopping experiences, and 23% said that interactions with AI chatbots were the stage in their online buying journeys where they were most likely to abandon a purchase. 

The findings follow separate research from last fall by Talkdesk, which found that if given inaccurate recommendations from an AI-supported device, 68% of U.S. shoppers would lose trust in brands, 65% would not positively recommend the brand to loved ones, and 53% would not shop again at that brand. 

The Intellias’ poll found that 49% of survey respondents don’t mind that retailers use AI as long as the experience isn’t “clunky.” Two-thirds don’t mind when retailers use AI if it is to automate repetitive or monotonous tasks as long as it does not replace human interaction.

Almost three-quarters (74%) agreed that “a blended experience of both automation delivered through AI and human interaction would always be needed in retail, regardless of how good the AI technology becomes in the future.”

AI-supported chatbots have received more attention with the arrival of ChatGPT in November 2022 and the rollout of several GenAI shopping chatbots with conversation capabilities from Amazon, Google, Instacart, Mercari, Carrefour, Kering, and others.

A global survey as part of IBM’s study, “2024 Consumer Study: Revolutionize retail with AI everywhere,” found the primary reasons adults are interested in using AI as part of the shopping journey were to research products or get information, cited by 86%; get services/answers or resolve issues, 82%; look for deals and promotions, 79%; look for reviews or recommendations, 78%; and shop for products or services, 77%.

Some early reviews of GenAI-enabled shopping chatbots haven’t been promising, with a few pointing to shortfalls in the technology’s promised ability to refine and personalize searches as well as to remember past searches or purchase history.

In a review of Amazon’s new Rufus shopping assistant, Shira Ovide, technology reporter for The Washington Post, wrote, “In general, I thought the shopping bot was at best a slight upgrade on searching Amazon, Google or news articles for product recommendations.”