• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, November 4, 2024

Consumers are hardly in a trusting mood as we approach the holiday season.  

A full 72% have less faith in companies than they did a year ago, up from 56% in 2023, according to the State of the AI Connected Customer, a study by Salesforce. Only 26% trust companies more, down from 44% last year. 

Moreover, 66% feel companies are reckless with customer data, a factor that could complicate even such tasks as getting an email address.  

Salesforce contends that advances in AI make earning trust more important than ever. And 60% of consumers agree.  

The big question is whether people will accept AI as part of the shopping process. The study found that younger consumers are more comfortable with AI agents creating more personalized ads and content:  

- Gen Z — 44%

- Millennial — 43% 

- Gen X — 37% 

- Baby Boomer — 28% 

Even fewer consumers feel good about AI agents shopping for them: 

- Gen Z — 32% 

- Millennials — 30% 

- Gen X — 23% 

- Baby Boomers — 15% 

Thinking of transitioning to AI agents? Consumers say:

- It is important to know if I’m communicating with an AI agent — 73% 

- I’m more likely to use an AI agent if there is a clear escalation path to a person — 45%

- I’m more likely to use an AI agent if its logic/thought process is clearly explained — 44%

Meanwhile, don’t lose sight of the basics. Here’s why consumers will stop buying from a brand:

- High prices — 66%

- Poor customer service experience — 43% 

- Inconsistent product or service quality — 40% 

- Inconvenience — 37%

- Does not meet my changing needs and expectations — 26%

YouGov surveyed 15,015 consumers across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, U.K., and U.S. from July 16 to August 16, 2024.