Email teams shouldn’t be too
eager to use AI for their creative.
Consumers distrust it, and over 50% do not believe products presented with AI will match their descriptions, according to a new study commissioned by
Auros and conducted by Talker Research.
Of the 2,000 consumers polled, 44% frequently see product advertising using some form of AI, and 43% have felt duped by AI ads.
Not
that they can necessarily discern AI products—44% say they can, while 22% that they can’t.
An average 52% were able to identify real products in a test. Another 31% wrongly
thought they were AI, and 18% felt they saw a real product enhanced with AI.
And when shown fake products, 42% correctly identified them. But 34% thought they were real, and 24% that they were
genuine but enhanced with AI.
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There’s one lesson here for email senders: Be careful when using AI to create product images.
Meanwhile, 61% of consumers think brands are likely to
feature misleading AI marketing.
Drilling down, they suspect:
- Clothing brands—16%
- Beauty and
cosmetic brands—16%
- Electronics—14%
- Luxury goods—11%
- Food and beverage
brands—11%
On the retail front, these firms are suspected of using AI marketing
- Walmart—27%
- Amazon—26%
- Social media sites like TikTok Instagram and
Facebook—24%
Despite their distrust of AI, consumers are increasingly using it for shopping on their end, and 53% have found it helpful.
“There’s a fascinating trust divide emerging around AI in commerce,” says Bobby Meixner, vice president of solution marketing at Auros. “Consumers are skeptical when AI is
being used to persuade them, but much more receptive when they’re the ones using AI to make a better decision.”
Shoppers say AI is best at finding the most affordable price (24%),
alternatives to what they seek to buy (22%) and product reviews (22%).
Moreover, 54% will use AI for at least part of their holiday shopping, particularly for:
- Finding the best prices—21%
- Suggesting gift ideas—17%
- Comparing product reviews across
sites—16%
- Finding deals—15%
- Tracking packages—15%
"People aren’t necessarily
rejecting AI in shopping,” Meixner concludes. “They’re rejecting the feeling that AI is being used on them rather than for them.”