Have you seen The Customer Experience Factbook?

In this 180+ page report, you'll find all the information and support you need to build a profitable, effective CX Improvement Program that spans every part of your business. You'll be able to implement and manage meaningful and profitable change, and grow your bottom line despite a slowing economy.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)

Consumers demand transparency over use of AI

Is ai creepy or cool? Most of us say it's a bit creepy

The survey reveals that AI has entered the mainstream with 2 out of 3 Americans (67%) reporting that they"re at least somewhat familiar with the term. One in 3 respondents (32%) are at least somewhat positive about AI, yet an overwhelming majority (81%) think companies are obligated to tell consumers that they"re using AI - and how they"re using it.

Despite recent news cycles on how companies misuse customer data, a majority of Americans (59%) remain willing to share data in return for a better customer experience and most (40%) say it should be collected anonymously - referring to the ability to collect without explicitly linking to an individual for personalization purposes. This is on par with 2017, where 63% said they would allow retailers to collect more customer data to improve the customer experience.

Creepy or Cool: Survey Highlights
The survey also asked Americans to share their opinions on specific technologies to improve the shopping experience. Key findings included:

Creepy

• Clothing and wearables include sensors/tracking devices that allow retailers to track you in exchange for a discount
  76% Creepy (vs. 10% Cool)
• Companies understand your shopping habits so well that they are able to use artificial intelligence to choose and automatically order products on your behalf
  69% Creepy (vs. 14% Cool)
• Facial recognition technology identifies you as a loyal customer as soon as you enter and relays your preferences to the salesperson in-store
  61% Creepy (vs. 24% Cool)

Cool

• Robots guide you to specific products within store aisles upon request
  48% Cool (vs. 32% Creepy)
• You can use fingerprint scanning to pay for items and get automatic home delivery, all from the store floor
  46% Cool (vs. 31% Creepy)

Millennial Divide
Younger shoppers (ages 18-29) are keen to embrace new technologies. Younger shoppers feel that AI-based personalization is valuable (66%) and are less likely to find innovation creepy. Significant generation gaps include:

• Computer programs (such as chatbots) use artificial intelligence to help you answer customer service questions, rather than a real person. Overall: 41% Creepy; Millennials: 27% Creepy
• An augmented reality app allows you to view products in a store and then displays associated information and recommendations, including whether you need to replenish what you have at home. Overall: 36% Creepy; Millennials: 26% Creepy
• Voice assistants within your home (Amazon Alexa, Google Home) provides personalized product information and suggested products for you and your family. Overall: 41% Creepy; Millennials: 32% Creepy

"Consumers generally know that data is being collected about them and that they are benefiting from AI. However, consumers are increasingly expecting brands and retailers to be transparent about when and how they're using AI in their interactions," said Mike Ni, CMO of RichRelevance. "As a result, companies are increasingly under pressure to adopt explainable and open AI systems that provide clear insight into how and why decisions are being made. Traditional black box, closed AI solutions are just not an option anymore."

Have you seen The Customer Experience Factbook?

In this 180+ page report, you'll find all the information and support you need to build a profitable, effective CX Improvement Program that spans every part of your business.

You'll be able to implement and manage meaningful and profitable change, and grow your bottom line despite a slowing economy. Grab this goldmine of easily adaptable and up-to-date strategies, walk-throughs, trends, technologies, research, suppliers and partners, plus all the supporting arguments you need to build a solid CX strategy.

While most marketers could list maybe a dozen key points for improving their brand's Customer Experience (CX), the researchers and writers at The Marketing Factbook have identified FORTY main 'CX Keys' which will help you drive your customers to new levels of delight, loyalty, advocacy and profitability.

The areas in which customers have direct contact with your organization are perhaps the most obvious places in which CX improvements can be made, and this report addresses all 24 of these 'Direct CX Keys', applicable to offline and online businesses alike.

At the same time there are many other areas that indirectly affect CX (such as the supply chain, policies and processes) in which every business can make simple but far-reaching improvements. This report guides you through the problems and solutions for all 16 of these 'Indirect CX Keys', many of which are often forgotten or under-played even in the best CX strategies.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)