Consumers want to be surprised by brands and seek much more personal engagement, DMA study suggests - InternetRetailing

Consumers want a more interesting relationship with the brands they use, and think highly of virtual techniques promised by evolving technologies – especially on the more personal mobile level – says a report from the DMA. According to the study, half (48%) of respondents expressed an interest in artificial intelligence (AI) approaches to engagement, such as chatbots or virtual assistants. But this increased dramatically for younger age groups, rising to 79% for 16-24 year olds, 76% for those aged 25-34 and 62% of those aged 35-44. More than half (54%) of Gen Y/Millennial age groups (28% of the total sample) are interested in a service that detected how they were feeling and sent them surprise offers/deals based on their mood. "Current engagement methods often seem clumsy, like'brand stalking', where items follow a consumer around on web banners. Instead, consumer data could be used in virtual or artificial intelligence systems. One example could be chatbots, giving brands a better way to use their data and consumers a more meaningful interaction," said Rachel Aldighieri, DMA MD.