Consumer Behavior

Consumer view of AI differs worldwide

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September 6, 2023

Cultural differences are apparent when it comes to consumer attitudes regarding AI, with U.S. shoppers less likely to know, or engage, with the technology when compared to German and British consumers.

That's a prime finding of a Digital River survey that polled 3,000 consumers across the U.S., U.K. and Germany.

The results revealed that consumers in Germany (33%) were most likely to be familiar with AI prior to taking the survey, outpacing the U.S. (24%) and U.K. (23%). Germans (38%) were also more likely to allow AI to automate routine orders for them than those in the U.K. (31%) and U.S. (28%), according to a press release on the findings.

Additional findings include:

• Just 15% of German consumers say that chat bots are not helpful, significantly fewer than in the U.K. (27%) and U.S. (26%). Misinterpreting queries (42%), inability to handle complex requests (37%), and difficulties in escalating to human support (33%) were among the top reasons for this lack of popularity.
• 72% of Americans expressed that interacting with a human representative was important to them, slightly above the overall figure of 70%.
• Consumers across geographies have not been eager to integrate AI into their shopping experiences, but they see its appeal when it comes to enhanced personalization, according to the release. Concerns around security and control have stemmed the tide of widespread adoption.
• Just 27% of consumers expressed that they were familiar with AI prior to the survey. However, those who were familiar cited enhanced search and filtering capabilities (36%) and personalized product recommendations (34%) as its most impactful use cases.
• Only 32% of consumers said that they would allow AI to automate routine consumers goods orders, expressing a desire to have control over purchasing decisions (42%), a lack of faith in AI's ability to understand preferences (29%), and a desire to change orders based on shifting needs (28%).