AI Reimagines the Customer Journey

How AI is transforming the customer journey, reimagining product discovery and purchase for consumers

Usage and trust are high as consumers embrace AI's power

AI usage is skyrocketing, and consumers are embracing its powerful role. While current applications often focus on practicalities like quick answers and writing assistance, our new report reveals AI's burgeoning and transformative potential for the customer journey.

The focus is shifting from internal implementation to front-end experiences, positioning AI as the ultimate retail assistant for every shopper. Success awaits brands and retailers who recognize AI not merely as a technology upgrade, but as a fundamental reimagining of how consumers discover, evaluate, and purchase products.

Understanding a series of key questions will undoubtedly offer a strong starting point for shaping your strategy in this area…

Download The Future Shopper 2025

AI is enabling retailers to deliver experiences that feel uniquely tailored to each shopper by combining real-time behavioral data, purchase history, and contextual signals. The Future Shopper 2025 report highlights that shoppers increasingly expect retailers to understand their needs instantly, with personalization and speed ranking among the top drivers of satisfaction.

Our research found that 63% of global shoppers were helped by personalized recommendations to discover products, and that 60% are more likely to buy from brands that remember their preferences.

AI makes this possible through:

Dynamic product recommendations that adapt as the shopper browses
Personalized pricing and promotions based on loyalty status or predicted purchase intent
Content that changes in real time to reflect the shopper’s location, device, or browsing context
Search results and category pages that prioritize the most relevant products for each individual

By reducing irrelevant noise and surfacing only the most relevant options, AI helps brands create journeys that feel curated rather than generic. AI isn’t just speeding up product discovery — it’s making every interaction feel more intuitive, relevant, and valuable, which in turn drives higher engagement and conversion rates.

AI is taking on the role of a proactive, always-available retail assistant that can guide customers through every stage of the journey. This new “digital assistant” role includes:

Answering product questions instantly through conversational interfaces and chatbots
Offering side-by-side comparisons of features, prices, and reviews
Anticipating needs based on browsing patterns, purchase history, and contextual signals
Providing post-purchase support, such as care instructions, troubleshooting, or complementary product suggestions

In many cases, AI is integrated directly into brand websites, mobile apps, and even physical store kiosks, ensuring a consistent and personalized experience whether the customer is online or in-store. Research by McKinsey also suggests that brands using AI-driven personalization effectively can see customer satisfaction scores increase by 20% and sales conversion rates improve by up to 15%.

By acting as a knowledgeable, responsive, and data-driven assistant, AI helps retailers remove friction, build trust, and create a shopping journey that feels truly tailored to each individual.

AI’s predictive capabilities allow businesses to move from reactive selling to proactive fulfilment. According to further research, companies that use predictive analytics for personalization can generate 40% more revenue from those activities than their peers (source: McKinsey). And 75% of consumers expect companies to anticipate their needs and make relevant suggestions. This can be achieved by:

Using predictive analytics to forecast demand and position inventory closer to customers
Identifying patterns that signal when a customer is likely to reorder or upgrade
Automating replenishment for consumable goods through subscription models
Personalizing marketing outreach to coincide with moments of highest purchase likelihood

By anticipating needs, businesses can reduce friction, increase loyalty, and capture sales before the customer even begins actively searching. As our Future Shopper report highlights, consumers are more likely to shop with brands that remember them and provide relevant offers, underscoring the commercial value of predictive AI in retail.

AI is set to transform product discovery from a static search process into an interactive, guided experience. Whilst usage today appears limited (with 3% of consumers using platforms like ChatGPT for inspiration, 5% for information gathering, and 4% for and search, further research reveals that 62% of consumers welcome the idea of using AI to improve how they discover products.

Use visual search to find products from images or videos
Receive AI-curated collections based on style, preferences, or current trends
Engage with generative AI assistants that suggest complete solutions rather than single products
Experience immersive discovery through AR/VR tools that allow virtual try-ons or home visualization

This shift compresses the time from inspiration to purchase (what VML has termed ‘compressed commerce’), as AI reduces the need for manual filtering and decision-making by presenting the most relevant, high-value options first.

AI is central to delivering hyper‑personalization — tailoring every touchpoint to the individual. According to our research, 64% of global shoppers say personalization makes online shopping more efficient, while 60% state they are more likely to buy from brands that remember their preferences. So, the benefits of getting personalization right should be clear to brands and retailers.

This role for AI includes:

Personalized homepage layouts, promotions, and product assortments
Dynamic email and SMS campaigns that reflect real-time browsing and purchase behavior
Adaptive loyalty programs that reward customers based on their unique preferences and habits
Context-aware recommendations that consider factors like weather, location, and upcoming events

The result is a shopping experience that feels intuitive, relevant, and responsive — increasing customer satisfaction, repeat visits, and lifetime value.

68%

of global consumers have already used generative AI tools like ChatGPT

3%

of consumers use AI today for shopping inspiration, a figure poised for rapid growth

47%

of global consumers love how retailers are starting to leverage AI

Read the full report to understand:

How AI is transforming the customer journey, and shifting from internal implementation to enhanced front-end experiences.
Agentic AI – what is it and how will it fundamentally impact how we shop?
How is AI reimagining product discovery and the way consumers purchase product
The role of AI in the new battleground for search
How AI is crafting hyper-relevant e-commerce experiences for customers
The dominant uses of AI for global shoppers today vs. its emerging role as a sophisticated shopper assistant.

The role of economic and political uncertainty for the modern shopper is just one of the crucial themes we investigate in our new report which covers insights and recommended actions spanning the end-to-end shopper journey. Click for all ten themes to champion the e-commerce and hybrid retail challenge, through unified customers journeys and touch points, frictionless shopping, integrated channels, meaningful innovation and connected commerce.