Eight out of 10 marketing and customer experience professionals in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) anticipate generative AI will help increase their work product quality and volume (85%), enhance their creativity (82%), and help reach more of the right customers (85%), according to Adobe’s Future of Digital Experiences Report.
The global survey of 13,000 consumers and 4,250 marketing and customer experience professionals also found strong majorities believe generative AI will help better personalise customer experiences (85%), as well as identifying new audiences and customer journeys (88%).
ANZ consumers recognise the potential for generative AI to transform their brand interactions. Almost two thirds (63%) say it will enhance the customer experience and 66% believe it can improve product quality.
Consumers are excited for brands to use generative AI, as longs as they do so responsibly. When asked how a company should use generative AI, 37% prioritized ethical considerations, while 47% prioritised actions that would improve their customer and employee experiences. Only 16% said companies should not use generative AI at all.
Consumers also expect brands to expand their digital experiences into new formats with over two-thirds (70%) of ANZ consumers wanting to view products through virtual or augmented reality, and 60% wanting to engage with brands in immersive and virtual worlds.
ANZ brands are planning to respond with innovative digital experiences such as virtual/immersive events (67%); the ability to build virtual products and convert them into physical items (67%); VIP access to virtual influencers and celebrities (65%); and offering digital tokens to trade for virtual and physical products (63%).
While the future is exciting, the current economic environment pressures brands to up-level their customer experiences: almost half (44%) of ANZ consumers say their expectations are heightened by a worsening economic climate.
This is particularly true for ANZ Gen Z and millennials, where 50% say their expectations are higher in a down economy. ANZ consumers also place an outsized premium on trust and price in a challenging economy.
Katrina Troughton, VP and MD for Adobe ANZ, said consumers across Australia and New Zealand have high expectations for brands, and this is only increasing as economic challenges grow in the region.
“Marketers already recognise the potential of artificial intelligence. The next step is to invest in such emerging technologies and apply it across all CX workflows to accelerate the delivery of personalised experiences," said Troughton.
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