Cairo - Sharikat Mubasher: Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) plays a crucial role in transforming the shopping experience, with 71% of consumers wanting it to be integrated into their purchasing experiences.

The fourth edition of Capgemini Research Institute’s annual consumer trends report, titled ‘What Matters to Today’s Consumer’, stated that GenZ and Millennials prefer hyper-personalization and seamless digital experiences.

The report highlighted that technological innovation, shifting financial priorities, and increasing sustainability awareness are fueling consumer behaviors.

Nearly 46% of consumers are enthusiastic about the impact of Gen AI on their online shopping and three quarters are open to Gen AI recommendations, up from 63% in 2023.

More than 58% have replaced traditional search engines with Gen AI tools as their go-to for product/service recommendations, while 68% of consumers want Gen AI tools to aggregate search results from online search engines, social media platforms, and retailers’ websites to provide a one-stop shop for highlighted purchase options.

Lindsey Mazza, Global Retail Lead at Capgemini, said: “Consumers today want personalized shopping experiences, enhanced by AI and generative AI. In addition, they expect fast and efficient deliveries and have become more conscious of their purchasing impact.”

Moreover, consumers are now willing to pay 9% of the order value for 2-hour and 10-minute delivery. 65% of consumers consider a 2-hour delivery format a key attribute when they shop, indicating that retailers should consider integrating this into their business models.