As artificial intelligence moves closer to making household purchasing decisions, EY research suggests consumers are willing to hand over more responsibility – but only when the technology understands their needs and reduces the mental load of shopping.

For retailers and FMCG manufacturers, success will increasingly depend not only on persuading consumers to buy, but on ensuring AI understands, evaluates, and recommends their products.

EY’s report, What Happens When Shoppers No Longer Do the Shopping?, finds that while cheaper groceries and faster transactions will drive adoption, shoppers also value personalisation, convenience, and technology that simplifies onerous household decisions. 

Richard Rome, associate partner, consumer industry at EY, says the implications extend well beyond the digital shopping basket.

“Grocery shopping appears simple: Make a list, go to the store, choose items and pay. But beneath that are dozens of decisions – what to cook, what is already in the cupboard, what the family will eat, what is healthy, good value, sustainable and unlikely to go to waste,” Rome says.

“Each decision may be manageable on its own, but together they create a significant mental load and, for many people, genuine decision fatigue.”

That is where AI could play a much bigger role than simply automating a transaction or saving a few minutes. It could become a household decision aid, he argues.

One of EY’s clearest findings is that consumers want AI to understand more than their shopping history.

Some 26 per cent want AI to understand their personal needs and preferences, while a similar proportion want help making healthier choices.

Source link