AI chatbots are becoming a familiar part of online shopping. They answer customer questions, recommend products, explain return policies, and increasingly support shoppers throughout the buying journey. However, new research suggests there is still an important obstacle to overcome: accuracy. A recent analysis of UK high street retailers found that nearly two-thirds of retail AI chatbots provide inaccurate or incomplete information when responding to customer queries. The study tested chatbots across a range of retailers and found that many struggled with product availability, returns, delivery information, and other common customer questions. While AI has made customer service faster and more…
For years, retailers have invested heavily in customer service chatbots. The goal was simple: answer questions faster, reduce support costs, and improve the shopping experience. However, consumer behavior does not perfectly align with this direction. According to a new Gartner survey, customers are now three times more likely to use third-party generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Gemini, than a brand's own chatbot when looking for customer support. At the same time, while use of third-party AI assistants has doubled over the past year, the adoption of company-owned chatbots has remained largely unchanged since 2022. For retailers, this is…
