Fundamental to what brands should do, says Edwards, is an understanding that experience – underpinned by AI – will be at the heart of the relationships businesses build with their customers over the next decade. Typically, these experiences will evolve out of the things they’re already doing: ‘People will adopt a new behaviour if it’s easier than what they currently do,’ says Edwards. ‘It may not be anything particularly new, just less mental effort. People follow the path of least resistance.’
Simplifying what people already do might seem pedestrian, but the key is to build on the basic level of human empathy required to get those basics right. Taking your cues from consumers can open up an array of more opportunities. ‘Once you start talking to people about these things they start imagining all sorts of interesting scenarios’ says Edwards. One everyday example emerged around the idea of TV guides.
A conversation about how voice technology might make it easier to plan your evening’s viewing while cooking dinner (rather than the usual interminable scroll through 500 channels, plus Netflix, plus Amazon) quickly escalated into higher value territory. Could the tech help to regulate viewing habits by suggesting related content that complements season three of The Crown, encouraging a more stately pace of consumption than the unrestrained bingeing you might otherwise indulge in? Not only that says Edwards, the conversation went further still: ‘People are talking about letting these technologies help regulate their mood, even their mental health, guiding them away from those shows that make you feel bad about yourself.’
It’s easy to see how quickly questions around the issue of trust begin to loom large in the development process, another area the report and the wider research initiative delves into.
The data-driven nature of AI and the habit-driven nature of humans demands careful attention to the clarity and communication of new services and experiences, whatever it is they are trying to achieve. The Retail Revolution offers a guide to getting started on a journey toward long-term disruptive change but, for brands, that journey starts with small steps and incremental opportunities.
‘It’s about start early, start small, think big and then scale up appropriately,’ says Edwards. ‘There’s a huge amount of diversity in terms of what that right answer might look like that’s defined by the sector, the market, the audience, and the brand itself, so there’s going to be a unique solution for everyone.’
If you’d like to start exploring what that solution might look like for your brand, you can start by downloading the report here.
