Page 4 - AeM_August_2019

RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

Consumer power climbs to new heights

With the rise of nonhuman intermediaries ― Or when they’d choose to buy a brand recommended
recommendation engines, voice-powered search, smart by Siri, Alexa or Hey Google, despite never having
-home devices, autonomous purchasing programs and heard of it?
other artificial intelligence-powered systems, machines
are now empowering consumers with new levels of Cognizant has released a Customer of the Future
intelligence. These algorithms have begun playing an report, based on a global survey of 6,500 consumers in
increasingly important role by augmenting consumers the U.S. (32%), Europe (32%), Asia-Pacific (32%) and
with the information they need, influencing their the Middle East (4%), to explore the new expectations
decisions and ultimately helping them become better and perceptions of consumers in the age of algorithms
humans. and how businesses can rise above. The research
uncovered detailed insight into the future AI-augmented
This new human-algorithm alliance has turned the customer, revealing the following key trends in
business-to-consumer dynamic on its head and is Southeast Asia:
challenging brands to connect more intelligently and
humanly with customers. In markets of the future, this • Consumers are shifting their trust from brands
will have a profound impact on how traditional business to intelligent machines
models evolve, presenting both opportunities and risks
to today’s companies Most SEA respondents would trust
recommendations obtained from search engines
Trying to influence humans alone will no longer be (77%), e-commerce sites (70%), mobile apps
enough. Brands will also need to influence the (67%) and voice-based personal assistants (48%)
algorithms. Every industry and business will need to more than they would trust information provided
become ‘B2HM’ ― business to human and machine ― directly by traditional company websites (44%).
and the top brands will be the ones who successfully
earn a trusted reputation with both customers and their • Voice interfaces are emerging as the new
AI assistants. gatekeeper of purchase decisions

What’s the meaning of a brand when consumers are Two-fifths (41%) of SEA consumers said they
indifferent to whether the brands, they use today are still would trust the brand recommendations of their
around tomorrow? Or when most of them are not easily voice-based personal assistants. In fact, a large
impressed with new products and services? majority said that they would allow these AI

4 August 2019 - Predictive Algorithms, Programmatic & Native Ads