Me,mybrandandAI:

Thenewworldof

consumerengagement

Buildingresilientrelationships

betweenconsumers,brandsandAIintimesofuncertainty

AccentureConsumerPulseResearch2025

Introduction

GenerativeAI(genAI)isbecomingago-toforconsumersintheirdailylives.Thereasonsforthisrundeep.Accordingtoourresearch,36%ofactivegenAIusersconsiderthe

technologya“goodfriend.”1

Theimplicationsforbrandsaresignificant.Nearlyonein

10consumers(9%)alreadyrankgenAIastheirsingle-mosttrustedsourceofwhattobuy.Whatbeganasatoolthat

couldprovidepersonalizedproductrecommendationsorhelpcreatecontentisquicklybecomingapowerfulengineofconsumerbehavior—shapingwhatpeoplewantand

expect,andhowtheybuy.Butthatisn’tall.Thetechnologyisrapidlyevolvingtowardsautonomoustaskexecution.

Soon,genAIwon’tjustinfluencebuyingdecisions.WithagenticAIcapabilities,itwillmakethem—essentially

becomingtheconsumeritself.

Atthesametime,consumeruncertaintyprevails.More

thanhalf(54%)ofconsumersnowseeuncertaintyasthenewnormal,asentimentthathasdoubledinthepastyear.Diminishingconsumerconfidenceandagenticsolutions

threatentocreatearacetothebottom,wherebrands

competeonprice.Inthesetimes,thebrandsthatwillgrowarethosethatcompeteonexperienceandconnection,

differentiatingthemselvesincategory-relevantwaystoeachindividualconsumer.

AIoffersasolutionbyenablingtrulydifferentiated

experiencesthatdeepenrelationshipswithconsumers.Thebrandsthatwillsucceedwillbethosethatdeterminehowtobestshowupinthisnewworld,competing

onuniqueAI-ledexperiencesandforgingstrategic

collaborationsandpartnerships.Brandsthathesitateriskfallingoutoftheconsiderationsetaltogether.Butthosethatactnowtogetitrightcanshapethefutureof

AI-drivenmarketingandcommerce.

Accenture’sConsumerPulse

Research2025providesdeep

insightsintohowconsumersare

feeling—andhowAIisreshaping

sentimentandpurchasebehaviorthisyearandbeyond.Incapturingresponsesfrom18,000consumersin14countries,ourreportrevealsnewpathwaysforbrandstopursuesustainablegrowth,becomemorerelevanttoconsumersandbuild

resilientrelationshipsintoday’schallengingeconomicclimate.

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement2

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement3

TheAIleap:Aneweraofconsumerexperience

GenAIisbecominganintegralpartofourlives,with72%ofconsumersusingthetoolsregularly.Thesehuman-like

interactionsareexpandingbeyond

recommendationstomeetawider

rangeofpersonalneeds.Justastheymightconfideinafriend,94%ofactivegenAIusershaveorwouldconsider

askingitforhelpwithpersonal

developmentgoals,and87%saythesameforsocialandrelationshipadvice.

Inparallel,therapidgrowthofAI

capabilitiesiscreatingentirelynew

experiencesandend-to-endbusinessmodels.Imagine,forexample,a

pharmacyprovidingin-home,human-likerobotsthatcanofferelderlypatientsphysicalsupportandcompanionship.Technologyadvancementsin

twocriticalareasofcognition—

empathyandautonomy—aremakingbreakthroughslikethispossible.Thesecapabilitiesarereshapingconsumer

journeysandprovidingbrandswith

unprecedentedopportunitiestofosterstrongerrelationshipsanddrivegrowth.

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement4

Me,mybrandandAI—Thenewparadigm

AsAIbecomesafriendandallytoconsumers,therulesof

engagementarechanging.Brandsthatactnowwillbereadytoshapethefutureofconsumerengagement,withAIplayingtheroleofa“friend”inthreeways:

Me,mybrandandAIas...

Mytrustedguide

Myloyalcompanion

My

secondself

01Mytrustedguide—

LargeLanguageModels(LLMs)arethenewinfluencers

“Thefriendwhoalwaysknowswhattosuggest.”Gettinghelpfuland

trustedsolutionstoproblemsisbecomingeasierforconsumersthankstoAI,influencingreal-timeengagementandpurchasingdecisions.

02

Myloyalcompanion—

AIfostersdeeperrelationships

“Thefriendwhoputsmyneedsandwantsfirst.”Consumerscanenjoy

personalized,proactiveandemotionallyengagingexperienceslikeneverbeforethankstoAI,creatingopportunitiestofosterdeeper,long-term

relationshipsbasedonmutualauthenticity.

03

Mysecondself—

AIbecomestheconsumer

“ThefriendwhoItrusttoactonmybehalf.”Consumers’liveswillgeteasierasautonomousAItakesthereins,fundamentallyredefiningthecommercelandscapeasagentsmakepurchasesforconsumers.

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement5

01

AIasmytrustedguide:

LLMsarethenewinfluencers

ToppurchaserecommendationsourcesforactivegenAIusers

%ofactivegenAIuserswhoselectedeachcategoryastheirpreferredsourceforpurchaserecommendations

What’shappening:

NaturallanguageinterfacesareacceleratingtheadoptionofAI

search,makinggenAItoolsago-tochannel.Oneintwousers

Physicalstore

19%

havealreadyinformedapurchasedecisionusinggenAI,makingitthefastest-growingsourceforrecommendationsandadviceinthepastyear.Andforactiveusers,genAIisnowthesecondhighest

sourceforpurchaserecommendationsafterphysicalstores.

18%

GenAI

Asthird-partyLLMsexpandtheirinfluencefromdiscoveryto

conversion,consumerbusinessesneedtoactivelyengage.Do

15%

Socialmedia

nothing,andbrandsriskbeingmisrepresented,orworse,leftoutoftheconsumerconsiderationsetaltogether.

15%

Onlinemarketplace

Friendsandfamily

13%

ThismomentintheevolutionofAIisanopportunityforbrandstoactivelydefinetheirrolewithintheLLMecosystem—thenetworkofmodels,platforms,datasourcesandintegrationsthatshape

howAItoolsrespondtoconsumerneeds—andwithit,shapethefutureofLLMplatforms.

11%

Searchengine

10%

Brandwebsiteorapp

Source:AccentureConsumerPulseResearch2025

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement6

AIasatrustedguide:LLMsarethenewinfluencers

Whattodo:Definethebrand’sroleintheLLMecosystem

AsLLMsintermediatetherelationshipbetweenconsumersandbrands,consumerbusinessesmustchoosehowtoengage—assessingbyplatformandcategory,andtheirstrategicambition.Pathwaysinclude:

LLMpartnerships

PartnershipswithPerplexitydemonstratetheopportunitythatexistsforbrandsasLLMsracetoprovetheirutility,gainusertrustandexpandcommercialofferings.2BycollaboratingwithLLMplatformsnow,brandswillbewell-positionedtoshapetheconsumerexperienceontheirownterms—co-creatingnewmodelsand

interactionsthatdelivermutualvalueandhelpensurethey’reactivelyinvolvedintheconversation,notjustpassivelyrepresented.

AIdiscoverability

AllbrandsmustoptimizefordiscoverabilityinanAI-mediatedworldbycreatinghigh-quality,frequentlyupdatedcontentandamplifyingcrediblethird-party

signalslikereviewsandsocialposts.Tooptimizethequalityofcommerceand

marketingcontentglobally,MondelēzInternationalisusingGenAItoenablea

futureoffastercreationofpersonalizedtext,imagesandvideosatscale—stayingastepaheadofrapidlychangingtastesandinterests.3

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement7

02

AIasaloyalcompanion:

Fosteringdeeperconsumerrelationships

What’shappening:

AsAIbecomesmoreemotionallyintelligent,itcanfostermeaningful

relationshipswithconsumerslikeneverbefore.ActiveAIusersalready

seegenAItoolsastheirpreferredchannelforpersonalization,consumer-centricityandhelpfulness—butrealconnectionsmovebeyondthisby

creatingoutstandingexperiencesfortheconsumer.

Brandsthatgetthisrightcantranscendtransactionsbyplayingtheroleofloyalcompanionandbuildingconnectionsthatresonateonanemotionallevel.Doingsopaysoff.Morethanone-third(34%)ofconsumerswould

switchfromapreferredbrandtoonethatmakesthemfeelspecial—andwillbetopofmindastheydecidewheretoplacetheirtrustinatimeofheightenedeconomicuncertainty.

Brandsareuniquelypositionedtocapitalizeonthistrend.Byleveragingtheircomprehensiveunderstandingofboththeirconsumersandtheirindustry,

theycancurateexperiencesthatarenotonlytailoredandproactivebutalsodeeplypersonalandempathetic.

Consumersare

1.5x

more

engaged

2.3x

morelikelytorecommend

1.7x

morelikelytoacceptahigherpricepointfromabrandthatdelivers

emotionallyengagingexperiences

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement8

AIasaloyalcompanion:Fosteringdeeperconsumerrelationships

Whattodo:Reimagineconsumerexperiences

BrandscanleverageAItocreatedifferentiatedexperiencesthatbothsupportanddelightconsumers,enhancingemotionalconnectionsincategory-relevantways.Pathwaysinclude:

Shiftfrompersonalizationtoproactivity

MarketerscanuseAInotonlytorespond,

butalsoanticipateconsumerneeds.Agenticpredictionengineslike

Aaru

,backedby

AccentureVentures,cansimulateconsumerbehaviors.4Proactivitymakesbrands19%

morelikelytobepreferredbyconsumers.

MakeAIfeelhuman

ConsumersdistrustAI-generatedcontentlackingauthenticity(41%)andpersonability(45%).Our

2025TechnologyVision

highlightstheimportanceofdevelopinganauthenticAIpersonality,5integratingelementsthatmakeinteractionsfeel

naturalandintuitive.

DesignAI-firstimmersiveexperiences

Our

2025LifeTrends

reporthighlightsconsumer

demandfordepth,authenticityandsensoryrichnessintheirexperiences.6Byintegratingphysicalexperiencesandmulti-modalmethodslikeaugmentedreality,

video,voiceandimages,brandscancreatedistinctiveexperiencesthatdeepenconsumerconnections.

IntegrateAIwithsupplychaindata

AsgenAIshiftstocommerce,enterprise

alignmentwillensurepersonalized

recommendationsarerelevantandavailable,reducingfrictionforconsumers.

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement9

03

AIasmysecondself:

AIbecomestheconsumer

What’shappening:

AgenticAIisreshapingboththecommercelandscapeandthe

consumer-brandrelationship.Withintelligentagentsnowableto

proactivelyactoninstructionsandmakepurchasesonbehalfoftheconsumer,AIispoisedtobecomethedecision-makerineverydayinteractions—streamliningtaskslikeproductcomparison,checkoutandpost-purchasesupport.

Asbot-to-botcommercebecomemoreintegratedandproactive,

traditionalbrandtouchpoints—suchasbanneradsandotherretail

media—maybebypassedaltogether.ThisraisesthestakesforbrandvisibilityanddiscoverabilityinAI-drivenjourneys,withtraditional

searchcompaniesrapidlyevolvingandnewplayersincreasinglyshapingwhatgetssurfaced.

Ifagentsoptimizeonlyforpriceorproductspecs,brandsrisk

becominginterchangeable.Toavoidaracetothebottom,brandsmustfocusonwhatAIcan’tcommoditize:emotionallyresonant,experientialofferingsthatforgestronger,morememorable

consumerconnections.

ConsumersarereadyforAIagentstopurchaseontheirbehalf,with75%opentousingatrustedAI-poweredpersonalshopperthatunderstandstheirneeds.

AIasasecondself:AIbecomestheconsumer

Whattodo:Preparefor“zero-touch”engagement

Asconsumersempoweragentstopurchaseontheirbehalf,brandsmustadoptatwo-prongedstrategytostandout—bothindirectconsumerengagementandAI-driveninteractions.Pathwaysinclude:

Prioritizeexperientialandemotionalvalue

Giveconsumers,andtheiragents,compellingreasonstointeractwithbrands

beyondpriceandspecifications.Experientialdifferentiationcanbeachievedthroughexclusiveaccess,uniquecontentandimmersiveexperiences—elementsthatAI

cannotcommoditize.

Noli,abeautytechventurebackedbyL’OréalandpoweredbyAccenture,isrevolutionizingbeautyandskincarewithhyper-personalizedrecommendationsandadvice.Its

technologyarchitecturecanenableworld-classconsumerAIengagement,includingthedeploymentofAIagents,asthepropositioncontinuestoevolve.7

Enablecross-brandandmulti-serviceAIintegration

Brandsshouldstrivetobuild,orintegrateinto,anAIecosystemthattranscendssingle-brandsilos.Thisapproachoffersconsumersandagentsalikeaconnectedexperienceacrossbrands,servicesandplatforms.Achievingthisvisionrequiresstrongpartnershipsandshareddataecosystems,allowingAItoseamlessly

coordinatebetweenprovidersandensurefrictionlessservicedelivery.

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement10

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement11

Winninghearts,mindsandalgorithms

GivingconsumerstheconfidencetonavigatebothuncertaintyandthenewAIlandscapewillbebrands’strongestassetinfosteringlong-termrelationshipsandloyalty.ThemostsuccessfulbrandswilluseAItodeepenrelationships,improveserviceandreinforcewhatmakesthemunique,withoutlosingthehumantouch.Keyactionsinclude:

Strategicallynavigate

LLMecosystems

Laythefoundationsforenhancedpositioningbyarticulating

thevalueyouprovideandensuringyourcontentworksforLLMs.

Leveragebrandstrengths

DataisapowerfulbargainingchipforbrandsshapingthetermsofanLLMpartnership.Consumerbrandscanalsousecommerceassets—suchasreal-timeinventory,pricingandlocation-specificinformation—toenablefrictionlesstransactions.

FromSEOtoGEO

WhileSearchEngineOptimizationmatterstoLLMs,Generative

EngineOptimizationcandriveorganicvisibilityinAI-generatedsearchresults.Ourworkwithaglobalretailclientfoundthattop-rankedtraditionalsearchresultsrankwellwithLLMs.

Createadynamic

customerexperience

StrengthenyouremotionalIQbylearningwhattrulymattersto

consumers,andwhatittakestobuildfoundationaltrustwiththem.

Activatedata

Buildcapabilitiestoconsolidaterichzero-party,first-partyand

contextualdata(e.g.,location,time,device,weatherand,crucially,datafrompastinteractions)intointelligentconsumerprofiles,

enablingAItoengageinwaysthatfeelgenuineandtailored.

Cultivatetrust

Tobridgetheconsumer-brandtrustgap,adoptresponsibleAI

practicesandstrengthencybersecuritytoprotectagainstbad

actors.Focusondataprotection,consent-basedpersonalization

andtransparencyaroundhowAI-poweredinteractionsareshaped.

TakeaholisticapproachtoAIagents

Buildonexistingloyaltytoco-createyourengagementstrategyandnewexperienceswithyourmostvaluableconsumers.

Definetheengagementstrategy

BrandscanoptimizeforAIagents,engage

consumersdirectlyoruseahybridapproach.Thisincludestestingexperientialofferingsthatspan

physicalanddigitalchannels.

Buildonexistingloyalty

Loyaltyprogrammembersare1.6xmorelikelytobe

experientiallyoremotionallymotivated;morewillingtosharedataandengagewithpersonalizedexperiences;andtwiceaslikelytohelpbrandsrefinenewproductsandservices.

Thetimetoactisnow.Theinvestmentsbrandsmaketodaywillhelpthemremainseen,relevantandindispensableinanAI-drivenworld.

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement12

Sources

1.Alldatapointsarefromthisstudyunlessotherwisestated.

2.Perplexity.(2024,November12).

Whywe’reexperimentingwithadvertising

.

3.Accenture.(2024,September26).

MondelēzInternationaljoinsforceswith

AccentureandPublicisGroupetoadvanceAIpoweredmarketingcapabilitie

s.

4.Accenture.(2025,March4).

AccentureInvestsinandCollaborateswithAI-Powered

AgenticPredictionEngineAaru

.

5.Accenture.(2025).

AccentureTechnologyVision2025

6.Accenture.(2025).

AccentureLifeTrends2025

7.Accenture.(2025,March25).

AccentureExpandsAIRefineryandLaunchesNew

IndustryAgentSolutionstoAccelerateAgenticAIAdoption

.

Abouttheresearch

Nowinitssixthyear,Accenture’sConsumerPulseResearchexploreshowconsumer

sentiment,behaviorsandexpectationsaredrivingchangeforconsumer-facingindustries.Thisyear’sresearchoffersinsightsintotherelationshipsthatconsumershavewithbrandsacross

theconsumerjourneyintheageofgenerativeAI,withaparticularfocusontheimplications

thiswillhavefortheconsumergoodsandservices,retailandtravelindustries.Theresearch

surveyedarepresentativesampleof18,214consumersin14countries:Australia,Brazil,

Canada,France,Germany,MainlandChinaandHongKong,Italy,India,Japan,Spain,Sweden,UAE,UKandUSA.ThesurveywasconductedonlinebetweenJanuary6andJanuary17,2025.Analysisallowedforcomparisonsacrossvariousdemographicfactorssuchasageorincome,aswellasbehavioralattributeslikeanindividual’smotivationsforbrandpreference.Italso

includedfocuseddeepdivesacross13categories:grocerystores,packagedfood,alcoholic

beverages,quickservicerestaurants,beautyretailers,beautybrands,clothing,footwear

andaccessoriesretailers,drugstoresandpharmacies,DIYandhomefurnishingstores,

consumerelectronics,onlinetravelagencies,airlines,andhotelsandresorts.FurthertestingofhypotheseswasconductedviaAI-moderatedinterviewswith300consumersin12countries

betweenJanuary20andFebruary4,2025.

Me,mybrandandAI:Thenewworldofconsumerengagement13

Authors

OliverWright

SeniorManagingDirector–GlobalConsumerIndustriesGroupLead

EmilyWeiss

SeniorManagingDirector–GlobalTravelIndustryLead

BrettLeary

ManagingDirector–

GlobalGenerativeAILead,Retail

EmmaBlackburn

ResearchSeniorManager-

GlobalConsumerInsightsLead

JenDucarre

ResearchManager-

GlobalConsumerInsights,ConsumerIndustriesLead

Contributors

JillStandish

SeniorManagingDirector–GlobalLead,Retail

NevineEl-Warraky

SeniorManagingDirector–GlobalIndustryLead,Song

KarenFangGrant

ManagingDirector–

GlobalResearchLead,IndustryNetworks&Programs

MeganBernardi,ArielBernstein,HaleyBowse,HichamDamahi,

HelenPrevidi,