New research from SAP Emarsys shows that UK shoppers are still unsure about how retailers use artificial intelligence. While brands are quickly adopting AI to personalise marketing and improve customer service, the people on the other end of these messages are not always convinced.
The study, which has responses from 2,000 UK consumers and 250 UK marketers, found that 76% of British shoppers lack confidence in the data privacy of AI. That figure has dropped sharply from 2024 when 44% reported low trust. At the same time, 57% of UK consumers say they have little to no trust in brands to use AI responsibly.
Consumers do see benefits, because for those open to AI, 57% believe it makes shopping easier. But even with that, only 19% of UK consumers believe they receive enough value in return for the data they share. People regularly hand over details like their purchase history or browsing behaviour. They still get irrelevant messages in return often.
What Do Marketers Think AI Is Doing For Them?
On the other side of the coin, marketers are moving full speed ahead. According to the SAP Emarsys report, 87% of UK marketers are now using AI, and 63% plan to increase investment in it this year. Many say they are seeing real gains.
About 60% of marketers have seen an increase in customer engagement since using AI. Meanwhile, 71% say AI helps them launch new campaigns faster, saving around 2.3 hours per campaign. Others have used it to write content, predict behaviour, and streamline customer service through chatbots.
There are also signs that it’s helping build loyalty. 58% say customer loyalty has improved since adopting AI. At City Beach, a retail brand using SAP Emarsys, 48% of defecting customers were won back within 90 days through AI-led campaigns. At Gibson Guitars, email revenue rose by over 50% after automation tools were brought in.
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Where Is The Disconnect Happening?
The problem is that there is this gap between what marketers think they are delivering and what shoppers feel they are getting. While 79% of marketers believe AI is helping personalise content, only 25% of consumers think brands should use it to personalise shopping.
The same divide shows up in data exchange. Around 64% of marketers believe they give customers enough value in return for their personal data, but only 29% of consumers agree. Brands may be using AI to optimise campaigns or generate ideas, but many shoppers say they still feel like just another entry in a database.
Part of this may come from poor data use. Nearly half of shoppers say marketing emails they receive aren’t relevant. Others feel brands don’t understand them well. If consumers are going to trust brands with their information, the return must feel personal and worth it.
What Do Shoppers Want From AI?
People are not completely opposed to AI in retail. Many are already using it, even if they do not always realise it. Chatbots, personalised product suggestions, and AI-generated gift ideas are all now part of the everyday experience. In fact, 69% of people were satisfied with the product recommendations they received through AI.
When asked what they want from AI, shoppers often prioritise convenience. Around 55% said AI makes shopping easier, and 53% said it makes shopping faster. Other common requests include faster delivery, better customer service, and accurate stock updates.
Even then, one of the biggest issues is visibility. Only 26% of global consumers say they have a high level of trust in retailers to protect their personal information. A lot of them feel that brands are not transparent about how personal data is used, and this is especially true in the UK, where trust levels are among the lowest globally.
Can the Value Gap Be Closed?
Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys, calls this the “Engagement Era” — a time where speed and personalisation are expected, but real loyalty comes from trust. Brands that succeed are those that show customers how their data is being used and give them something real in return.
She says the most effective use of AI happens behind the scenes. “The real magic happens when brands use AI to better understand their customers and connect in a way that feels meaningful, not manipulative.” Gibson Guitars, for example, used AI not just to send emails faster but to make those emails actually matter to the people reading them.
If brands want shoppers to stay loyal, it may not be about adding more AI tools. It might just be about using the tools they already have in a way that shoppers can feel, and trust.
