A recent study from Trustpilot reveals a disconnect in how consumers interact with AI: they love it for discovery, but hate it when it’s used as a customer service platform.
Shoe Buyers Embrace AI for Research
Artificial intelligence has revolutionized the way shoe buyers search for and compare styles. Trustpilot’s study found that **71%** of consumers use AI-powered tools to find shoes, and **62%** rely on AI for price comparisons. This trend is particularly prevalent among younger consumers, with **75%** of Gen Z and 65% of millennials using AI for shoe research.
Customer Service Fails to Impress
Despite its effectiveness in discovery, AI falls short when it comes to customer service. The same Trustpilot study reveals that **60%** of consumers are dissatisfied with AI-powered customer service platforms, particularly when it comes to post-purchase returns. When consumers need help or have questions, they want to talk to a human, not a chatbot.
This disparity highlights a crucial flaw in AI adoption: consumer expectations. While AI excels at processing vast amounts of data, it often struggles to provide personalized support or empathy. In contrast, human customer service representatives can offer a level of understanding and emotional intelligence that AI systems lack.
What this means
For businesses, this study serves as a warning: AI can be a powerful tool for driving sales, but it’s not a replacement for human service. Companies that rely solely on AI for customer support risk alienating their customers and losing loyalty. Instead, businesses should focus on using AI to augment human customer service, freeing up human representatives to handle complex issues and providing AI-powered chatbots for routine inquiries.
