Generative AI Revolutionizes Retail Customer Service and Marketing

The expanding role of generative AI in retail customer service is a subject of increasing interest, with a focus on its potential to revolutionize the industry. A recent study by the Capgemini Research Institute revealed that while only 3% of organizations anticipate significant disruption from generative AI, a staggering 93% are actively discussing its implications in the boardroom. Furthermore, 62% have already allocated a team and budget specifically for exploring generative AI.

In the world of marketing, particularly in sectors such as gym marketing and advertising for gyms, AI-driven chatbots like ChatGPT are proving invaluable for brainstorming and ideation, even if they haven’t fully taken over content creation yet. Lynn Tornabene, CMO of Anteriad, expressed her enthusiasm during a recent Tech-Talk Webinar on the new buyer journey and B2B marketing’s omnichannel transformation. She stated, “I’m excited about the creativity that this drives.”

According to Capgemini’s research, around 48% of organizations believe that generative AI holds the most promise within marketing and communications. This potential is particularly evident in the creation of personalized campaigns. However, before these campaigns can be constructed, marketers need to understand their customers. Generative AI can aid in data collection and summarization, with tools like Jasper’s Text Summarizer playing a crucial role.

While marketers are keen to capitalize on generative AI’s ability to enhance efficiency, there are concerns about maintaining quality. Bruce Biegel, senior managing partner at the Winterberry Group, cautioned during the webinar, “In a rush to get more content, [and] faster content, we will not get better content. We will just have lots of it, and that’s not gonna help my brand.”

AI-chatbot-based search engines could potentially transform search marketing. Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) was labeled a “clear quality win” by CEO Sundar Pichai during a recent earnings call. However, industry experts have expressed reservations. Lily Ray, senior director of SEO and head of organic research at digital marketing agency Amsive Digital, highlighted issues with SGE on LinkedIn: “I haven’t seen it improve in the months I’ve had access to [SGE], and it still gets many basic things wrong.”

Executives need to consider how search impacts their business, but marketers and publishers should also be aware that SGE (and Bing) could present new challenges. Other marketing applications where generative AI could make a significant impact include images (48%), audio (34%), and video (26%). While these technologies ranked lower among executives overall, they hold particular relevance for marketers.

In the future, technologies like DALL-E, Sonix, and Pictory could enable marketers to personalize campaigns at scale. For now, the advice is to observe, learn, and experiment. As generative AI continues to evolve and mature, its role in retail customer service and beyond is set to become even more significant.

Whether it’s gym lead generation or Facebook ads, the potential applications for generative AI in marketing are vast and exciting. As we continue to explore this frontier, it’s clear that generative AI will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of retail customer service.