Do Retailers Ambitious AI Goals Align With Consumer Expectations?
AI’s integration into retail is moving quickly with 98 percent of retailers reporting plans for full AI deployment by 2027. In a new report from Everseen, the Vision AI technology for global retailers, researchers took a closer look at how retailers and consumers align on AI’s role in the shopping experience, aiming to help retailers understand the path forward.
Everseen’s research was conducted in January in partnership with Censuswide and surveyed 200 prevention loss executives from U.S. retailers (with self-checkout options in stores) and 1,200 U.S. consumers (who have confirmed use of self-checkout technology). The company’s Vision AI solutions are designed to minimize shrink, streamline operations and deliver a better customer experience. Everseen’s technology entered over 8,000 stores in 2024.
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Overall, as AI becomes more engrained in the retail journey, 80 percent of senior managers said that they believe consumers understand AI’s role in stores — a contrast to just 31 percent of consumers who said that they feel they have “fully grasped it.” Everseen’s report found that while there are many areas in which consumers and retailers are aligned on the benefits of AI, some holdouts remain.
Key findings of the report include a shared sentiment from retailers investing in AI to drive results. Over 60 percent of retail survey respondents said that AI is critical to “maintaining a competitive edge” with an expected 51 percent average ROI from these AI deployments to occur within three years.
Similarly, consumers said they expect to see benefits with AI. Fifty-five percent of consumers said that they are comfortable with AI and advanced retail technology, and 65 percent said that AI has made shopping “more convenient.”
Transparency for the use of AI is a great concern for consumers with 72 percent reporting that they want to see greater transparency about AI use in stores. To address this, 44 percent of retailers surveyed said that they are using signage at entrances while 64 percent of consumers said they find it helpful.
Both consumers and retailers reported an enthusiasm for using AI technology to prevent loss. Eighty-five percent of consumers told the company that they believe theft to be a contributor to higher prices.
“AI is already transforming retail — driving efficiency, reducing shrink, and enhancing customer experiences,” said Alan O’Herlihy, chief executive officer of Everseen. “It’s encouraging to see the shared perspective of consumers and retailers on how AI can improve the shopping experience. The insights from this report can help the industry align on key success factors for AI, including measurable impacts on shrink reduction and the importance of transparency.”
Notably, 60 percent of retailers said that they have already turned to AI for loss prevention and an additional 30 percent said that they have plans to do so in the next year.
The authors of Everseen’s report said that while retail’s evolution is undeniable through AI, several trends will be quick to appear, including continued improvement of loss prevention, amped-up use of AI in other areas, defined competitive edge from AI users and breakthrough innovations in Vision AI.
“AI is no longer a future investment — it’s an operational necessity,” said O’Herlihy. “Success will belong to those who operationalize AI at scale, integrating it seamlessly into the customer experience and transforming retail for the future.”
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