The French are divided as to the future impact of AI on their purchasing practices, according to a survey commissioned by Paris Retail Week, due to take place in September.

The show commissioned a study from OpinionWay, on the relationship between French people to AI and its impact on their daily purchases.

The survey shows the divisions with 34% anticipating an improvement, 32% fearing a deterioration, and 33% not expecting any significant change. Notably, 19% of respondents fear a significant deterioration in their purchasing experiences, while only 7% envisage a significant improvement.

Young people, men and higher socio-professional categories are particularly optimistic; these are traditionally more tech-savvy profiles. For example, 57% of those under 35 see AI as a vector for improvement in their purchases, compared with 28% of those aged 35 and over.

Beyond the general purchasing experience, the French recognise that AI will have a positive impact on their daily purchases: 65% of them identify at least one advantage. Perceived benefits include speed (46%), comfort (37%) and better personalisation (29%). Among other benefits, respondents highlighted improved delivery times, more responsive customer service, faster deliveries and payments, and an overall improved shopping experience thanks to innovative features such as voice commands and automatic orders.

The French also anticipate better product availability resulting from automated inventory management.

Finally, more personalisation is expected thanks to AI, regarding offers and promotions (20%) and recommendations (17%).

Asked about the ambition to make France a world leader in AI in the commerce sector, 55% of French people consider this objective both desirable and achievable, despite a certain caution regarding its immediate achievement.

Again, young people (64% among those under 35 compared with 53% among those aged 35 and over), men (62% among men compared with 49% among women) and higher socio-professional categories (60% compared with 48%) are more interested in seeing France become a leading country in terms of AI in the commerce sector. And once again it is young people who are the most confident on the subject: 64% of those under 35 consider this objective achievable compared with 51% of those aged 35 and over.

This study reveals a French society oscillating between optimism and caution. Certain categories of the population are more particularly optimistic, notably young people, men and socio-professional categories. These categories tend to be better informed about AI.

The French attribute numerous advantages to AI in their daily purchases in the coming years: in terms of speed, but also in aspects linked to comfort and personalisation.

Paris Retail Week (www.parisretailweek.com) will be held from September 17 to 19, 2024.