More than 80% of retailers intend to increase artificial intelligence capabilities during 2025, according to a Honeywell Research sponsored survey, to help them adapt to changing consumer behaviors, enhance employee skills, and improve efficiency for shoppers.
Honeywell also commissioned a consumer survey demonstrating that AI also plays an increasingly important role in improving the customer experience for shoppers, both when shopping online and in person.
Among storerunners, 35% of major retailers plan to boost what they spend on AI significantly.
Among the other areas where retailers believe AI can help are improved return management, automating customer service and monitoring product availability.
Retailers hope AI can help them fill the more than 580,000 projected U.S. job openings in their sector this year.
More than half of retail leaders said that AI improves employee retention, and 52% believe AI can help staffers progress more quickly in their careers, expand their soft skills and continually provide value in their jobs. Six in 10 retail executives said that AI tools make work easier for employees, while 55% said they increase job satisfaction at a time when the sector is increasingly focused on how staffer satisfaction can support customer experience in their operations.
On the consumer side, 66% of respondents reported that they had used AI while shopping to ask a question via a chatbot, compare prices for an item across retailers or summarize customer reviews. Help comparing prices across stores was the most sought-after use case for AI, cited by 53% of respondents, followed by checking product availability by 41% and having a more straightforward and more seamless checkout experience by 34%.
“We are truly in the midst of a new era for the retail sector where evolving AI capabilities will make a positive impact on the shopper’s journey, the employee experience and the retailer’s supply chain operation,” said David Barker, president of Honeywell Productivity Solutions and Services, in announcing the results of the surveys. “On their journey toward autonomous operations, retailers are looking for AI and automation solutions that provide actionable data and help to upskill their employees.”
