Seven in 10 ( 70%) consumers know about AI technologies and believe that they can transform their shopping experience, but 66% have yet to come across them in a retail environment, the research from Vista Retail Support suggests. 

Seven in 10 respondents also said they would be confident using an AI-based virtual assistant kiosk in a shop in order to overcome ‘common aggravations’ from the retail experience. 

Respondents were asked which types of retailer would benefit most from the adoption of AI and AR-based technologies, and the most popular choices were fashion and electronics stores followed by domestic appliance stores. 

“Respondents cited their biggest complaints as items being out of stock, a general lack of customer service advisers present in stores and too much time spent queuing at checkouts," the report said.

"These are all areas that can be improved by existing technologies such as AI-based virtual assistants and apps that allow shoppers to pay on their smartphones instead of joining lengthy queues.

"There’s a reason these solutions are still deemed ‘futuristic’ and this is due to the lack of implementation taking place in brick and mortar stores.”