Today I’m looking at what happens to brand loyalty when AI starts doing more of the shopping. We’ve all seen how shoppers stick with the brands they know, even when there might be a cheaper or supposedly better option sitting right next to them. But what happens when an AI assistant starts comparing products, making recommendations and potentially changing the way consumers discover and buy?

I’m drawing on research I co-authored with Bazaarvoice, along with findings from WPP Media, Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, NP Digital and Kantar, to unpack how brand preferences are formed before a shopping trip even begins, and why that matters as AI reshapes the purchase journey. I’m also digging into what this shift means for retail media networks, particularly the future of sponsored product ads, on-site AI advertising, and the growing risk that shoppers will turn to third-party AI assistants instead of retailer-owned platforms.


This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop

Timeline

00:37 – What the Bazaarvoice research reveals about why shoppers stay loyal to their favourite brands.

01:52 – Why brand preferences are often formed before the shopping mission even begins.

02:21 – The priming and active stages of the consumer purchase journey — and why brand building matters long before checkout.

04:34 – Will AI shopping assistants undermine brand loyalty? The surprising gap between trusted brands and AI recommendations.

05:38 – Why the consumer purchase journey is getting more crowded, with social media, influencers and new media touchpoints competing for attention.

08:07 – How agentic shopping threatens the traditional retail media model, and why sponsored product ads could be particularly exposed.

10:21 – Why retail media networks are betting on native AI ads, and the risk of shoppers asking ChatGPT instead of the retailer's assistant.


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