2025未來(lái)商業(yè)報(bào)告 25 predictions and possibilities for 2025 and beyond

Tomorrow’’sCommerce

25predictionsandpossibilitiesfor2025andbeyond

Contents

3Foreword

4Introduction:ExploringtheEvolvingConsumer

51.Humanity:

Hearts&Heads

6CreativeCommerce:

TheHumanTouchina

TransactionalWorld

7PremiumAutomation:

WhenHumanMeans

High-End

8HackingtheHiveMind:

HarnessingthePower

ofCollectiveCommerce

9AvatarAdventures:

ActivatingAlternate

OnlineIdentities

10TheFutureofFeedback:

BeyondtheFive-Star

System

112.Technology:

Connecting&

Disconnecting

12TheAIContent

Revolution:WhatValue

AuthenticityTodayand

intheFuture?

13AI-to-AICommerce:

WhenAlgorithmsdo

theShopping

14Deal-MakingDone

Digitally:AIProxies

andtheFutureof

Procurement

15CollectiveDigital

Experiences:When

VirtualGatherings

RivalReality

16TheDisconnect

Economy:Monetizing

theNeedfor

Unplugging

173.Channels:

Communications

&Commerce

18MovingBeyond

Omnichannel:

TheFutureBelongs

toOptichannel

19BeyondtheBanner:

Connectingwiththe

ConsciousConsumer

ofTomorrow

20MobileMastery:

Perfectingthe

Pocket-SizedShopping

Experience

21TheRetailRevolution:

HowMACHCould

TransformPhysical

Stores

22SocialCommerce:

OneSalesChannel

toRuleThemAll?

234.Logistics:

Streamlining&

Sustainability

24RightHere,RightNow:

TheSub2-HourDelivery

Revolution

25ShrinkingtheLastMile:

RepurposingStoresfor

FasterFulfillment

26Cuttingoutthe

Middleman:HowDirect-

from-FactoryRetail

DrivesDownPrices

27DeliveryMachines:

TheRoleofTech

Innovationinthe

FutureofLogistics

28PackagingInnovation:

HarnessingOn-Package

TechnologytoTackle

Waste

295.OutThere:

FarBeyond2025

30TheTelepathic

Transaction:

HowNeurotech

willReshapeRetail

31GeneticallyCurated

Commerce:Decoding

YourDNAfor

PersonalizedProducts

andExperiences

32PayAsYouFeel:

HowDigitalCurrencies

WillRedefineValue

33TheGreatOrbital

Offload:Exporting

Earth’sEnvironmental

Burden

34Commerceinthe

Apocalypse:Survival

andResilience

35Keycontacts

2

Foreword

WelcometoTomorrow’sCommerce,wherewesetouthowbrandsandretailerscanstarttoplanforfuturesuccess,today.

Howcanwebecertainwhatthefutureofcommercelookslike?Wecan’t,ofcourse.Butbydrawingonacombinationoforiginal,award-winningresearch,real-world

commerceexperienceandstrategicexpertisesupportingbrandsglobally,wefeelinastrongpositiontohaveagoodguess.

Forthisreport,we’vedrawnonpowerfuldatafromTheFutureShopperandFuture

100studies,plusthebrainpowerofVMLexpertsworldwide,toidentify25trends

webelievearemostlikelytoinfluencethefutureofcommercein2025andbeyond.

We’vepresentedthemacrossfivebroadcategories–Humanity,Technology,Channels,Logisticsand,toroundthingsoff,includedafewmorefantasticalforecastsforthe

far-flungfuture.Foreachtrend,aswellaslookingforward,we’vealsobrought

thingsbacktoshowhowyoucanapplytheinsightstothenowandnearfutureofyourbusiness.

Unlessotherwisestated,statisticspresentedarebasedonTheFutureShopper2024survey,anindependentglobalsurveycanvassingtheopinionsof31,500+consumersacross20markets.

3

人

Introduction:

ExploringtheEvolvingConsumer

Tomorrow’sCommerceisallaboutunderstandingtomorrow’sconsumer.Wealreadyliveinaworldwherethe

consumeristheproduct,wheresuccessdependsonmeetingcustomers’needsandexpectationsateverystep.

Astechnologycontinuestoempowerpeoplewithmorechoiceandagencyinhowandwhattheybuy,thatwillonlybecomemoreapparent.

Inthisreport,wewillexplorehowtomorrow’sconsumerswillseekoutever-greaterconvenience,expectever-

increasinglevelsofpersonalization,prioritizeauthenticconnections,transparency,andvalue-drivenpurchasing,andcontinuetoimmersethemselvesintechnology,whilebeingmoremindfulofitsimpactontheirhabits,theirhealth,andtheirhumanity.

Fromthisconsumer-firstperspective,wewillunpickhowallofthismightplayoutinemergingcommercialtrends–someseeminglyfar-fetched,somealreadywithintouchingdistance.Butallofthemworthyofattentionforforward-thinkingbrandsthatunderstandtheimportanceofplanningnowtowinthefuture.Enjoy.

BethAnnKaminkow

GlobalChiefCommerceOfficerVML

Specialthankstoourkeycontributors:

HughFletcher|MinosMakris|NajiEl-Arifi|JonBird|LindseyYoselevitz

4

1.Humanity:

Hearts&Heads

TheBigPicture:Ascommercecontinuestodigitize,asenseofhumanitybecomes

moreimportant,sometimesinthe

experienceitself,othertimesbyputting

theconsumerincontrol.

5

CreativeCommerce:TheHumanTouchinaTransactionalWorld

Consumerscraveengagingandentertainingshoppingexperiences,notjustfrictionlesstransactions.

So,howcanbrandsinjectcreativityandplayfulnessintotheshoppingjourneytocaptureattentionandbuilddeeperemotionalconnectionsinanincreasinglyautomatedworld?

Thefutureofcommerceishurtlingtowardshyper-efficiency.AI-poweredsearch,

one-clickpurchasing,andlightning-fastdeliveryarebecomingthenorm.Consumers

wanttomovefrominspirationtopurchaseasquicklyaspossible,placingspeedand

convenienceaboveallelse.WecallthisCompressedCommerce.TheyareevenwillingtooutsourcepurchasingdecisionsentirelytoAI.

However,thisrelentlessfocusonfunctionalityrisksstrippingthejoyoutofshopping.

Consumers,attheircore,arehumanbeingswhowanttobeentertained,not

justserved.Andtodaythere’saclearshifttowardsspendingtimeandmoney

onwhatmattersmost,prioritizingpassions,relationshipsandexperiences–aka

‘Passionomics’.

Thisdesireforengagementpresentsasignificantopportunityforbrands–onlineandoffline.While64%ofconsumersfindonlineshoppinguninspiring,60%wishphysicalstoresweremoreimmersive,futuristicandcreative.Abigdriverofshoppingfor

generationshasbeensocial,apast-time,seekinginspirationandamoodliftorwayofconnectingwithfriendsandfamily.

So,againstabackdropoftransactionalefficiency,creativecommerceexperienceswillstandoutlikebeaconsofinterestandintrigue.Imagineinteractiveproduct

configurators,personalizedARexperiencesthatblurthelinesbetweenphysicalanddigital,gamifiedloyaltyprograms,andphysicalspacesthatignitetheimagination.

(Infact,youdon’thavetoimagine–muchofthisishappeninginChinaalready).CreativityistheyingtoAI’sfunctionalyang.

Sowhat?

■Inaworldofincreasingautomation,creativitybecomesapowerful

differentiatorforbrands.

■Engagingandentertainingshoppingexperiences,onlineandoffline,fosterdeeperemotionalconnectionswith

consumers.

■Creativecommercecandriveincreasedloyaltyandadvocacyinaservice-drivenmarket.

Nextsteps

■CollaboratewithourRetailInnovationteamvia

IvanMayes

todevelop

immersiveandfuturisticphysicalanddigitalshoppingexperiences.

■ContactourExperienceDesignteamvia

StephenMoody

toinjectcreativityandplayfulnessintoyourcommercestrategy.

■Partnerwith

MichelleBaumann

inourCommerceStrategyteamtoidentify

opportunitiesforgamificationandinteractiveengagementwithinyourcustomerjourney.

■Speakwith

CharlieWade

abouthowourVMLLiveteamcandesignexperiencesforbuying,sampling,andlaunchingnewproducts.

64%

ofconsumersgloballywishedbrandsandretailerswouldmaketheonlineshoppingexperiencemoreentertaining.

60%

ofconsumerswishphysicalshopping

experiencesweremoreimmersiveandfuturistic.

6

PremiumAutomation:WhenHumanMeansHigh-End

It’seasytogetcaughtupintheallureofautomationandartificial

intelligence.Undoubtedly,they’veearnedtheirplace,butcantheytrulyreplacetheirreplaceable:genuinehumanconnection?

So,justhowcanbrandsretainorinjectagenuinesenseofempathy,creativity,criticalthinking,andtrueconnectionwithconsumers?

Wearewitnessingapowerfulshift,ayearningforauthenticinteraction.Astriking

58%

ofUSconsumersnowplaceapremiumonexperiencesthatprioritizerealhuman

interaction.Thisisn’tjustafleetingtrend;it’safundamentalhumanneed.

Moreandmore,consumerscravethewarmthandempathythatonlyanotherhumanbeingcanprovide.They’reseekingconnection,notjustconvenience.

Smartbrandsarerecognizingthisshiftandfindinginnovativewaystoblendthe

efficiencyofcutting-edgetechnologywithhumanconnection.Theyunderstandthatincorporatingthehumanelementisn’tjustanice-to-have,andthatitelevatesthe

entireexperience.Andbystrategicallyintegratingthehumantouchintokeyareas,

businessescancreatetrulypremiumexperiencesthatjustifyahigherpricepointandfosterdeeperconsumerloyalty.

Sowhat?

■Don’tlettheadvancesofAIobfuscateorrelegatethevalueofhumanconnection.

■Thelatesttechmaypresentanattractivebusinesscase,butconsiderhowitcan

helpconnectwithconsumers.

■Newpremiumservicetierscanbeintroducedforconsumers,retaininghumantouch.

Nextsteps

■Considerwherehumanscanbe

bestdeployedtorealizethevalueofconnection(thinkelevatedcustomersupport,personalizedonboarding,

proactiveaccountmanagement,financialplanning,etc.).

■ConnectwithourCXexpertsvia

BenGeheb

toevaluateopportunitiestocreatepremiumautomatedservicetiers.

■Pilotpremiumautomationprogramstounderstandwillingnesstopayextrafora‘concierge’experience.

■UseAItoaugmentandinformthishighertouchhumanconnection.

Almost

60%

ofconsumersintheUSadmitthathumancommunication

withcustomerservicerepresentatives(CSR)playsacrucialpart

intheirpurchasingjourney,bothinonlineandofflinemodes.

Humaninteractionmatters,and

82%ofUSand74%ofnon-US

consumerswantmoreinthefuture.

7

HackingtheHiveMind:HarnessingthePowerofCollectiveCommerce

Forgetcontrolledcorporateidentity–somebrandsareletting

consumersruntheshow,votingwiththeirwalletsandactionsoneverythingfromproductstocompanyvalues.

So,whatpartsofyourbusinesswouldyoubepreparedtocedecontroloftoconsumers–andtowhatadvantage?

Fromamarketingperspective,theconsumerpowergraboverbrandsstartedwith

digitization.Buoyedbyendlesschoice,thecollectivepowertomakeorbreakbrandreputationsonsocialmedia,consumershavegraduallyrejectedtheglossandhard-selltacticsoftraditionalmarketing.Theinboundstrategiesthathavereplacedthem

–comebuy,ifyoulike–arefoundedonconsensus,dialogue,andgivingpeoplewhattheywant.

Butwe’realreadyseeingthelogicof‘consumersincontrol’pushedmuchfurther,fromcommunity-owneddigitalfashioncompaniestopioneeringexamplesof“open-sourcebrands”inChinawhereconsumerscollectivelyownanddirectthebrand’sintellectualproperty.Anotherexampleis‘on-demandcommerce’,wherevendorsmanufacture

goodsonshortproductionrunsbasedonthemostup-to-datepurchasingtrendsavailable–fastfashionforinstance.

Suchboldexperimentsincorporatedemocracy,whereeverythingfromproduct

developmenttoethicalstancesisdeterminedbycommunityconsensus,areredefiningwhatabrandcanbeinthemodernage.Therewardsareunprecedentedlevelsof

consumerengagementandloyalty–yourconsumerbaseisinvestedinyourbusinessinthemostliteralsense.Butitalsointroducessomefascinatingchallenges,suchashowtomaintainaconsistentidentityinthemidstofthechangingpreferences,how

toaccommodateconflictingpriorities,andhowtosteerconsensustowardsgenuinecommercialsuccess.Ashistoryshows,democraciesdon’talwaystendtowardsthesoundestoptions.

Sowhat?

■Traditionalbrandmanagementstructuresneedtobefundamentallyreimagined.

■Successdependsonbuildingrobust

systemsforcommunitygovernanceanddecision-making.

■Brandsmustbecomecomfortablewithsurrenderingcontroltotheirconsumerbase.

Nextsteps

■Audityourcurrentbrandgovernancestructuretoidentifyopportunitiesfordemocraticcontrol.

■Developplatformsandprocessesforcommunity-leddecision-making.

■Connectwith

CharlieWade

toexploreframeworksandpartnershipsfor

democraticbrandmanagement.

■Pilotsmall-scalecommunityownershipinitiativestotestdemocraticbrand

principles.

63%

ofconsumerspreferbrandsthatconnectwithapurposebeyondsimplysellingproductsorservices.

62%

aremorelikelytobuyfromcompaniesthatadvocatefordiversityandsocialissues.

64%

ofconsumersseektopurchasefrombrandswithethicallaborpractices.

8

AvatarAdventures:ActivatingAlternateOnlineIdentities

Consumersnolongerjustliveinthephysicalworld;theyarecreatingseparatedigitalidentitieswithdifferentpersonalities,friends,andevenshoppinghabits.

So,howcanbusinessesandbrandsharnessthesedoublelivestocatertonewconsumerswhilstalsoidentifyingnewrevenueopportunities?

Inanerawheredigitalexistenceisbecomingassignificantasphysicalreality,

consumersareincreasinglylivingduallives–oneinthephysicalworldandanother

entirelydifferentexistenceonline.Thisisn’tjustabouthavingasocialmediapresence;

it’saboutmaintainingcompletelyseparateidentities,withresearchshowingthat

24%

ofUSconsumerswanttohaveanalternativedigitalidentityinthemetaverse,and

76%

reportingmeaningfulfriendshipsthatexistpurelyonline.Theseparallelexistencesaren’tjustaboutescapism;they’reaboutexploration,identity,and

belonging.

Thematurationofdigitalspacesandtheincreasingsophisticationofvirtualworlds

isacceleratingthistrend,allowinguserstobuildentirealternativelives,complete

withdifferentcareers,relationships,andsocialcircles.Thisdigital-physicalsplit

presentsuniquechallengesforbrands,asthesameconsumermightmaintainentirelydifferentpurchasingpatternsandbrandpreferencesacrosstheirvariousidentities.

It’satransformationthatgoesfarbeyondgamingavatarsorsocialmediapersonas,

fundamentallychanginghowpeopleexpressthemselvesandinteractindigitalspaces.

Sowhat?

■Brandsneedtorecognizeandcaterto

multipleidentitiesofthesameconsumer.

■Traditionaldemographictargeting

becomeslessrelevantasdigitalidentitiestranscendphysicalcharacteristics.

■Privacyanddatamanagementstrategiesmustevolvetohandlemultipleidentities.

Nextsteps

■Connectwith

NajiEl-Arifi

toexploretheopportunitiesofthisvirtualworldtrend.

■Conductdigitalidentitymappingto

understandhowyourconsumerspresentthemselvesacrossdifferentplatforms.

■Developmarketingstrategiesthat

acknowledgeandrespectidentityfluidityacrossphysicalanddigitalworlds.

52%

ofgamerswouldbejustasexcitedtotakepartinavirtualconcertasgoingtoareal-worldevent.

55%

ofgamersconsiderlookinggoodin-gameascrucialasreal-life.

41%

ofgamersconsidertheiravatartobeapartoftheiridentity.

9

TheFutureofFeedback:BeyondtheFive-StarSystem

Ratingsandreviewswillevolvefarbeyondsimplestarsystems,becomingdynamic,personalized,andmulti-dimensional.

So,howcanyourbusinessprepareforafuturewhereconsumer

feedbackisricher,moreinfluential,andintegratedthroughouttheentirecustomerjourney?

Intoday’seCommercelandscape,ratingsandreviewsareessential.Peopletrustotherpeople’sopinions.OurrecentFutureShoppersurveyhighlightedthecrucialroleof

reviews,revealingthemtobethemostimportantcontentforonlineshoppers.But

whatwillthisvitalfeedbackmechanismlooklikein20years?Forgetscrollingthroughpagesofstatictext;AI-poweredaggregatorswillcuratepersonalizedsummaries,

highlightingthemostrelevantfeedbackbasedonindividualpreferencesandpastpurchases.(Amazonisalreadypilotingthisapproach).

Imagineasking,“Isthisjacketsuitableforhiking?”andreceivingaconcise,

AI-generatedresponsedrawinginsightsfromhundredsofreviewsbyoutdoor

enthusiasts.Beyondtext,expectrichmediareviews:videotestimonials,3Dproductscanswithuser-annotateddetails,andevenARtry-onexperiencessharedbyotherconsumers.

Authenticitywillbeparamount.Blockchaintechnologywillverifyrevieweridentitiesandcombatfraudulentfeedback,fosteringtrustandtransparency.Decentralized,community-ownedreviewplatformswillemerge,rewardingusersforcontributinghigh-qualityinsights.Thisevolutionwillextendbeyondindividualproductsto

encompassentirebrandexperiences.Imagineleavingfeedbacknotjustforaspecificitem,butforeverytouchpointinthecustomerjourney.Real-timesentimentanalysiswilltrackemotionalresponsesduringvirtualshoppingtrips,providingbrandswith

instantfeedback.Reviewswillbecomeinteractiveconversations,fosteringdeeperengagementbetweenbrandsandconsumers.

Sowhat?

■Businessesmustadapttotheevolvinglandscapeofconsumerfeedback.

■Ignoringtheshifttowardsricher,more

personalizedreviewswillputbrandsatadisadvantage.

■EmbracingthefutureoffeedbackpoweredbyAIcanunlockdeeperconsumerunderstandinganddriveenhancedbrandloyalty.

Nextsteps

■ConnectwithourCustomerExperience

teamthrough

BenGeheb

toexplore

strategiesforleveragingAI-powered

reviewanalysisandpersonalization.

■Contact

JasonSchlosser

and

collaboratewithourTechnologyteamtoinvestigatethepotentialofblockchain

forenhancingreviewauthenticityandtransparency.

■PartnerwithourInnovationLabvia

IvanMayes

toexperimentwithimmersivereviewformatslikeARand3Dproduct

experiences.

#1!

Ratingsandreviewsarecurrentlythemostimportantcontentforonlineshoppers.

10

92.4%

ofconsumersusereviewstoguidemostoftheirpurchasingdecisions.

2.Technology:Connecting&Disconnecting

TheBigPicture:AsthecommerceexperiencebecomesincreasinglyvirtualizedandAI-driven,it’simportanttodrawthelinebetweenwhat

techaddsvalueandwhattechbecomes

overbearing–includingunderstandinghowtocapitalizeonconsumers’increasingdesireto

occasionallydisconnect.

11

TheAIContentRevolution:WhatValueAuthenticityTodayandintheFuture?

Arevolutionaryshiftinconsumerattitudesmaybereshapingthecontentlandscape,withourresearchrevealingastartlingtruth:nearlyhalfof

consumersdon’tcarewhetherhumansorAIcreatetheircontent.

So,withgrowingacceptanceofAI,what’sstoppingyoufromexploringandunleashingthepowerofAIforallyourcontent?

Thisisn’tmerelyacceptance–it’spotentiallyafundamentalnormalizationofartificialcreativity,whereAI-generatedcontentisviewedasjustanotherproductiontool,like

photographyordigitaldesign.ThetransformationisparticularlyevidentinChina,

whereinfluencersopenlyembraceAItomaintainengagementwhiledramatically

increasingtheircontentoutput,usheringinaneraof“hybridreality”wherehumanandAI-createdcontentseamlesslycoexist.

However,thisgrowingcomfortwithAI-generatedexperiencespresentsboth

opportunitiesandchallengesforbrands.Whileitenables“always-on”contentcreationandreal-timeadaptationbasedonconsumerresponse,italsoraisesconcernsabouttheemergenceof“consumerdumbterminals”whereaudiencesbecomepassive

receiversofalgorithmicallyoptimizedcontent.

ThecriticalchallengeforbrandsinthisAI-mediatedfuturewillbemaintaining

meaningfulhumanconnectionswhileleveragingthepowerfulcapabilitiesofartificialcreativity,ensuringthattheconvenienceofAIdoesn’tcomeatthecostofauthenticengagement.

Sowhat?

■Traditionalcontentcreationmodelswillneedcompletereimagining.

■Thespeedandscaleofcontent

productionwillincreaseexponentially

–particularlysoonmarketplaces

wherecontentisforeverhonedtosell

aproductonline,withGenAIsystems

capableofcreatingoroptimizingcontentautonomously.

■BrandsmustbalanceAIefficiencywithmeaningfulhumanconnection.

Nextsteps

■Getintouchwith

MarkDeal

toaudityourcurrentcontentcreationprocessand

identifyAIintegrationopportunities.

■Developguidelinesformaintaining

brandvoiceacrossAI-generatedcontent.

■ToexploreAI’sroleinwinningonthedigitalshelf–inparticular

marketplaces–throughcontent,connectwith

GemmaSpence.

■Connectwith

HelmutRieder

toexploregenerativeAIcapabilitiesinWPPOpen’sCommerceStudio.

48%

ofconsumersarenotworriedbythefactthatcontentcouldbeAI-generated.

12

88%

ofbusinessesclaimtoalreadyuseAIforcontentmanagement.

60%

ofconsumersreporttheywouldstilltrustbusinessesthatuseAI.

AI-to-AICommerce:WhenAlgorithmsdotheShopping

WelcometothedawnofAI-to-AIcommerce,whereyourpersonal

shoppingassistantmightneverneedtointeractwithahumanatall.

So,what’sthebusinessimplicationandopportunitywhenyouraudienceistrulyalgorithmic?

Today,sophisticatedAIagentsareevolvingbeyondsimpleautomation,creatingan

entirelynewcommercialecosystemwhereartificialintelligencesnegotiate,compare,andtransactwitheachotheratlightningspeed.AlreadyemergingintheEastthroughplatformslikeJD.com,thesesystemscansimultaneouslyevaluatethousandsof

options,consideringeverythingfrompricesanddeliverytimestocarbonfootprints,allwhileoperatingatapacethathumanmindssimplycannotmatch.

Thisrevolutionaryshiftisforcingadeepreimaginingoftraditionalretailstrategies,asbusinessesgrapplewiththechallengeofappealingtoalgorithmiccustomersratherthanhumanones.WhenyourtargetaudienceisAI,conceptslikebrandloyaltyandemotionalappealneedradicalredefinition,leadingtotheemergenceof‘AI-friendly’pricingstrategiesand‘a(chǎn)lgorithm-optimized’productdescriptions.

It’sabravenewworldofcommercewheremachinesspeaktomachines,raising

fascinatingquestionsabouthowbrandswillbuildpreferencewhentheiraudienceispurelyalgorithmic,andhowtheseAIsystemsmightlearntogameeachotherinthishigh-speeddigitalmarketplace.

Sowhat?

■Traditionalmarketingandsales

approachesbecomeredundantwhensellingtoAI.

■Newstrategiesneededforbuildingbrandpreferenceamongalgorithmicbuyers.

■Commercespeedandefficiencywill

increasedramatically,butatthecostofhumantouch.

Nextsteps

■BegindevelopingyourAIretailagent

strategy–connectwith

JasonCarmel

.

■CreateframeworksforAI-to-AIcommerceprotocolsandethics.

■GetintouchwithourConnectionsteamthrough

HeatherPhysioc

toadjust

channelssuchasSEOtopreparefor

AIagents.

■PilotAIagentprogramstounderstand

howalgorithmiccustomersbehave.

15%

ofconsumerscurrentlyusemachinesto

automaticallyorderproductsontheirbehalf.

41%

ofconsumerswouldletanAIorganize

theirlives,includingwhattobuy.

40%

wouldletanAIhandletheirfoodshopping,

includingdeliveryandpayment.

13

Deal-MakingDoneDigitally:AIProxiesandtheFutureofProcurement

Needhelpgettingdealsovertheline?AI-poweredbargainingbotswillboostB2Bbuyingpowerandleadtomoreharmoniousandproductivesupplier-clientrelationships.

So,whatdoesyourbusinessneedtodotoadapttoaworldwhereAIagentswillincreasinglyrepresentyourcustomers?

TheemergingfieldofcognitiveprocurementtechnologyalreadypromisesB2Bbuyers

AI-poweredsupportforthefullsource-to-pay(S2P)cycle,fromidentifyingnew

suppliersandspendoptimizationthroughtomonitoringcompliancewithpurchasingpoliciesandautomatingpayments.ButwhereAIhassofarfailedtomakemuch

impactisinthenitty-grittyofnegotiatingcontracts,termsandprices.Thatcouldsoonchange.

Rule-basedautomatednegotiationagentshavebeenaroundforsometime.Great

atthingslikecompilingcomplexpricingstructuresorcontracttermsatspeed,the

problemscomewhenthere’saneedforcompromiseandconcession.Toamachine,rulesarerules.Abothasitsgoalsandstickshardtothem.

ButdrawingontheprinciplesofGenAI,anewgenerationofAIproxiesarefinally

masteringthedelicatedanceofnegotiation.Bybeingtrainedonmillionsofexamplesofsuccessfullybrokereddeals,AIbotsarelearningthecutandthrustofgiveandtake,howtobalancepriorities,andkeepingabiggerpictureinmind.

Inthefuture,buyers(andsalesteams)willbeabletotraintheirownAIagents,

allowingthemtomirrortheirstylesandpersonalitiesinnegotiations.Thiswillallow

teamstonegotiatesimultaneouslyinmultipleplacesatonce,strikingdealsatspeed

andwithouttheanxietiesanderrorsthatcanleadtosub-optimaloutcomesforboth

sides.Alternatively,AIproxiescouldnegotiatethroughoutapartnershipinaprocessofcontinuousmutualoptimization.

Sowhat?

■ThelinebetweenhumanandAI

interactionwillbecomeincreasinglyblurred.

■AInegotiationproxiescouldachieve

betterdealsandoutcomesforbuyersandsuppliers.

■BusinessesneedtoprepareforafuturewheretheymaybenegotiatingwithAIrepresentativesoftheircustomers.

Nextsteps

■EvaluatethepotentialimpactofAInegotiationproxiesonyourpricingstrategies.

■DevelopprotocolsforidentifyingandengagingwithAIproxiesincustomerinteractions.

■ConnectwithourAIEthicsexpertsvia

DanielHulme

toexploretheimplicationsofproxynegotiations.

■PilotanAInegotiationassistant

programtounderstandthetechnology’scapabilitiesandlimitations.

64%

ofdealswereclosedbyWalmart’schatbotinanAInegotiationpilot,foranaverage1.5%costsaving(upto3%intheroll-out).

14

83%

ofsuppliersinterviewedaftertheWalmart

pilotendorsedchatbotnegotiations.

CollectiveDigital