Indian consumers have emerged as global leaders in embracing AI-driven interactions, while Indian brands are striving to catch up with the latest AI innovations, according to a new report.
The latest Adobe’s ‘State of Digital Customer Experience’ report, derived from a global survey of 4,000 consumers and 1,500 executives, reveals that more than half (57%) of Indian consumers prefer AI-enabled tools or services to human interaction, surpassing the global average of 39% and the APAC average of 48%.
Despite this preference, human interaction seems to remain crucial in decision-making, customer support, and returns or cancellations, with 39% of consumers desiring both options, especially when exploring new products and services.
However, while Indian consumers anticipate customer experience (CX) benefits from generative AI, Adobe said Indian brands are lagging behind their global counterparts. According to the report, only 15% of Indian brands are leveraging generative AI to enhance CX initiatives, compared to 18% globally. Brands in Europe and the US are also twice as likely to have dedicated AI budgets and internal usage policies.
Nevertheless, there is a growing recognition among Indian brands of the importance of CX, with 41% prioritising it as a business imperative, and 87% focusing on CX enhancements over other business goals, the report said.
"Moreover, in the next 12 months, 53% of Indian brands are committed to improving their generative AI capabilities whereas 76% of brands already have or will pilot generative AI solutions to support experience delivery," it added.
Anindita Veluri, Director of Marketing at Adobe India, commented, "Advances in generative AI have been transformational for consumers, and they now expect brands to adopt the technology for better and personalised experiences."
Despite leading in customer data management, with 89% of brands excelling in this area, Indian brands are currently trailing in the adoption of technologies supporting personalisation. Both consumers and brands cite data privacy and security concerns as barriers to personalisation, with consumers’ reluctance to share data identified as a top challenge.
Moreover, Indian consumers express concerns about the responsible and ethical usage of their personal data, with 59% stating they would stop or consider not buying from a brand that isn’t transparent about data use. Additionally, the report suggests that 68% of respondents expect to be informed when content is AI-generated, reflecting a growing demand for transparency in AI usage.
