Consumers have always been driven by value. What’s changed is their sophistication about what their data is worth, and their willingness to walk if they don’t see it returned to them.
As little as a decade ago, most shoppers handed over their information without much thought. That’s not the world brands operate in now. Today’s consumers expect something real in return: personalised experiences, relevant recommendations, offers that reflect what they’ve actually bought or browsed. And the numbers show they’re open to the exchange when it’s worth it. According to Hubspot, 81% of shoppers are more willing to share data when it clearly improves their experience. 40% are more likely to engage with a personalised experience, and 37% want to discover new products through data they’ve shared.
The brands that understand this are building loyalty. The ones that don’t are watching their customers leave for competitors who do.
Discoverability is now a data problem
AI is now powering how buyers discover and evaluate products. When a shopper types “summer office clothes” or “gifts for runners under £100” into a search or AI agent, the response they get is not random. It reflects how well a brand’s product data is structured, enriched, and interpretable by the systems doing the surfacing.
This is where agentic AI raises the stakes. As these systems take on more of the discovery and buying process, brands need to ask a different question: not what features are launching, but whether their data, pricing logic, and fulfilment models are readable by AI-led buying behaviour.
Product information needs specific attributes, conversational language that mirrors how shoppers actually ask questions, channel consistency, and real-time inventory accuracy. If the data can’t be interpreted, the product won’t be found. It’s that direct.
Checkout is where momentum dies
AI may narrow a shopper’s options down to one or two strong candidates, but the purchase still happens on the brand’s site. That moment is fragile.
Plain-language descriptions tied to outcomes, not just specs. Transparent pricing and delivery timelines. Reviews that connect to what the shopper said they needed. These aren’t nice-to-haves; they’re the conditions under which a shopper confirms a decision rather than second-guesses it. If the checkout page makes them work to understand why the product is right for them, they’ll move on.
The operational side of this matters just as much. Digital wallet integration as a default, not an add-on. Minimal required fields. Real-time inventory accuracy. Clear fulfilment options and timing surfaced in a single interface. The purchase AI helped
Loyalty is built after the box ships
Rewards programmes get a lot of credit for loyalty. The actual driver is predictability. Shoppers who trust that their order will arrive when promised, that delays will be communicated before they have to ask, that returns will be straightforward, and that policies will be clear from the start: those shoppers come back. 73% of customers say experience plays a key role in their purchasing decisions. The post-purchase journey is where that experience either holds up or falls apart.
Brands that treat delivery communication, returns, and fulfilment consistency as extensions of the product itself are building the kind of loyalty that doesn’t depend on the next promotion. Small moments of clarity and control, a proactive delay notification, a precise delivery window, add up faster than most loyalty programmes do.
Al Williams
Al Williams is VP of Market Strategy at Commerce, helping brands and SaaS platforms grow through effective ecommerce strategy, technology, and customer-focused digital experiences.
