While retailers’ focus has centered on faster delivery in the past few years, speed isn’t always the most important part of the delivery experience. As more consumers turn to AI-powered shopping assistants to help them make buying decisions, providing a stellar delivery experience is critical to building the trust signals those automated tools rely on to guide their users toward purchasing from one retailer over another.For successful retailers, delivery is a marketing differentiator, as long as they get two important points right:
- Clear communication of same-day delivery availability across metadata on websites and product pages, local inventory and marketing channels.
- A seamless delivery experience that drives positive reviews and customer signals to attract both human and AI shoppers.
AI platforms suggest retailers based on structured product, fulfillment and customer experience information, while shoppers continue to prioritize delivery certainty, especially during peak season. Speaking to both of these audiences helps retailers remain competitive as AI tools take over more of consumers’ shopping tasks.
Don't sleep on AI shopping assistants
For retailers looking for ways to remain competitive in a market that keeps presenting new challenges, failing to clearly communicate a fast, reliable delivery experience to both human and AI shoppers is a critical misstep.
According to research by McKinsey, AI agents could be involved in up to $5 trillion of global consumer commerce by 2030. AI shopping assistants perform a variety of purchasing-related tasks for their users, from recommending products based on user-specified details to assembling carts for user approval and handling repeat purchases.
In order to perform all those tasks, AI tools rely on context-based information while interacting with retail websites. Retailers who clearly communicate their delivery options and who can show positive reviews from prior customers have a better chance of attracting AI shoppers.
Winning both AI and human shoppers is all about clarity
To accomplish the goal of winning an AI shopping assistant’s recommendation, retailers need clear communication that speaks to both human and AI customers. While emotion-based marketing is a proven strategy for demonstrating the benefits of your delivery options to human shoppers, it may lack computer-readable contextual signals for AI agents. And if an AI agent can’t read important product and delivery information on your website, you’re all but invisible to it.
Retailers can fix this issue by improving website and product pages to appeal to both human and AI shoppers:
- Refresh old metadata to include important product attributes and delivery information like same-day, next-day and other fast delivery options.
- Optimize product pages so AI crawlers can analyze details and determine whether or not a product meets a user’s specifications. Clearly label the page’s sections with information like the product name, price, key specs, customer ratings and use cases.
- Customer reviews are one of the biggest trust indicators for both human and AI shoppers. Encourage your customers with a post-purchase email to leave a positive review about the product and delivery experience.
Centering product and delivery information in places AI agents will look — website metadata, product pages, customer reviews — helps the assistant make recommendations and purchasing decisions.
More than speed: Delivery experience as a marketing strategy
Because customer reviews are such a powerful cue for AI shopping assistants, ensuring a great delivery experience will help retailers stay at the top of an AI agent’s list by encouraging more positive reviews. Offer customer-friendly delivery options that include same- and next-day delivery (including fast delivery for big & bulky SKUs) to gain an edge over competitors.
Don’t have the capacity to provide the delivery options customers want? Crowdsourced delivery platforms like Roadie allow any retailer to tap into a large network of drivers and vehicles to meet your customers’ delivery priority.