Report reveals retailers face AI visibility risk as shoppers compare deals
That is according to the 2026 South African Customer Experience Report, which finds that financial pressure and the rapid adoption of AI search are reshaping the retail customer journey.
Now in its eighth year, the report draws on research among 2,000 consumers and 56 business executives conducted during the second quarter of 2026. It is produced by Rogerwilco CEO, Charlie Stewart; ovatoyou founding director, Amanda Reekie and CX consultant Julia Ahlfeldt.
Value is becoming the deciding factor
With inflation at 5% and economic growth remaining weak, consumers are increasingly scrutinising every purchase.
The report finds that 72% of consumers say their financial position has either stagnated or deteriorated over the past year. Half of consumers also say helping them find the best deal is an important quality in customer-facing staff.
However, only 7% of business leaders identify this as a priority, highlighting a disconnect between what shoppers need and what businesses believe matters most.
For retailers, the implication is that value can no longer be reduced to offering the lowest price.
Consumers are considering quality, reliability, convenience, effort and the risk of making a poor purchasing decision alongside price.
"Consumers are making every Rand count and every purchase is now a high-stakes calculation," says Ahlfeldt. "Every hidden fee, out-of-stock item, defective product or confusing return policy increases the perceived cost of doing business."
AI is becoming part of the retail journey
The traditional path from search to store or checkout is also changing rapidly.
Almost one in four consumers (23%) now use AI search tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity to compare products and prices, find deals and answer purchasing questions. According to the report, this behaviour has more than doubled in a year.
Yet 75% of surveyed businesses do not have an active strategy for managing how they appear in AI-generated answers.
For retailers, this creates a new visibility challenge. Consumers may be asking AI which retailer offers the best deal, comparing products or researching a brand before ever visiting its website or store.
"Consumers increasingly expect information to be available immediately, easy to understand and capable of answering anything that matters to them," says Stewart. "The quality of any organisation's digital footprint has therefore become part of the customer experience itself."
AI is also moving beyond discovery. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of consumers say they would be comfortable allowing AI to fill a shopping cart, while 62% would trust AI to place a meal-delivery order. Around half would consider using AI to book travel or medical appointments.
"AI isn't more than just another Google," says Ahlfeldt. "Consumers aren't only using it to find information, they're starting to use it to make decisions and take action on their behalf."
Poor experiences are costing retailers customers
The research also points to a growing risk for retailers: unhappy customers are increasingly choosing to leave rather than complain.
Eighty-one percent (81%) of consumers experienced a negative customer experience over the past 12 months, up from 76% in 2024. Yet only 24% said they post about poor experiences on social media or review platforms, compared with 50% in 2023.
"Silence should not be mistaken for satisfaction," says Reekie.
For retailers, this means declining complaints do not necessarily signal improved customer experience. Customers may simply be switching brands without explaining why.
Traditional CX metrics may not tell the whole story
The report also questions whether conventional customer feedback tools are capturing the full picture.
Although 79% of businesses continue to use surveys, 48% of consumers either ignore surveys, give a neutral response despite being unhappy or provide a more positive rating than their actual experience warrants.
The researchers argue that retailers should therefore supplement metrics such as NPS and CSAT with behavioural data, including repeat purchases, retention, cart abandonment, complaints, reviews and customer churn.
"This isn't about throwing out traditional metrics like CSAT or NPS, but more about contextualising them," says Reekie.
The new economics of retail CX
The report points to an emerging "CX Economy", where financially constrained consumers have greater digital power to research, compare and interrogate brands.
For retailers, the customer experience now begins long before the transaction. It starts when a shopper searches for a product, asks AI for recommendations, compares prices and assesses reviews.
"Customer experience is no longer simply about what happens after somebody buys from you," says Stewart. "Increasingly, it determines whether they buy from you at all."
As South African consumers continue to prioritise trust, value, convenience, reliability and confidence, retailers face a clear challenge: deliver an experience that makes the purchase feel worthwhile – or risk losing the customer before they ever reach the checkout.
Download the 2026 South African Customer Experience Report.
