Indian brands lag in generative AI adoption despite high employee utilisation: Adobe Reserach

According to recent research from Adobe, Indian brands are placing a high priority on enhancing customer experiences in order to stimulate growth. The study reveals that a majority of organisations are reducing their marketing and customer experience budgets, with 42% having already done so and an additional 37% planning to do so within the next year. In light of this, brands are actively seeking ways to improve efficiency by implementing technology solutions that streamline workflows (70%) and utilize generative artificial intelligence (59%). However, the research indicates that the formal implementation of generative AI in business operations is not keeping pace with the demand from consumers and the usage by employees.

In a professional setting, nearly 94% of Indian workers reported using generative AI for marketing and customer experience initiatives. About 52% of them relied on large language models, while 50% utilized text-to-image generators to produce promotional materials and content for their brands. Interestingly, only 47% of respondents mentioned that their current employers actually employ generative AI tools.

"Generative AI represents a transformative shift in how brands connect with consumers. It goes beyond mere automation and is the key to unleashing creativity, achieving hyper-personalisation, and productivity in marketing - a win-win for brands and their customers.", said Anindita Veluri, marketing director, Adobe India.

“Generative AI is the raw material businesses need to elevate not only the customer side of experiences but also help bring efficiencies and time-to-market advantages to future platform building. Bearing the tremendous future ahead of it, one can make Gen AI part of the entire customer journey and personalised experience, potentially impacting MarTech, content, creativity, and personalisation at scale.”, said Manav Sethi, head media martech & growth, Hero MotoCorp.

APAC brands fail to prioritise factors that drive trust and spending: data security, sustainability, and accessibility

As per the research, brand trust plays a crucial role in consumer spending during difficult economic times. In India, nearly half of the consumers (44%) stated that they are inclined to remain loyal to brands they trust, and 45% are willing to increase their spending with those trusted brands.

The most important aspect of establishing trust with consumers is ensuring the security of their data and using it in ways that align with their expectations. Additionally, offering sustainable products or services and providing convenient customer experiences are also key factors. These elements are likely to result in increased customer spending with a particular brand.

On the other hand, 90% of consumers in India express their intention to reduce their expenses with brands that fail to ensure the safety of their data. Among them, 49% are even willing to completely refrain from spending. Furthermore, if a brand fails to provide an accessible experience for individuals with disabilities, 91% of consumers are likely to spend less. Similarly, 90% of consumers will decrease their spending if a brand does not adhere to sustainability regulations and requirements.

Similarly, 58% of brands in India consider data security crucial for attracting and retaining customers. However, when it comes to accessible and sustainable products and services, the percentage drops to 52% and 41% respectively.

“As employees start to bring their own generative AI tools to work, organisations need to be on the front foot with AI usage policies and monitoring,” said Duncan Egan, Vice President Digital Experience Marketing Asia Pacific and Japan, Adobe. Without this, brands run the risk of having multiple shadow AI solutions that fail to meet the organisation’s security, privacy, data handling, and compliance standards. Strong guardrails are also required to ensure ethics and legal governance are baked into the usage of these tools, particularly given consumer concerns and the premium placed on brand trust.”