European consumers weigh AI, privacy & personalisation for BFCM
New research from Sinch has highlighted a shift in European consumer attitudes towards AI and personalisation ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The survey, focusing on customer engagement trends across Europe, found that 44 percent of respondents believe that artificial intelligence will make their shopping experience easier during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) period. However, this optimism is tempered by privacy concerns, with 40 percent of those surveyed stating that data use and privacy were their biggest reservations about employing AI in shopping contexts.
Attitudes to personalisation
Interest in personalisation remains evident among European consumers. The research indicates that 68 percent of respondents are open to receiving personalised offers during BFCM. Nonetheless, only 47 percent approve of personalisation when it is genuinely relevant to them, reflecting an increased scrutiny of marketing tactics. Notably, there has been a 43 percent year-on-year global increase in consumers describing personalised messages as invasive.
Anna Jäger, Vice President Marketing Europe at Sinch, commented on the findings:
"With 97 percent of brands planning to embrace AI, our BFCM findings show that while consumers are open to specific use cases, they still have reservations. Brands must focus on when and where AI truly adds value, and communicate that clearly. Value, relevance, and transparency are essential to building stronger customer connections, not just automating processes or cutting costs."
AI adoption and consumer preferences
Sinch's earlier State of Customer Communications report revealed that 97 percent of global businesses have plans to integrate AI into their customer interactions, angling for solutions such as chatbots and AI voice assistants. The latest BFCM-focused research shows that practical application of AI is finding a receptive audience among European shoppers. Approximately 53 percent of consumers surveyed expressed interest in using AI-powered chatbots for order tracking, and 38 percent were open to chatbot-based customer support.
Despite these figures, human interaction remains an important factor in the shopping experience. According to the survey, 54 percent of European customers said they would not trust AI recommendations over advice from a human representative.
Changing communication channels
Brands engaging customers ahead of BFCM continue to rely on established communication channels. The survey notes that 58 percent of European shoppers select email as their preferred way to interact with brands. While this remains the dominant channel, the research also points to a growing acceptance of other platforms. For instance, 40 percent of European respondents reported that they are likely to interact with brands via Rich Communication Services (RCS) this year.
Other channels play a significant role in customers' awareness and engagement with BFCM promotions. The results show that 36 percent of consumers would like to hear about offers through company websites, 28 percent through social media advertisements, 27 percent via television and radio ads, 23 percent on WhatsApp, and 20 percent through SMS text messages. This distribution underlines the importance for brands to develop comprehensive omnichannel engagement strategies reflective of changing consumer behaviours.
Spending projections
BFCM remains a key period for retail activity across Europe. The survey found that 63 percent of European customers expect to either increase or maintain their spending levels compared to the previous year's shopping events.
Sinch's findings suggest that the rise of AI and digital communications is prompting a reassessment of how brands manage customer engagement. Marketers are being urged to prioritise communication that delivers value and relevance, with an emphasis on maintaining transparency, as customers navigate new technologies and greater expectations around privacy in retail experiences.
