AI消费者崛起：一场由需求侧驱动的万亿美元级变革

Consumers who embrace AI could drive up to 55% of spending by 2030. Businesses canstay ahead of the adoption curve by understanding the new AI-powered customerand the wants, needs and expectations that will shape tomorrow’s markets. Table of contents 3Introduction How AI-powered consumers willredefine markets and business models 6Consumers changethe game A look at the AI enthusiastsand naysayers 10A new customer journeyAI’s unexpected trajectory acrossthe Learn, Buy and Use phases 25Three waves ofmarket change What to expect inthe next five years 31 43Final word The agentic internetFrom augmented toagentic consumption 35 44About the authors Six strategic priorities How to get ready for theAI-empowered consumer age Introduction For the past two years, the question of how tobest use artificial intelligence (AI) has dominatedbusiness agendas. At most organizations, the workhas been largely internal. Leaders have focused onboosting efficiency, preparing the workforce for newways of working and integrating the technology intotheir operations—in effect, activities that businesses candirectly control. This internal work has been worth theeffort: In 2024, we predicted it would drive up to $1 trillionin GDP due to productivity gains by 2032 in the US alone. By 2030, AI enthusiasts will driveconsumer spending: $690Bin the UK$670Bin Australia $4.4Tin the US $540Bin Germany By 2030, AI-friendlyconsumers will beresponsible forup to 55% of consumerpurchasing activity. Yet, outside the boardroom, a more powerful andpotentially multitrillion-dollar force has been gainingmomentum: consumers experimenting with AI—withhuge implications for business. Already, people are searching for products usingconversational AI and even placing orders with theirvoice assistants. Based on our newest research study,which is focused on consumer use of AI, these seeminglyinconsequential activities will soon transform theconsumer journey: how people discover, purchase andengage with products and experiences after the sale. This customer-led movement cannot be ignored. By 2030,AI-friendly consumers will be responsible for up to 55%of consumer purchasing activity. Driving this massiveuptick is a small but fast-growing segment of consumersour research has identified as AI Accelerators. This groupnot only embraces AI-enabled tools but also representsthe future of purchasing. Accelerators make up just 25%of consumers today, but as their income and spendingpower increases, they will become an increasinglyinfluential market force. At the same time, consumer comfort with AIis not universal, nor is it consistent across thethree key phases of the customer journey: whencustomers are learning about new products,buying them and using them. Many peoplestill approach AI with caution, understandingthe convenience and time savings it offersbut remaining reluctant to cede control of theprocess, especially at critical moments, such aswhen clicking “buy.” There are serious considerations to keep in mindsuch as: •How to anticipate and meet the demands ofAI-enabled consumers •How to engage with both human customersand the digital counterparts working for them •How to change current business andoperational models, technologies andstrategic partnerships These mixed attitudes will drive three distinctwaves of market change over the next fiveyears, culminating in 2030 when AI will be fullyembedded in the purchase journey. It will be vitalfor organizations to understand the nuances ofwhat consumers want to do with AI (and whatthey don’t or won’t) and how their behaviorswill develop. These questions must guide decision-making notjust for consumer-facing businesses but also forany company that produces and sells a productor service in the AI-driven economy. Our research, conducted with Oxford Economics,explores these dynamics and issues using insightsfrom over 8,400 survey respondents across fourcountries. The work was supplemented withextensive economic modeling and in-depthdiscussions with 80 consumers conducted byCognizant Research.The findings are clear: AIwill reshape the consumer journey across its threepivotal phases—Learn, Buy and Use—with eachpresenting distinct challenges and opportunities. Businesses will also have to understand andprepare for what comes next in the AI journey:the agentic internet, an interconnectedecosystem of AI-enabled tools and agentsworking on behalf of consumers toautonomously locate, evaluate, purchase andmaintain the products and services they rely on. With the agentic internet, consumers will gainwhat amounts to a personal digital conciergethat works with business AI agents to orchestratecomplex tasks across the purchase journey. This report is your guide to navigating thetransformation, staying ahead of the adoptioncurve and anticipating the wants, needs anddeal-breakers for a new class of AI-empoweredcustomers. Businesses that adapt to this new reality willthrive, but the challenges are formidable.