Millennials (53%) and Gen Zers (47%) in Singapore are more open than baby boomers (36%) to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) agents for the creation of more personalised or useful content. More than a third (37%) of local millennial consumers also say they would be comfortable having an AI agent shop for them, according to Salesforce’s latest State of the AI Connected Customer research.
AI agents, or intelligent software that understands and responds to customer inquiries without human intervention, can help retailers drive higher margins and keep consumers buying by delivering good customer service.
According to the Singapore survey respondents, a best-in-class customer experience is one that offers consistent interactions across departments (75%) and enables them to get information or complete a task with few touchpoints (71%).
As such, they would work with an AI agent instead of a person to avoid repeating themselves (44%) and receive faster service (39%). Nearly a third (30%) would also share their personal information with an AI agent so it can better anticipate their needs.
However, the study also reveals the need to build confidence in the AI agent experience, which can be done by providing more transparency. Singapore consumers say they are more likely to use an agent if there is a clear escalation path (60%) and if its logic is clearly explained (60%). They also want to know if they are speaking with an AI agent (76%).
"With the upcoming holiday and festive season, retailers are under immense pressure to keep up with declining consumer trust and rising expectations in Singapore. But there’s also a huge opportunity: Singaporean consumers are more open than ever to AI. Autonomous AI agents can help businesses rebuild trust and scale to meet increasing demands during this season by elevating and personalising customer experiences at scale in a trusted manner,” says Sujith Abraham, senior vice president and general manager for Asean at Salesforce.
See also: Nearly four in five Apac retailers will increase their tech investment in 2025
Luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue is one of the early adopters of AI agents, enabled by Salesforce’s Agentforce. Mike Hite, chief technology officer of Saks Global, shares: “Since introducing Agentforce at Saks, we are beginning to see the real potential for its autonomous AI agents to augment our teams’ ability to provide personalized and efficient customer support. Agentforce will streamline routine tasks, such as order tracking, enabling our service teams to prioritize more meaningful customer interactions and focus on delivering a high-touch, tailored customer experience. We’re excited to continue enhancing our luxury shopping experience and exploring new ways Agentforce can continue to further elevate our service.”
