Advertising in transition: how AI is changing our consumption

Result

More than one in two Germans (56 %) believe that there will be hardly any bricks-and-mortar shops left in the next 20 years. This expectation is particularly pronounced among younger adults (18-34 years: 63 %), but almost half (49 %) of over 55-year-olds also share this view. Instead of shop windows and pedestrian zones, digital platforms dominate today, where recommendations, advertising and even purchasing decisions are increasingly controlled by algorithms. Many people hardly notice the changeover - shopping happens casually, embedded in everyday digital life. This blurs the boundaries between need and supply, desire and order.

Reasons

Digitalisation has fundamentally changed consumption. Artificial intelligence analyses behavioural data in real time, optimises advertising content and provides tailored product recommendations. Online shops are permanently available, learning with every click and making the shopping process ever more convenient. Predictive shopping, dynamic creative optimisation and neuro-targeting create new needs even before they are consciously perceived. The decision-making power is shifting - from consumers to systems that co-determine the selection and timing of the purchase. Brick-and-mortar retail will come under pressure if digital convenience becomes the standard.

Forecast

Shopping behaviour will continue to develop in the direction of digital self-evidence. Brick-and-mortar shops will not disappear completely, but their function will change: Away from the point of sale, towards an experience and consulting space. At the same time, it will be important to promote digital expertise and critical consumer awareness. In a future in which many decisions are automated, the ability to reflect will remain an important anchor. Artificial intelligence can simplify consumption, but the responsibility for making conscious decisions remains with people.