People in the UK are using AI more than ever, to manage their bills, compare deals and take care of the small tasks that keep life running, in many cases without even knowing it. From virtual assistants to AI-powered search, these tools are part of everyday life.

And with this familiarity comes expectations for customer experiences to also improve, putting the pressure on enterprises to deliver. It’s no longer enough just to offer AI services, they must be quick, error-free and personalised.

As we head further into 2026, competition will only intensify. The question is no longer whether customers are ready for AI but instead whether businesses are keeping up. So, what is important to consumers and how can organisations get ahead.

The rise of agentic commerce

AI is quietly assuming the research role that once sat with consumers throughout the shopping journey, from deal-hunting to that final purchasing decision. It is changing the act of shopping into a ‘trusted conversation’, where intelligent assistants understand consumer preferences, anticipate needs and provide advice that actively shapes decisions.

Nearly 4 in 10 shoppers have used GenAI for shopping, and just over half (52%) intend to experiment with it for online spending this year. This means that a large portion of consumer preference is now formed before a brand even appears on the screen. In other words, decisions are increasingly pre-mediated by AI. Businesses that fail to anticipate this shift risk being invisible in a landscape shaped by intelligent, pre-emptive agents.

For companies, this means it’s no longer enough to simply present products or promotions: they must ensure that this information is easily accessible to agents. For example, by using standardised formatting and clear language.

Brands need to be embedded seamlessly into the touchpoints where AI is guiding choices, from early discovery to deal comparisons. Those that fail to do so will be sidelined in purchase decisions and may find themselves being overtaken by competitors that are ahead of the curve. To avoid this, it is important that brands recognise the shift and adjust to retain customer interest.

Trust as a competitive advantage

Of course, a lot of this shift rests on trust. Almost two-thirds of UK consumers (63%) say they want clear explanations and control over how AI makes decisions for them and nearly half still worry about how their data is being used.

These concerns directly influence brand loyalty and can be the reason why consumers pick one business over another. At the same time, with 97% of UK businesses reporting some kind of AI-related security incident, it’s clear that many brands still lack adequate literacy to the underlying risks and anticipation of how to address them.

Trust, then, becomes a differentiator. Effective AI governance doesn’t just reduce risk, it reassures customers that AI systems reflect the brand trust they inherit. In a market shaped by fast-evolving consumer expectations, this gap is becoming increasingly visible and the responsibility is on businesses to take the necessary steps.

Meeting customer expectations

As we start 2026, the message for UK businesses is clear, step up or miss out. Understanding what consumers demand of businesses should drive forward every single AI or technology focused investment or decision to avoid spreading efforts to thinly. Without it, companies can end up seeing their spend increase exponentially without working towards real results.

AI adoption is not a technology issue. It’s a leadership challenge that touches culture, transparency and capability. The organisations that will succeed over the next decade won’t be the ones investing the most in AI, but the ones using it with purpose, aligned to real customer needs, governed responsibly and embedded into experiences people value.