In a world where AI is becoming ubiquitous, a new kind of customer is emerging – the machine customer. Gartner alerts us to a future where the traditional marketing wisdom aimed at humans may no longer apply.
"The buying behavior of AI-powered customers is logical and rational. Decades of insight and training in marketing and selling to human customers may suddenly become irrelevant.” – Gartner
Today, we already have options such as HP Instant Ink, Amazon Dash Replenishment and Tesla cars that can automatically execute restricted tasks as a “co-customer” on a person’s behalf. We set the rules, and the machine gets it done, albeit within a restricted ecosystem.
As we look towards 2026, we see a landscape where devices and machines, equipped with AI, aren't just tools but customers with their own purchasing power, making optimised selections from competing products. And by 2036 machines will infer your needs based on rules, context and preferences, as well as its own needs.
This shift calls for a radical rethinking of sales, marketing, and service strategies to engage with these AI-driven entities effectively.
1. Easy Access: Ensure that machine customers can easily find your product and service information.
2. Strategic Inclusion: Incorporate these AI customers into your digital commerce and sales plans.
3. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Build strong collaboration between your sales, marketing, IT, and other departments to serve these new customers.
4. Specialised Training: Upskill your sales and service teams on how to interact with AI agents.
5. Awareness Training: Teach your customer-facing staff how to recognise and interact with machine customers.
Machine customers are set to become a significant growth sector. Unlike humans, they make decisions based on logic and data, not emotion. As more devices connect to the internet, and people increasingly rely on smart assistants, the business implications are vast.
As previously mentioned, services like HP Instant Ink and Amazon Dash Replenishment are early examples, performing "co-customer" roles by automating purchases based on set criteria. Soon, an autonomous car could independently handle its maintenance bookings or even order dinner when you're running late, communicating directly with vendors.
By 2030, experts predict that a quarter of all consumer and business purchasing activities might be handled by these intelligent systems.
• Compatibility: Ensure your digital infrastructure can interface with machine customers.
• Security: Robust security protocols must be in place to safeguard against misuse or data breaches.
• Privacy: As machines handle more tasks, privacy concerns, especially around customer data, will be paramount.
• Regulatory Compliance: Stay ahead of regulations governing AI and machine transactions.
• Innovation: Continuously innovate to meet the evolving capabilities and expectations of machine customers.
Embracing machine customers isn't just about adapting to a new market – it's about leading in a world where AI-driven transactions could become the norm, opening new avenues for revenue and customer engagement.
Read more at Gartner with their article Machine Customers Will Decide Who Gets Their Trillion Dollar Business. Is It You?
