UK consumers are putting their faith in AI-powered virtual agents (67%) and luxury brand websites (68%) as the most reliable places to check product details, ahead of physical stores (62%), resale platforms (54%) and influencer content (50%). Social media ranks last, with only 31% of shoppers calling it reliable.
Akeneo, the product experience (PX) company, has shared new UK findings from its latest b2c study The Evolution of the Modern Shopper. The data shows AI agents have surged to the top of the charts for trust, luxury brand sites remain the benchmark for reliability, while store information falls behind and social media is way down.
“Shoppers aren’t short on content; they’re short on clarity,” said Romain Fouache, CEO at Akeneo. “Our research shows customers are actively seeking out the channels that give them confidence, and they’ll pay more when brands provide complete, trustworthy product information. The winners will be those that treat product data as a strategic asset and build a single, governed foundation that powers every experience, including AI.”
Key UK findings include: 68% say luxury brand websites offer the most reliable product information, while 67% rate AI agents highly for product content reliability; physical stores (62%) and influencer content (50%) trail behind, with only 31% considering social media a reliable source of product information.
These preferences mirror broader dynamics in the report: poor product data continues to undermine the customer experience, and returns remain an expensive symptom of bad information. At the same time, consumers place growing monetary value on clear, comprehensive content, with shoppers willing to pay 25–30% more for products accompanied by high-quality information.
“Whether it’s size and fit, sustainability credentials, compatibility, or care instructions, shoppers expect the full story, and they expect it to be consistent across web, store, marketplace and now AI assistants,” added Fouache. “That level of reliability doesn’t happen by accident. It requires clean, structured, enriched data that’s continuously governed and activated to every channel.”
AI is only as good as your product data. As shoppers increasingly consult AI agents for answers, brands and retailers must ensure those systems read from a single source of truth or risk confident-sounding, incorrect answers that erode trust.
Omnichannel consistency closes the sale. With 76% of shoppers engaging multiple touchpoints before purchase, discrepancies between the website, store, marketplace listings and AI answers create confusion, abandoned baskets and returns.
Trust converts as well as protects margin. Clear, complete product content reduces uncertainty, lowers return risk and justifies premium pricing.
“This research is a wake-up call for brands and retailers, that consumers follow the most reliable information, not the loudest channel,” said Fouache. “Brands and retailers that unify, govern and activate their product data can confidently power every experience, including AI, and turn trust into growth.”
The Evolution of the Modern Shopper: Why better technology hasn’t solved the product information gap, and how to adapt is available now. The report surveyed 1,800 consumers across eight countries (including the UK), balanced by age and gender.
