AI-powered touch points in the customer journey: a systematic literature review and research agenda

Abstract

PurposeVarious consumer-facing artificial intelligence (AI) applications are used to interact with consumers at all purchase stages, and related research has sharply increased. This study aims to synthesize the literature related to consumer–AI interaction using the customer journey framework, identify the factors affecting AI's effectiveness in interactive marketing and offer an agenda for future research.Design/methodology/approachThis study undertakes a framework-based systematic review of 239 articles on AI in marketing from the consumer perspective published in peer-reviewed journals from 2007 to 2021.FindingsThis review identifies the roles of AI touch points and factors affecting the acceptance and effectiveness of consumer–AI interaction in each stage of the customer journey.Originality/valueThis study is the first to review the existing literature using a customer journey framework to identify the factors that influence customer interactions with AI touch points at each purchase stage and pave the way for future research.