Customers are three times more likely to use third-party generative AI tools than brand-provided chatbots for customer service, according to a Gartner survey of more than 3,500 B2B and B2C customers (Retail Dive - Technology). Consumer usage of third-party generative AI tools has doubled in the past year alone, while company-provided chatbot usage has not statistically increased since 2022 (Retail Dive - Technology).
The preference for third-party tools reflects both customer familiarity and perceived quality. Two-thirds of consumers use generative AI across their personal and work lives (Retail Dive - Technology), and they increasingly trust these tools because they use them daily. For commerce practitioners, the gap reveals two critical misalignments: most brand chatbots only answer questions rather than enabling transactions—a capability where they could uniquely compete—and their presentation as a pop-up widget feels outdated compared to integrated conversational interfaces. Leading organizations are reimagining their entire digital experience as an AI-powered conversational front door rather than a standalone chatbot feature.
Gartner's findings suggest that simply adding AI to an underused brand chatbot will not drive engagement. Over 58% of consumers have used generative AI to complete tasks, yet many brand chatbots redirect users to separate pages for transactions, missing a critical opportunity to capture and retain customer interactions within the AI-powered experience.