Earlier this month, Dr Amir Khan, Lecturer in Digital Marketing here at Salford Business School, presented his research on customer Journey at the 48th ISMS (INFORMS Society for Marketing Science) Marketing Science Conference, hosted by the Nova School of Business and Economics in Lisbon.
The conference brought together leading scholars and practitioners from around the world to discuss emerging trends and some of the most pressing challenges facing marketing today.
A recurring theme across many sessions was the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on consumer behaviour, decision-making and customer experience. This provided an ideal platform to explore a question that is becoming increasingly relevant for both researchers and practitioners: what happens when AI moves beyond supporting customer decisions and begins making them?
Industry and academic disconnect
Amir’s research sought to bridge the gap between firm-driven, measurement-centric approaches and theoretically grounded customer journey models developed within academia. Through his analysis, he examined how customer journey research has evolved from simple path-to-purchase frameworks towards more sophisticated customer experience ecosystems.
The findings suggest an increasing convergence between academic and industry perspectives, combining the theoretical rigour of academic models with the practical measurement needs of organisations. At the same time, the review identifies several conceptual and methodological gaps that warrant further investigation, particularly as emerging technologies continue to reshape customer behaviour and decision-making processes.
The rise of agentic AI
One of the most exciting discussions at the conference centred on the emergence of agentic AI. Unlike traditional AI tools that support human decisions through recommendations and personalisation, agentic AI systems can autonomously search, evaluate, negotiate and potentially complete purchases on behalf of consumers.
This shift has profound implications. If intelligent agents become the primary decision-makers, many foundational marketing concepts may need to be reconsidered. What does consumer involvement mean when an AI agent evaluates alternatives? How should marketers measure satisfaction when consumers never directly interact with the decision process? These questions sparked considerable interest and debate among conference participants.
Key takeaways from the conference
Several broader themes emerged across conference discussions, including:
- Media attribution, marketing models and customer journey analysis are becoming increasingly integrated in the digital ecosystem
- Marketing research is moving towards real-time, predictive and data-driven customer journey analytics
- Generative AI is playing a growing role in consumer search behaviour, prompting organisations to consider generative engine optimisation (GEO) alongside traditional search strategies
- Trust, transparency, governance and ethical AI deployment are becoming central strategic priorities
- Digital twins, synthetic customers and AI-enabled simulation techniques are attracting growing attention among researchers and practitioners
Looking ahead
Amongst the most important conclusions from Amir’s research is that the customer journey is no longer solely a human journey. We are entering an era where consumers, firms and intelligent agents will interact within increasingly complex ecosystems.
As AI continues to evolve from a decision-support tool to an autonomous participant in the marketplace, researchers and practitioners must rethink how customer journeys are conceptualised, measured and managed. Understanding these emerging agentic journeys will be essential for organisations seeking to remain relevant in a rapidly changing digital environment.
The future of the customer journey may not simply be digital – it may be increasingly agentic.