Australian consumption brands fight with the growth of profits, but they see the personalization of AI that offers a stronger ROI than loyalty programs.
What is happening: Australian consumer goods leaders are quickly adopting AI agents to combat margin pressure and boost growth, and 85% believe that these autonomous systems will be essential for competition within two years. The new Salesforce research shows that 53% of local CG leaders expect profitable growth to be more difficult this year, which causes a strategic investment in personalization based on AI on traditional income tactics.
Why does this matter: With 40% of Australian SMEs that already adopt AI and the consumer goods sector facing winds against economic winds, the change towards AI agents represents a fundamental change in the way in which brands involve customers and administer operations. The data suggests that traditional approaches such as loyalty programs and commercial promotions can no longer offer enough yields for sustainable growth.
Australian consumer goods companies are making unprecedented bets on artificial intelligence, since they face the most difficult profit environment in years, with industry leaders who see AI agents as their main weapon against the erosion of the margin and disloyalty of customers.
A new Salesforce investigation that enrolls 2,400 global consumption leaders, including 200 of Australia, reveals that 53% of local business leaders of consumer goods expect profitable growth to be more challenging this year than the last one.
In response, these companies are making their main investment priority, and 85% say that AI agents will be essential to compete within two years and 83% waiting for these autonomous systems to directly boost sales.
Profit pressure promotes the adoption of AI
The challenging environment is the remodeling of strategic priorities throughout the sector. Almost all Australian CG leaders (99%) cite exposure to economic policy changes, such as tariffs that affect their supply, operations and margins.
“It is clear that Australian consumer goods companies must do more to offer an effective participation of the client,” says Nathan Alexander, McPherson’s Information Director, one of the main providers of health, well -being and beauty products in Australia.
“This report reinforces our strategy to take advantage of social participation to build brand market knowledge and allow more personalized brand messages.”
Alexander’s company is implementing what the industry calls “Agent Ai” to boost greater productivity, faster decision making and an accelerated value creation through the unified Salesforce ecosystem.
The urgency reflects broader market pressures. With 59% of Australian CG leaders who say it is more difficult than ever to keep loyalty to the consumer, and 74% of consumers changing brands in the last year, traditional client retention strategies are in insufficient.
The agents become essential for 2027
IA agents represent a fundamental change of reactive customer service to proactive commercial assistance. Unlike chatbots that respond to consultations, these systems can act autonomously together with human equipment to complete complex tasks from the creation of commercial promotion to the development of new products.
Research shows that Australian leaders expect rapid adoption:
- 85% believe that AI agents will be essential to compete in two years
- 89% expect their companies to invest more and more in AI agents
- 83% believe that agents of AI will help increase sales
“The message of the business leaders of Australian consumer goods is clear; maintaining the loyalty of the client is increasingly challenging, and companies must move quickly to implement AI agents to remain competitive,” says Jane Brown, SVP Enterprise, Salesforce Anz.
This is aligned with broader adoption trends, with 70% of small retail companies that already use AI tools in some way, although the movement towards autonomous agents represents a significant evolution in capacity.
Traditional Tactics Success limits
The research reveals on the gaps in traditional income generation strategies. Commercial promotions, despite being one of the largest expenses in consumer goods, offer a positive ROI for only 41% of Australian companies.
After years of pursuing growth through direct channels to the consumer and loyalty programs, these approaches seem to be reaching effective ceilings. The data suggests that the new AI and personalized offers based on data significantly exceed performance loyalty programs in almost 15 percentage points in Australia.
Companies are responding by changing spending to digital participation channels:
- 63% are promoting spending on social networks
- 51% are increasing digital advertising investment
- 67% are investing more in customization capabilities
This strategic pivot reflects what Michelle Grant, director RCG Insights in Salesforce, describes as a fundamental change in market dynamics.
“In 2025, price increases, general promotions and standard assortments cannot guarantee growth,” Grant said. “Winning now means precision: using data, strategic commercial promotions and agent to convert each step from the factory to the buyer in an income generation opportunity.”
Personalization wins on loyalty
The most prominent search refers to the effectiveness of customization. Although loyalty programs have been a cornerstone of customer retention strategies, personalized offers promoted by AI offer substantially stronger results.
This reflects broader trends in Australian retail trade, where the customization of AI creates content at scale, which allows brands to create variations that resonate with different audience segments instead of relying on unique approaches to all.
The change suggests fundamental changes in consumer expectations and commitment patterns. As customer customers fragment in multiple channels, brands are discovering that personalized and data -based interactions exceed traditional mass market approaches.
McPherson’s strategy exemplifies this evolution, with the company implementing AI to ensure that their brands “connect more significantly with consumers while offering measurable commercial results.”
The investigation indicates that this customization advantage will probably expand as the agents of AI become more sophisticated and integrated in customer trip management.
For Australian consumer goods companies, the data has a challenge and an opportunity. Although traditional growth levers show that decreasing yields and economic pressures intensify, AI agents offer a way to improve efficiency, innovation and client participation.
With 70% of manufacturers of packaging assets of consumption that already assign resources to artificial and robotic intelligence technologies, the career to implement effective strategies of AI is rapidly accelerating.
Companies that successfully display AI agents in the next two years can obtain significant competitive advantages in an increasingly challenging market environment.
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