Marketing in the AI Age: Voice Commerce, AR, Personalization, and Beyond

By MarketWorth • Published September 13, 2025

AI changed marketing from art + guesswork into real-time, data-driven orchestration. In 2025 brands must master voice shopping, AR experiences, and first-party data strategies — or risk being invisible to modern customers.

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Intro: How marketing changed when AI tools took over

The last five years turned marketing tech into a thinking layer. AI writes personalized subject lines in milliseconds, predicts which creative will convert for which audience, and automates campaign orchestration across dozens of channels.

Today’s customer expects relevant help at the right moment — not generic ads. AI lets brands meet that bar at scale.

Top 2025 trends you can’t ignore

1. Voice commerce — the conversational checkout

Voice commerce means consumers use their voice assistants to research and purchase. For repeat goods — groceries, household supplies, subscriptions — voice reduces friction to near zero. Brands that optimize for natural language queries, maintain strong product catalogs, and support frictionless account linking win frequent purchases.

Quick tactic: add conversational keyword variants to product descriptions (eg. “buy dog food for small breeds” vs “best dog food”).

2. AR ads — from demo to try-on

Augmented Reality (AR) in ads turns passive impressions into interactive try-ons. From trying lipstick shades to dropping a sofa into your living room, AR drives confidence — which raises conversion and reduces returns. Platforms now offer AR ad units inside social feeds and commerce sites, reducing the path from discovery to decision.

3. Data-driven personalization — real-time & cross-channel

Personalization in 2025 is not static segmentation: it’s per-session adaptation. AI models score intent, match the best creative, and test variants in real time. This is where your first-party data delivers the highest ROI — the more quality signals you own, the better your model predicts.

4. The death of cookies & the rise of first-party data

Third-party cookies are effectively dead. That means targeting based on external trackers is unreliable. The alternative: build direct relationships. Loyalty programs, app engagement, newsletters, and on-site interactions now form the bedrock of targeting. Smart brands ask customers for small pieces of zero-party data (preferences, goals) in return for better experiences.

Case studies: brands using AI in marketing

Starbucks — AI in the loyalty experience

Starbucks uses AI to personalize offers inside its app, predicting favorite items and optimizing push timing. The result: higher order frequency and deeper loyalty. The lesson: use AI to reduce friction, not to spam customers.

Image suggestion: Unsplash — Starbucks-style app personalization (free-to-use placeholder)

Nike — AR try-ons + community personalization

Nike blends AR try-ons with performance data from wearables to recommend shoes and training plans. Combined with local community events, they turn curious buyers into brand loyalists. The lesson: combine immersive experiences with meaningful utility.

Local example — small retailer using AI for hyperlocal offers

A neighborhood retailer used a simple voice-enabled ordering skill and a WhatsApp bot to take orders, then targeted past customers with personalized bundles. Sales increased, and customer satisfaction improved because ordering was easy and local.

The death of cookies & the new playbook for first-party data

With third-party cookies gone, marketers must collect and use first-party data ethically and transparently. That means:

• Designing value exchange: give discounts, tools, or convenience in exchange for preferences.
• Using progressive profiling: ask for one piece of info at a time across interactions.
• Storing data responsibly: consent logs, encryption, and clear retention policies.

Example tactics: loyalty points for profile completion; in-app quick surveys; onboarding quizzes that feed recommendation engines.

Creative formats that work with AI

AI helps scale creative but creative must remain human-led. Effective formats in 2025 include:

• Short-form shoppable video — video clips with embedded product tags and one-click buy.
• Interactive AR filters — gamified try-ons that collect preference signals.
• Conversational landing pages — short chat flows that qualify intent and route leads.

Action steps for marketers — a prioritized 8-point plan

Start here this quarter. These steps are prioritized for impact and speed.

1. Audit your first-party data: map where you collect emails, in-app events, purchases, and preferences.
2. Launch a lightweight loyalty or preference center: collect opt-in preferences and returns value immediately (discount, curation).
3. Test voice-friendly pages: add FAQ-style conversational copy and long-tail phrasing for voice queries.
4. Pilot one AR experience: a product try-on or visualization for a high-consideration SKU.
5. Adopt an experimentation cadence: A/B test messaging, creative, and timing with automated winner selection.
6. Integrate privacy by design: consent banners, explainers, and easy data controls in user settings.
7. Train teams on AI writing & prompt design: make AI a productivity multiplier — not a replacement.
8. Measure outcomes: track conversion lift, return rate, LTV, and CAC changes from each experiment.

Metric focus: emphasize incremental revenue per user (IRPU), return rate, and cost per acquisition (CPA) when measuring AR and voice pilots.

Tooling & partner checklist

Need	Suggested tools / partners
First-party data platform	Customer Data Platform (CDP) — mParticle, Segment
Voice commerce	Alexa Skills / Google Actions / Voice SDKs
AR experience	Spark AR, 8th Wall, Snapchat AR
Personalization & recommendations	Dynamic Yield, Bloomreach, Recombee
Privacy & consent	OneTrust, CookiePro, custom consent layers

Measuring ROI — what success looks like

Expect wins in two buckets:

• Conversion & retention: AR try-ons lift conversion and reduce returns; personalized emails increase repeat purchases.
• Efficiency: AI-driven creative and automation reduce campaign production time and improve targeting accuracy (lower CPA).

Run a 90-day pilot, compare cohorts (control vs. experiment), and measure LTV uplift per cohort. If LTV increases more than CAC, scale the initiative.

Ethics & consumer trust — don’t forget the human factor

AI-driven marketing is powerful — but it can feel creepy if mishandled. Avoid personalization traps by:

• Being transparent about data use
• Allowing users to control personalization levels
• Using human-checked creative for sensitive topics

Respecting privacy is not just legal compliance — it’s a brand differentiator in a post-cookie world.

Predictions: what comes next (2026–2030)

• Voice-first retail: voice ordering becomes standard for habitual purchases.
• AR commerce everywhere: product visualization embedded in search and social platforms.
• AI-native brand experiences: brands will have AI-driven personas that personalize tone and offers dynamically.
• Privacy-as-competitive advantage: brands that offer clear data control will win long-term loyalty.

FAQs

How quickly should I test AR or voice?

Start a lightweight pilot within 30–60 days. Use a single SKU and a single channel to keep variables limited. Measure conversion lift and return rates before scaling.

Will AI replace creative teams?

No. AI accelerates ideation and iteration, but human creativity is still essential for brand voice, storytelling, and emotional connection.

Ready to modernize your marketing stack? Contact MarketWorth for a voice & AR pilot or a data-first marketing audit. Explore more resources at MarketWorth Home.

Image placeholders: Unsplash / Pexels suggestions used for immediate publishing. Replace with your own assets for branding consistency. This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal or privacy advice.