Pod: UVA Darden's Professor Luca Cian: Consumer Psychology and Agentic Commerce
University of Virginia professor Luca Cian explores AI, psychology, and how agentic commerce is reshaping consumer trust, loyalty, and shopping behavior.
Luca Cian is a professor in marketing at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. When not busy teaching executive MBA students, his research focus area is the psychology of AI, visual persuasion, consumer decision-making, and trust in AI vs. human recommendations. Luca is also the co-author of the “Word-of-Machine Effect,” studying when consumers prefer AI (word of machine) vs. human (word of mouth) product recommendations.
While he’s an academic steeped in research, Luca is able to tie the observations they are seeing in their behavioral laboratory, to actionable strategies and tactics for brands and retailers selling online.
Listen/Watch Our Interview:
What happens when consumers trust AI agents more than their friends for shopping advice?
On this episode of Retailgentic, we welcome Professor Luca Cian from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
We dive into how shoppers perceive AI in utilitarian vs. hedonic purchases, why trust in AI depends on “augmented decision-making,” and how brands should prepare for an AI-first retail future.
Tune in for:
The psychology of trust in AI: why we accept AI for practical tasks but resist it in creative/hedonic domains
The paradox of choice and how AI alleviates decision fatigue
How brands can adapt to the rise of agentic commerce and GEO (GenAI Engine Optimization)
Future of loyalty programs when shopping decisions are mediated by AI agents
From the paradox of choice to the emerging world of “GenAI Engine Optimization (GEO),” this conversation is packed with insights on how AI is rewriting the rules of marketing, loyalty, and consumer psychology.
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