Digitisation

A woman online shopping on her mobile phone.

Today’s brands operate in a fast-changing online world

The digital revolution means that consumers now interact with brands in ways that are increasingly diverse and rapidly evolving. AI-powered tools, social media, augmented reality, personalised data – and many other digital developments – are shaping the way consumers find and buy products.

As consumer expectations shift and evolve, brands must keep up. They must also harness the huge potential that digital tools offer for improving the customer experience of both online and offline shopping. Digital advances are set to continue at pace, bringing both opportunities and challenges for today’s brands.

Two people at desks in an office – one of them is designing a product on their computer using a VR headset.

Activities

We advocate for and support a digital environment that protects consumers while ensuring a fair and level playing field for all operators.

Guiding brands in the digital space

Brands are now fully digital in all aspects of their business – from research and development, to production, customisation, logistics and distribution.

But the digital environment is a complex one, that is challenging to keep up with. Brands’ long-term success relies on a level playing field, built on principles that apply to all players in the same way.

The principle that ‘what is illegal offline should be illegal online’ is one that AIM has consistently championed. We advocate for strong platform obligations to fight counterfeiting online in the Digital Services Act and to prohibit unfair practices online in the Digital Market Act.

Facilitating responsible stewardship of consumer data

As the retail environment becomes increasingly digitalised, businesses of all kinds have come to hold significant amounts of data on their customers.

Brands must demonstrate accountability and responsibility in how this data is handled. AIM serves as a platform for its members to proactively engage in issues such as data privacy, security and ethical use of AI, by advocating for responsible data stewardship and compliance with regulations like the EU General Data Protection Regulation and AI Act.