How Conversational Commerce is Evolving The Way We Shop
If there was something on your shopping list — a sleek maxi dress, a pair of boots, a tablet, a straightener, or even groceries; how would you choose to buy it? Well, some of us might make it to the store. But there are a good many others who will pull out their smartphones, browse, add to cart, and buy! The online shopping world has grown by leaps and bounds. According to a survey conducted by Square and Mercury Analytics, 51% Americans prefer to shop online and 80% with an internet connection will have made a purchase in the past month alone. In India, the total number of online shoppers was predicted to cross 100 million by 2017 with a 65% increase expected in 2018, based on a study by ASSOCHAN-Resurgent India. The Ecommerce boom continues! There may be many factors responsible for the rise in online shopping. However, there’s one particular cause that stands out. Welcome to the world of conversational chatbots.
You’ve probably heard of chatbots. It’s a unique software that uses Artificial Intelligence and natural language processing to comprehend commands and give appropriate responses or solutions. Conversational chatbots take it one step further by having human-like conversations, thanks to natural language processing — an advantage that has improved customer experiences manifold. Here’s how!!
Fashion brands such as H&M and Sephora have their chatbots active, and fully operational on Kik, an instant messaging platform. The bots need to be added to your contacts list, just like you would for any other contact. Post this, they talk and chat! Sephora can pull out your purchase history, analyze your preferences and give you updates regarding the latest arrivals or products on discount. And it’s not all sales. The bot will respond to any questions you have. It can give you beauty and makeup tips and even redirect you to information online. The same goes for H&M. Or Levis, given the introduction of their latest chatbot — The Levi’s Virtual Stylist. The bot acts as a shopping assistant and helps customers find the right pair of denim by assessing details such as fit, rise, stretch, and more. Users can also get styling tips and see virtual fits of what the product might look like.
We’re not talking fashion brands alone. Taco Bell’s conversational interface on Slack makes it super easy to place orders. The same goes with Starbucks, where customers can place an order using voice commands or texts via the Starbucks app. Mastercard uses the Facebook Messenger bot to help users make payments, check into their accounts, and more.
The combination of personal assistance with virtual shopping has been a ticket to high sales and better customer experiences. Of course, the bots will need to evolve and improve in order to keep up with expectations and pique interest. But as of now, chatbots are doing an excellent job revolutionizing the world of Ecommerce.
If you’d like to keep abreast of the competition and take your brand one step ahead, it’s time to give the conversational chatbots a chance. Avaamo is a leading brand that helps build customized AI solutions for businesses across the world. Visit http://www.avaamo.com/
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