Using AI in eCommerce is becoming increasingly important as consumer expectations continue to evolve. Customers now demand a fast and seamless user interface, and personalized experiences are crucial. This is where Conversational AI with embedded Generative AI techniques comes in.
Generative AI can improve Conversational AI text chatbots and voice bots, allowing eCommerce companies to create personalized customer journeys, respond to queries quickly, and even deploy Points of Sale (PoS) in popular messaging apps.
The impact of Conversational AI on eCommerce sales is significant. It is responsible for a 67% increase in sales, and AI chatbots are predicted to account for $112 billion in retail sales by 2023. Retailers that effectively use conversational commerce are experiencing annual revenue growth between 7% and 25%. The possibilities for businesses are vast.
One of the main advantages of using chatbots in eCommerce is their high engagement rates. eCommerce businesses leveraging chatbots for communication have an average open rate of 85% and a click-through rate (CTR) of 40%, far surpassing the open rate of 23% and CTR of 3% for emails.
Chatbots also save customers time and help them find what they’re looking for. 73% of customers prefer self-service features like chatbots over live agent chat because they can save over 10 minutes.
Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the global eCommerce sector, which is valued at $5.920 trillion. A survey conducted in 2023 revealed that 37% of professionals in the advertising or marketing sector in the United States already use AI to aid in their work.
Now let’s explore the specific use cases of Generative AI chatbots in eCommerce and the benefits they offer.
Use Case #1: Personalized product recommendations
Generative AI can analyze customer data to provide personalized product recommendations. These recommendations can be sent via an eCommerce chatbot to increase sales by suggesting products that specifically interest and meet the needs of individual customers.
Use Case #2: Upselling/cross-selling
Generative AI can enhance the shopping experience by analyzing customers’ current orders and suggesting additional items that complement their purchases. This personalized approach can help customers discover new products and lead to increased sales for the business.
Use Case #3: Customer reviews
Generative AI can gather reviews from various sources and provide customers with all the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions. This eliminates the need for customers to research multiple websites and makes the process quicker and easier.
Use Case #4: Price matching
Generative AI can provide users with a prompt to compare prices for a specific product across different sellers, helping them make informed purchasing decisions.
Use Case #5: Product search
Generative AI can help customers find products based on broad criteria, even when they don’t have the exact name. The AI-powered chatbot can generate a list of product recommendations that fit the customer’s criteria.
Use Case #6: Product stock or type notifications
Generative AI can notify users about low-stock items and provide personalized updates on the top/most purchased items.
Use Case #7: Book across chain locations
Generative AI can provide users with options for booking appointments or reservations at businesses with multiple locations.
Use Case #8: Price history
Generative AI can incorporate pricing history into chatbots to influence users to make purchases by showing them current pricing and encouraging them to take advantage of it.
Overall, integrating Generative AI chatbots into eCommerce offers numerous benefits, from increasing sales and engagement to enhancing the customer experience. Instead of developing a new chatbot, it is recommended to enhance an existing one with Generative AI technology to streamline the implementation process and make it more cost-effective.