Conversational AI may not feel like the most obvious tool to add a competitive edge to your eCommerce business. After all, this AI trend is mostly discussed in the context of chatbots or voice assistants. But there are many ways in which this technology can help drive sales for your online store, too.
Now you might think, how?
It is because Conversational AI is changing the game for businesses that sell products directly to customers. Voice-activated devices like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, and Apple’s Siri are commonplace in consumers’ homes.
And with more people using smart speakers, the opportunities for businesses to use this technology to sell their products will also increase.
If you’re new to the world of Conversational AI and aren’t sure how it can help boost your eCommerce sales, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will cover
- What is Conversational AI
- Why major eCommerce businesses rely on Conversational AI
- 5 done-for-you strategies to make Conversational AI skyrocket your eCommerce sales
Let’s dive in…
What is Conversational AI?
Conversational AI lets computers understand natural language and respond to human queries naturally.
To put it simply, Conversational AI is the technology that allows computers to speak to humans as if they were humans themselves.
The primary technologies it uses are:
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze speech patterns and responds to human queries naturally. It’s like how you would naturally speak, with slang, abbreviations, sometimes mispronunciations, etc. That is what makes this technology ‘conversationally’ humane.
- Machine Learning (ML) teaches machines how to understand human interactions. With Conversational AI, machines learn and adapt to these daily inputs and give users information to create better conversational experiences that don’t seem like machinery.
- Intelligent analysis of organizing the raw information. It’s like giving value to users by learning about the situations and information the machine already has in store. It’s how machines suggest and recommend us.
You might relate it to:
- Amazon ‘Explore more like this’ list
- Spotify’s ‘You might like to tune to this’ column
- YouTube ‘Recommended list’
Your favorite brands use this to create a personalized, ‘especially-for-you’ experience so that you connect to them and feel they know so much about you!
Ok… You might think, hey, Shruti from LearnWoo; this is getting a bit techy; why should I need to know about the technologies behind this technology?
I came here to know how Conversational AI will help boost my eCommerce sales, not to read a 10-min crash course on cool techs changing the world…
Yeah, I get why you got this question. Still, explaining a bit ‘techy’ side of this technology is important because it is foundational before you implement the strategies we’ve curated for you to make Conversational AI skyrocket your eCommerce sales.
So without boring you with other techy details, let’s get why more and more businesses are opting for Conversational AI.
| Did you know: Venture Beat surveyed that Conversational AI can help businesses save up to $1 million annually in customer service costs. |
Why are major eCommerce businesses relying on Conversational AI?
Going by the above statistics, saving customer service costs couldn’t be the only reason more eCommerce businesses rely on Conversational AI.
No doubt, brick-and-mortar stores are still in demand, but eCommerce has brought about a more convenient way for customers to shop for the things they need.
With Conversational AI, eCommerce retailers can easily boost their sales and reach more customers.
How can you do that?
- By providing optimal customer experience to drive sales as efficiently as possible.
- Catering to their unique needs timely
This means that both website’s design and functionality must be prepared to reduce the effort customers need to put into taking the desired action; buy from you.
How will Conversational AI help boost your sales?
Conversational AI can help drive eCommerce sales in many ways when implemented properly.
Here are a few key benefits of Conversational AI for eCommerce businesses:
- More organic search traffic: With Conversational AI, you can set up chatbots to interact with potential customers on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
This results in a high level of engagement and can boost your organic search traffic.
- Improved customer experience: When done right, Conversational AI can help boost sales by improving customer experience.
It can do this by answering customer questions, providing product information, or even guiding customers through the checkout process.
- Higher conversions: AI can help boost your sales by increasing conversions.
This can be done by personalizing the customer experience to each individual, regardless of whether they are shopping online or on a mobile device.
- Deeper customer relationships: Another key benefit of Conversational AI for eCommerce businesses is that it can help you to develop stronger customer relationships.
This can be done by using AI to create personalized content that is highly relevant and useful to your customers.
5 Done-For-You Strategies To Make Conversational AI Skyrocket Your eCommerce Sales
Conversational AI has been buzzing to be a trendsetter for quite some years. It started as a way to facilitate transactions, but now it has evolved as a new way for brands and customers to connect on a deeper level.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s dive into 5 done-for-you strategies to make Conversational AI skyrocket your eCommerce sales.
Personalizing your content
More than ever, customers are looking for personalized experiences across all channels.
One of the best ways to provide this is by using Conversational AI to create personalized content that is highly relevant to your customers’ needs and interests.
Create Guided Pathways
If you want to increase your conversion rates, you should consider implementing guided pathways in your eCommerce store.
These pathways can be:
- Designed to help customers choose the items they want to purchase.
- Provide them with the necessary information and take them through the entire checkout process.
Installing Push Notifications
You can’t think of a life without your phone, right? Advertisers understood how important phones have become in our households and came up with an innovative way in the form of push notifications, to engage brands with customers more seamlessly.
To make your customers see your messages, consider using AI to send push notifications personalized to each individual’s needs and interests. Btw, the overall push notification opt-in rate is 60%.
Using Voice Assistants
As per a survey by Serpwatch, 68% of users think that voice-operated personal assistants have made their lives easier. Why be left behind? Make it accessible for your customers to order from you by adding a voice assistant to your eCommerce store.
Chatbots as Real-Time Virtual Assistants
If you want to boost the overall customer experience in your eCommerce store, you can add a chatbot–a computer program designed to stimulate human-like conversation.
In eCommerce, these programs are often used as virtual assistants that help users browse and buy products on websites.
It’s no less than a revolution, really. Consider this: An AI chatbot will learn about your customers’ preferences, what they like to buy and what they don’t. The more your customers chat with it, the better it gets at understanding your customer’s needs and wants. Spooky much?
This can be done by creating a chatbot that can answer simple questions, provide product information, and even place orders.
Let Conversational AI do the work for you!
Here’s one thing you don’t often see: People love conversing with their robots (think Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, or Apple’s Siri).
But this Conversational AI technology is growing so rapidly that talking to them feels impossible.
It is an important trend for eCommerce businesses to drive sales as efficiently as possible and provide an optimal customer experience.
The good news is that it is not a trend that will disappear anytime soon. Quite the contrary; it is predicted to become a more indispensable tool in the coming years.
Implement these strategies to boost your eCommerce sales ASAP because the thing is: Customers are becoming more tech-savvy, so the demand for enhanced eCommerce experiences is also on the rise.
To remain competitive and encash this advantage, you must match with innovative solutions that meet your customers’ dynamic needs.
And Conversational AI can help you manifest that!
