Want to Take Your E-Commerce to the Next Level? It’s Time to Turn to the Robots
Commerce is the center of all action for businesses and consumers. A company makes a sale, and a customer walks away satisfied. E-commerce takes this dynamic and puts it on a digital platform. While these platforms are now a leading source for revenue, robots — and, more specifically, artificial intelligence (AI) — can bring them to the next level.
Since purchases occur at all times of the day, businesses must be accessible 24/7 to match that demand. Luckily, AI can help, with innovations changing the way e-commerce operates.
Chatbots are something you probably see available on almost every website you visit. These conversation simulators help companies provide better customer satisfaction and allow sales representatives to focus on other responsibilities.
You can use a chatbot through voice or text, and they work to solve questions or inquiries. This setup is beneficial for both ends of the e-commerce sale. The business provides fast customer service, and the consumer receives a quick answer. Since chatbots use AI, they gather intelligence as they progress — the more information they collect, the better they can help consumers in the future.
This efficiency will lead to increased return on investment (ROI) and repeat customers. As more chatbots provide ways to connect with consumers, e-commerce will thrive from the efficiency and trust. Customers will then use that site to make future purchases.
Voice-activated devices are now a common household item. The big names include Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Apple’s Siri is a built-in example, too. Due to the integration of natural language processing in these gadgets, they can recognize your voice and requests. E-commerce is now thriving through voice-based devices, too.
Google Home and Amazon Alexa allow a hands-free approach to shopping. You can simply say “Alexa” or “Okay, Google” to activate their response. Then, you can ask the devices to search for an item to purchase. This process could include anything from clothing to entertainment to appliances.
AI makes this convenience possible. Since the technology learns as it goes, it continues to evolve and handle more requests. Tracking the e-commerce orders, for instance, is already a feature on some devices, improving functionality and ease of use. It becomes a platform for AI active listening, the ability to note word choice and tone, to drive sales and customer satisfaction.
When companies use AI to recommend products to e-commerce consumers, it involves a few steps. First, when you integrate automation, processes like data analytics that tracks purchases, trends and behavior will become instant and happen in real-time. With this information, AI systems can suggest personalized items or services to each consumer.
When Netflix posts the section titled “Top Picks For You,” it’s using machine learning to understand your preferences and provide better recommendations. This technology will drive e-commerce since consumers are more likely to invest in other products or content within their interests.
During this process, AI takes into account many things — purchase behavior and history, natural language processing, web analytics, product reviews and more. From there, companies see an increase in e-commerce, and customers feel satisfied with the service they receive.
Fake reviews are a lesser-known but prominent issue for e-commerce. Many consumers look to feedback for information and to decide if they should buy the product. Some spammers, competitors or other brands may try to post fake reviews to bring the rating or overall consensus down.
AI can step in here, too. With high levels of intelligence gathering, AI can use its algorithms to detect fake reviews. Once it understands the criteria that fake comments consist of, it can start to remove them.
This process will allow the overall rating to return to an accurate level. Once consumers see the positive and factual reviews, they won’t get deterred by any spam, and the company’s e-commerce activity will improve.
Personalization is an overarching theme that affects the way businesses and consumers interact. It takes many tools that product recommendations use, such as AI, and disperses them in other areas. According to one survey, 80% of customers are more likely to buy from an organization if it offers personalized experiences.
With AI, businesses can track individual buying history and habits and use that data to create purchase predictions and suggest content. It also uses this information, alongside demographics and graphics design to cater to specific consumers. Enterprises can do this through email and advertising in addition to recommendations.
Purchasers can receive deals, emails or ads that are specific to their relationship with the company, a factor that allows for better customer satisfaction. When people feel businesses treat them like an individual rather than a number, it boosts e-commerce sales.
E-commerce is growing every day, reaching a new peak of more than 11% of all sales in the U.S. in 2019. Combining e-commerce with AI is the best way to generate more revenue, a circular process that results in a win for each party involved.
Taking your e-commerce to the next level requires AI. Because of this technology’s versatility and wheelhouse of capabilities, it will improve customer experiences. From there, enterprises will see an increase in e-commerce activity.
