eCommerce Chatbot: Everything You Should Know About

If you’re into online shopping, you must have used eCommerce chatbot once. Indeed, the digital world is constantly developing and interactive agents are evolving, too. But what do merchants know about them? Actually, what is chatbot? And why are they so popular? Which advantages do virtual assistants provide? In this blog post, we’ll try to give extended answers to these questions every merchant should know about and to give the most useful tips for eCommerce business. Stay tuned.

Your Personal Helper

To start with, let’s figure out what is chatbot and how does it operate. So, the virtual companion is a special program that can communicate with users imitating human’s behavior. They run according to certain rules, which are built into the program. The chatbot operates strictly within these regulations.

Chatbots are used in different areas to solve common problems. Thus, merchants incorporate chatbots into their trading routine to replace and automate everyday tasks.

As a rule, they are developed on various messaging platforms like Facebook, Slack, Whatsapp, Skype, etc. Also, a savvy program can be placed on a website, landing pages, and more.

There is nothing difficult in working with an interactive agent. If a chatbot works inside a messenger, all you need is to add it to the contact list and start chatting. Then, the companion sends vital data about the program and the list of available commands.

What Makes Them So Popular?

The cause of increased attention to eCommerce chatbots is explained by the fact that the mobile application market is oversaturated. At the same time, users are not striving to install additional applications. According to the surveys, people tend to spend 80% of their time only in 3 apps. Moreover, an average US citizen downloads only one application per 2-3 months.

Nevertheless, more and more people start using messengers. It is a very comfortable and fast way to keep in touch. The point is that messengers are not so littered with extra information and annoying advertising as social networks. In addition, they require fewer resources and serve on cheaper devices, which is a great merit.

So, with time, service developers realized that it is easier to reach a customer in an app that is already installed and used regularly. There is no point in motivating users to work with a separate application.

There are some reasons that explain why chatbots are preferred:

• a virtual assistant does not require traffic for downloading and installation time;
• works well with a poor Internet connection;
• they operate on all messenger platforms. So, developers don’t have to build a new app from scratch;
• it doesn’t need phone memory;
• easy operation in one window doesn’t make a user switch between different menu tabs.

Types Of Virtual Agents

1. Simple chatbot responds to a given number of phrases with the exact match of the question. During a conversation, it highlights keywords and reacts to them. If a client doesn’t use keywords for correspondence, the agent simply does not understand it. To say the truth, the functionality of them is very limited. However, in some cases, they are quite effective.

2. Smart or Advanced one is an artificial intelligence, developed on the basis of modern AI-solutions. There is no need for creating response templates. Such assistant can learn in the dialogue and manage the context of the conversation, easily understanding and analyzing the text. It automatically improves its communication skills for further conversations.

Merchants Use Talkbots For The Following Purposes:

• eCommerce chatbots provide high-quality customer service and guarantee a quick response. It pleases clients and makes them satisfied with the shopping experience in an online store;
• for marketing mailing. The point is that even with quality mailing, only 10-30% of people read the news. But in the case of the chatbot, about 85% of users tend to open the message;
• ordering process becomes much easier with a highly intelligent assistant. They can help customers with selecting some goods. It is useful for the companies that process a large stream of similar orders;
• motivating customers to make a purchase.

Need Chatbot Examples?

Considering eCommerce chatbot examples, Operator app is an excellent assistant in selecting stuff. It provides simple and repetitive tasks, saving real people’s time and efforts. Such assistance would be very advantageous for consumers who want to buy some cloth but don’t have any image of the desired good in mind. The interactive agent gives them suggestions, based on their preferences on color, fabric, style, etc.

Speaking about educationals helpers, there are Duolingo, those talkbots help clients to practice foreign languages. Moreover, it corrects mistakes, suggests the right answers and adjusts to the user’s language level.

There are even some medical apps that collect data about symptoms, try to clarify health condition, give recommendations, and determine possible causes for pain. Babylon Health is one of the smartest chatbot examples in this field.

Virtual chatterbots even can order a pizza for you. For instance, Domino’s, the renowned restaurant chain from the USA, allows clients to order to build personal pizza and follow the order. Consumers can do it via Facebook Messenger.

The Key Advantages

So, let’s sum up the virtues of using an eCommerce chatbot:

• clear and quick troubleshooting. As a rule, potential clients have a lot of repeating questions, which answering slows down the sales process. With chatbots, users don’t have to wait until an operator is free to consult;
• personal assistant solves the common problem of poorly developed technical capacities, which are typical for young brands and the companies with a small number of employees;
• the great advantage is using a virtual assistant in messengers. As we know, many people spend quite a lot of time on their smartphones. Thus, it is not complicated to reach them and interest with some engaging business offering;
• an ability to accept payments (directly in the chat) increases user’s satisfaction rate. There is no need in switching to a third-party resource;
• a program helps to promote online stores as it is possible to demonstrate goods, special offers, and the information related to it.

To sum up, eCommerce chatbot is an unparalleled development that has been skyrocketing for the recent time. If you feel that your team can’t handle all the trading tasks, think about incorporating a virtual assistant. It stands to reason that this one will surely make your eCommerce adventure easier and you will gain a range of benefits, listed by MageDirect experts.