Artificial Intelligence's Growing Role in eCommerce
AI’s Role in eCommerce
I think we’ve all got to a point now where we are seeing AI’s role in our future slightly differently than movies of the past saw it. Yes, there may always be that slight ‘they’re gonna take over’ fear at the back of your mind, but the technology has proven to be much more than a bunch of maniac robots hellbent on the demise of humankind. Many companies now have begun implementing accessible new AI technologies to enhance customers experience. It is beginning to play an even more critical role in eCommerce, and it shows no sign of being less useful anytime soon, so business owners should see how it can work to their advantage.
How Artificial Intelligence Affects eCommerce
AI is impacting online businesses in a myriad of ways. It helps customers by showing them more relevant products related to their interests or search history. It benefits companies by retargeting potential customers after they may visit a site but not make a purchase. And whereas there may be a number of reasons why that purchase didn’t go ahead, AI can remind customers of the webpage they had visited, to boost the chance of them coming back to complete the sale.
In many ways, AI serves as a virtual shop-floor assistant for consumers. In a traditional shop environment, an ambassador of your brand can help customers by upselling items related to those you’ve expressed interest in. Online stores do not have the same capabilities, so its important for proven retail tactics and the best customer experiences be replicated. A highly advanced AI can essentially fill in and help customers find exactly what they’re looking for.
The Benefits
One major advantage to using artificial intelligence is that it creates a more efficient sales process. Your company’s resources and – more importantly – customers no longer have to deal with cold calls or other time-consuming, less than popular enterprises. For instance, you can implement your AI system into voice input devices, such as Alexa or Siri, so that your products show up in customers’ inquiries.
Machine intelligence also takes into account a number of other factors in a customer’s online behaviour. It can take into account Google searches and images you have looked at in the past. The technology will do more than simply show consumers more pictures of potential items to buy. It can provide coupons and special offers for customers who decide to pull the trigger and buy something.
The Features
There are a huge amount of features that come with AI. From the simple to advance, cheap to pretty expensive. One great and next-to-nothing feature is chatbots. That’s right, chances are when you’ve seen a little message box pop-up on a site there’s not actually a real person on the other end of it. However, they are perfectly able to answer basic questions that the everyday customer will have, and well too. And if they cant, they will forward it on to your team. One more thing to give the customer the real-life experience of someone asking ‘how can I help you today?’.
On the other end, impressive features like integration with household devices are becoming real. AI will soon be able to register what items you have in your refrigerator and automatically order them when they come close to running out, more time for the consumer, more guaranteed sales for you.
