But what is it about chatbots that makes them so important for driving sales? Let\u2019s take a look at how conversational commerce is changing an industry, consider the stylistic versatility of chatbots, and touch upon the magic ingredient of converting: convenience<\/em>.<\/p>\n Through speedy delivery, 24\/7 internet access through smartphones, and the sheer breadth of product and service options available online, the ecommerce industry has taken a huge step towards mobile buying<\/a> in recent years. And what do people do most on their smartphones? They read and send messages.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, parsing natural language has long been a major struggle for computers, but as technology has surged ahead, it has quickly become viable for software to interpret natural language requests with a fair degree of accuracy. When Siri was released with the iPhone 4 in 2011, automated assistants became mainstream.<\/p>\n If you considered these two advances in a vacuum, you\u2019d quickly identify the enticing prospect of extending retail possibilities into the realm of conversation\u2014 and that\u2019s just what has been done through chatbots for major social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook, turning them into viable digital sales channels.<\/p>\n Additionally, because businesses aren\u2019t just abstract entities to users now\u2014instead being reachable brands <\/em>accessible through social media and vulnerable to public opinion on an unprecedented scale\u2014they can\u2019t afford to be viewed as standoffish. Even if they don\u2019t want to sell online, they still need to keep up with the raised user expectations.<\/p>\n The humanity in a chatbot service doesn\u2019t just come from the user feeling listened to, but also the personality it has been infused with by its operator. The building blocks<\/a> of an ecommerce chatbot exchange don\u2019t tend to differ much (and they really can\u2019t because they\u2019re highly functional in nature and there\u2019s a standard set of ecommerce functions), but there\u2019s plenty of room for creativity in the execution<\/em>.<\/p>\n This really comes down to factors including design, phrasing, and flair. For instance, imagine the perfect ecommerce chatbot<\/a> for a luxury business: it would need to be glossy, sophisticated, and come across as helpful but cool (part of the allure of luxury brands is that they\u2019re less approachable than cheaper competitors). Then contrast that with something designed for a children\u2019s toy store\u2014 colorful, bold, light-hearted, informal, and very enthusiastic.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at some examples of existing chatbots:<\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https:\/\/www.ometrics.com\/ochatbot-for-enterprise\/” border_radii=”on|3px|3px|3px|3px” border_width_all=”3px” border_color_all=”#68AB37″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}” global_module=”6437″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.ometrics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Ochatbot_ecomm-cart-420×420-1-300×300.png” alt=”shopify plugins” title_text=”Ochatbot_ecomm-cart 420×420″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|3px||3px|false|false” border_width_all=”0px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n WE GUARANTEE RESULTS!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/www.ometrics.com\/ochatbot-for-enterprise\/” button_text=”Learn More” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”24px” button_text_color=”#000000″ button_bg_color=”#E09900″ button_border_width=”0px” button_icon=”=||divi||400″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_button][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Serving as part of a recruitment service, Mya is programmed to pick up on terms and questions relevant to that industry.<\/p>\n Built to help customers of Amtrak\u2019s rail service, Julie focuses on actions and information about all aspects of rail journeys.<\/p>\n As the user-targeted front end of expense report management company Expensify, Concierge was designed to automate the most common user actions.<\/p>\n If you implement a chatbot for your online store, you\u2019ll have the opportunity to rephrase and rework the various responses and actions to make them come across as authentic to your brand identity. Though most (not all) customers will know when they\u2019re dealing with a chatbot, they\u2019ll appreciate that they\u2019re benefiting from information and communication you personally set up.<\/p>\n From the perspective of a user, one of the major factors that can keep them returning to a particular ecommerce store time and time again is convenience. Even if you don\u2019t have the best prices, or the best products, or the best reputation, you can maintain a good level of business by providing a more convenient platform than your competitors.<\/p>\n Imagine looking at an item of clothing on your phone, making your choice, and getting all the way through to the checkout stage only to realize that you\u2019re not sure about the sizing. If you can\u2019t quickly find out the information you need to confirm that it will fit you, you\u2019ll most likely just give up and leave. Having a chatbot programmed with that kind of data acts as a net to catch prospective customers who would otherwise have ultimately gone elsewhere.<\/p>\n But the convenience provided by chatbots doesn\u2019t begin and end with the customers, because the retailers themselves benefit hugely from the time and effort they save from automating their procedures, improving efficiency, centralizing their data, and minimizing the prospect of human error\u2014 so much so that the most popular ecommerce hosts are now rushing to offer smarter systems to entice their users (while also reaping the same benefits themselves).<\/p>\n Over time, we\u2019ll see them spread throughout every area of business, because the savings are obvious, and far exceed even those of currently-popular virtual assistants<\/a>. Chatbots don\u2019t work limited hours like people do. They don\u2019t tire or get sick or need time off. In many ways, they constitute the natural next step of the automation revolution.<\/p>\n If you sell products or services online, you should absolutely start looking into implementing chatbot technology if you haven\u2019t already. It\u2019s cheap, incredibly efficient, and it\u2019s going to be an unavoidable expectation in the ecommerce world in the near future, so the sooner you get started, the sooner you\u2019ll start seeing why it\u2019s such a valuable advance.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re interested in learning more about what chatbots can do for you, read the Complete Guide to Chatbots<\/a> to get your conversational strategy on the move. Ready to build a chatbot but don’t know where to start? Get chatbot consulting here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There\u2019s a certain sense of irony in the notion of chatbots adding humanity, but when you really think about it, it makes complete sense. People want to connect, to have their voices heard and questions answered, and that\u2019s what a chatbot can achieve\u2014 to great effect in online retail. You can tell how important chatbots […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"There\u2019s a certain sense of irony in the notion of chatbots adding humanity, but when you really think about it, it makes complete sense. People want to connect, to have their voices heard and questions answered, and that\u2019s what a chatbot can achieve\u2014 to great effect in online retail.\r\n\r\nYou can tell how important chatbots have become to the ecommerce industry by looking at the ever-expanding array of options. There are chatbots that can be integrated<\/a>, add-ons, plugins, widgets, and even native chatbots (more on that concept later). All the major players are firmly on the ecommerce bandwagon, and the trend is only going to continue.\r\n\r\nBut what is it about chatbots that makes them so important for driving sales? Let\u2019s take a look at how conversational commerce is changing an industry, consider the stylistic versatility of chatbots, and touch upon the magic ingredient of converting: convenience<\/em>.\r\nThe rise of conversational commerce<\/h2>\n
Every chatbot reflects its designer<\/h2>\n
True AI to engage shoppers in conversational eCommerce. Create happy customers while growing your business!<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
5% to 35% Increase in AOV*<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
20% to 40% Increase is Revenue*<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
25% to 45% Reduction in Support Tickets<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Mya<\/h3>\n
![\"chatbots\"](\"https:\/\/www.ometrics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/image-mya-guest-blog.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nJulie<\/h3>\n
![\"chatbots\"](\"https:\/\/www.ometrics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/image-julie-guest-blog.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nConcierge<\/h3>\n
![\"chatbots\"](\"https:\/\/www.ometrics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/image-concierge-guest-blog.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nConversions rise with convenience<\/h2>\n
Should you take advantage of a chatbot?<\/h2>\n
![\"image-kayleigh-guest-blog\"](\"https:\/\/www.ometrics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/image-kayleigh-guest-blog-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a>Kayleigh Alexandra<\/strong> is a content writer for Micro Startups \u2014 a site dedicated to spreading the word about startups and small businesses of all shapes and sizes. Visit the blog for the latest marketing insights from top experts and inspiring entrepreneurial stories. Follow us on Twitter @getmicrostarted.<\/p>\nThe rise of conversational commerce<\/h2>\r\nThrough speedy delivery, 24\/7 internet access through smartphones, and the sheer breadth of product and service options available online, the ecommerce industry has taken a huge step towards mobile buying in recent years. And what do people do most on their smartphones? They read and send messages.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, parsing natural language has long been a major struggle for computers, but as technology has surged ahead, it has quickly become viable for software to interpret natural language requests with a fair degree of accuracy. When Siri was released with the iPhone 4 in 2011, automated assistants became mainstream.\r\n\r\nIf you considered these two advances in a vacuum, you\u2019d quickly identify the enticing prospect of extending retail possibilities into the realm of conversation\u2014 and that\u2019s just what has been done through chatbots for major social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook, turning them into viable digital sales channels.\r\n\r\nAdditionally, because businesses aren\u2019t just abstract entities to users now\u2014instead being reachable brands <\/em>accessible through social media and vulnerable to public opinion on an unprecedented scale\u2014they can\u2019t afford to be viewed as standoffish. Even if they don\u2019t want to sell online, they still need to keep up with the raised user expectations.\r\n
Every chatbot reflects its designer<\/h2>\r\nThe humanity in a chatbot service doesn\u2019t just come from the user feeling listened to, but also the personality it has been infused with by its operator. The building blocks<\/a> of an ecommerce chatbot exchange don\u2019t tend to differ much (and they really can\u2019t because they\u2019re highly functional in nature and there\u2019s a standard set of ecommerce functions), but there\u2019s plenty of room for creativity in the execution<\/em>.\r\n\r\nThis really comes down to factors including design, phrasing, and flair. For instance, imagine the perfect ecommerce chatbot for a luxury business: it would need to be glossy, sophisticated, and come across as helpful but cool (part of the allure of luxury brands is that they\u2019re less approachable than cheaper competitors). Then contrast that with something designed for a children\u2019s toy store\u2014 colorful, bold, light-hearted, informal, and very enthusiastic.\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s look at some examples of existing chatbots:\r\n
Mya<\/h3>\r\nServing as part of a recruitment service, Mya is programmed to pick up on terms and questions relevant to that industry.\r\n\r\n
<\/a>\r\nJulie<\/h3>\r\nBuilt to help customers of Amtrak\u2019s rail service, Julie focuses on actions and information about all aspects of rail journeys.\r\n\r\n
<\/a>\r\nConcierge<\/h3>\r\nAs the user-targeted front end of expense report management company Expensify, Concierge was designed to automate the most common user actions.\r\n\r\n
<\/a>\r\n\r\nIf you implement a chatbot for your online store, you\u2019ll have the opportunity to rephrase and rework the various responses and actions to make them come across as authentic to your brand identity. Though most (not all) customers will know when they\u2019re dealing with a chatbot, they\u2019ll appreciate that they\u2019re benefiting from information and communication you personally set up.\r\nConversions rise with convenience<\/h2>\r\nFrom the perspective of a user, one of the major factors that can keep them returning to a particular ecommerce store time and time again is convenience. Even if you don\u2019t have the best prices, or the best products, or the best reputation, you can maintain a good level of business by providing a more convenient platform than your competitors.\r\n\r\nImagine looking at an item of clothing on your phone, making your choice, and getting all the way through to the checkout stage only to realize that you\u2019re not sure about the sizing. If you can\u2019t quickly find out the information you need to confirm that it will fit you, you\u2019ll most likely just give up and leave. Having a chatbot programmed with that kind of data acts as a net to catch prospective customers who would otherwise have ultimately gone elsewhere.\r\n\r\nBut the convenience provided by chatbots doesn\u2019t begin and end with the customers, because the retailers themselves benefit hugely from the time and effort they save from automating their procedures, improving efficiency, centralizing their data, and minimizing the prospect of human error\u2014 so much so that the most popular ecommerce hosts are now rushing to offer smarter systems to entice their users (while also reaping the same benefits themselves).\r\n\r\nOver time, we\u2019ll see them spread throughout every area of business, because the savings are obvious, and far exceed even those of currently-popular virtual assistants<\/a>. Chatbots don\u2019t work limited hours like people do. They don\u2019t tire or get sick or need time off. In many ways, they constitute the natural next step of the automation revolution.\r\n
Should you take advantage of a chatbot?<\/h2>\r\nIf you sell products or services online, you should absolutely start looking into implementing chatbot technology if you haven\u2019t already. It\u2019s cheap, incredibly efficient, and it\u2019s going to be an unavoidable expectation in the ecommerce world in the near future, so the sooner you get started, the sooner you\u2019ll start seeing why it\u2019s such a valuable advance.\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019re interested in learning more about what chatbots can do for you, read the Complete Guide to Chatbots<\/a> to get your conversational strategy on the move. Ready to build a chatbot but don't know where to start? Get chatbot consulting here<\/a>.\r\n\r\n
<\/a>Kayleigh Alexandra<\/strong> is a content writer for Micro Startups \u2014 a site dedicated to spreading the word about startups and small businesses of all shapes and sizes. Visit the blog for the latest marketing insights from top experts and inspiring entrepreneurial stories. Follow us on Twitter @getmicrostarted.\r\n\r\n ","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[371510,244837,18],"tags":[682423],"class_list":["post-1397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chatbot-guide","category-chatbots","category-conversion-rate-optimization","tag-blog"],"yoast_head":"\n