Introduction
Did you know that more than 45 million people used digital shopping in the last year alone? And this number is projected to grow exponentially. In order to tap into this potential and bring your brand close to the audience, you will have to take innovative steps for interaction.
One such step is AI shopping assistant. These assistants can be compared to simple shopkeepers that help buyers in physical stores. The AI assistant performs similar tasks in online stores.
In this article, we will explore the role of AI shopping assistants and how it helps businesses connect with customers. We will learn the need for such assistants and top examples in the present world.
What is AI shopping assistant?
and more enjoyable. They assist shoppers by answering questions, guiding them through your online store, and sometimes even placing orders on their behalf.
These assistants come in various forms, including:
• Chatbots
• Widgets
• Popups
• Mobile apps
• Conversational AI
• Browser plugins
Some are simple and basic, offering basic information about products, while others are more sophisticated, capable of handling complex tasks like adding items to a shopping cart or completing a checkout process.
Regardless of their complexity, all AI shopping assistants share a common goal: simplifying the shopping experience for customers. Having one such assistant on your website will make it easy for your customers to interact and make a purchase with ease.
What is the need for AI shopping assistant?
Now that we have understood what AI shopping assistants are, let’s explore the need for having such assistants on your platform. This section will cover the various top reasons you need to have an AI assistant on your shopping platform.
Enhancing Customer Browsing and Navigation
Exploring a static website can often feel monotonous, but adding an AI assistant transforms the experience. Shoppers can quickly locate the items they’re looking for, making the process faster and more enjoyable. Plus, the real-time assistance they receive not only keeps them engaged but can also significantly impact their purchasing decisions.
Lowering Shopping Cart Abandonment Rates
AI-powered shopping assistants are an effective solution to minimize cart abandonment. They provide instant answers to product or checkout-related questions, removing barriers to purchase. Additionally, these assistants can re-engage customers by offering personalized discounts, turning hesitations into completed transactions.
Boosting Sales with Product Recommendations and Cross-Selling
Ecommerce chatbots excel at increasing sales by automating cross-selling and upselling efforts. By analyzing a customer’s past purchases and browsing habits, they suggest relevant products. For example, a customer buying a pair of shoes might be recommended a stylish pair of trousers to complete the look.
Cutting Costs on Customer Support and Marketing
AI assistants can handle FAQs and order tracking, significantly reducing the workload on your support team. This automation ensures customers quickly find what they need without waiting for human intervention. Additionally, chatbots provide a cost-effective marketing tool with an impressive ROI, helping lower overall customer acquisition costs.
Connecting with Customers on Their Preferred Channels
In today’s digital landscape, businesses need to reach customers where they are. Offering seamless, omnichannel communication—whether through chatbots, email, social media, or virtual phone numbers—ensures customers have multiple ways to connect. This approach enhances customer satisfaction and builds stronger relationships.
Streamlining Lead Capture and Qualification
Converting first-time visitors into paying customers isn’t easy, but conversational shopping assistants make it more achievable. They help identify and qualify leads by tagging visitors based on their interactions, such as viewing specific product pages. This targeted approach ensures a more efficient sales process.
Top examples of AI shopping assistant
Now that we have understood the need for a shopping assistant, let’s quickly explore how large enterprises are using this innovative AI assistant to attract customers. We have put together three examples of successful deployment of AI assistants down below.
Amazon Alexa Voice AI
Amazon’s Alexa is a voice-activated AI shopping assistant designed to cater to a variety of customer needs. Integrated into Amazon’s Echo devices and its mobile app, Alexa simplifies the online shopping experience.
Powered by natural language processing, Alexa can respond to spoken commands effortlessly. Simply say, “Alexa, order (item),” and Alexa will place an order from Amazon.com by default. If you’re unsure what to buy, Alexa can also offer suggestions, like, “Alexa, find a good Christmas gift for my nephew.”
Beyond shopping, Alexa also doubles as a multifunctional assistant. It can control smart home devices, play music, provide weather updates, report traffic conditions, and answer general queries, making it a versatile tool for everyday life.
Walmart’s Text to Shop
In recent years, Walmart has explored various chatbot and personal shopping assistant solutions powered by machine learning and AI. One notable attempt was the Jetblack chatbot, which allowed customers to place orders for home delivery via text messages. However, despite its innovative approach, the service was discontinued due to profitability challenges.
Walmart’s current Text to Shop feature takes a fresh approach, enabling customers to use text messaging to search for products, manage their shopping carts, and schedule deliveries. In a further commitment to AI-powered solutions, Walmart acquired Botmock, a conversational chatbot design startup.
This move underscores Walmart’s long-term investment in integrating AI shopping assistants and AI shopping tools as essential components of its customer experience strategy.
AliExpress Messenger Shopping Assistant
AliExpress enhances its customer experience with a sophisticated shopping assistant integrated into Facebook Messenger. By adding AliExpress to your Messenger conversations, you can stay updated with shipping notifications and exclusive deals.
Navigating the vast number of vendors and products on AliExpress can be overwhelming, but the chatbot simplifies the process by highlighting trending products popular among other buyers.
One standout feature of this assistant is the Image Search capability. Simply upload or take a photo of an item, and the AI-powered engine will identify and match it to products available for purchase, making it easier than ever to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Conclusion
AI shopping assistants are transforming how customers engage with businesses. They offer a seamless and user-friendly interface, enabling shoppers to easily find and purchase the products they need. Beyond just shopping, these versatile ecommerce chatbots also handle tasks like providing customer support, booking appointments, and tracking orders, making them an invaluable tool for enhancing the overall customer experience.
We at Kenyt.AI have a professional team of experts that will help you build and deploy customizable assistants on your platform. Contact our sales team now.
Frequently Asked Questions
An AI shopping assistant is a virtual tool powered by artificial intelligence that helps customers make shopping decisions. It provides personalized recommendations, answers product-related queries, and streamlines the purchasing process, enhancing the overall shopping experience.
AI shopping assistants offer convenience by providing instant responses, personalized suggestions, and real-time assistance. They simplify product searches, compare prices, and even remind customers of discounts, making shopping more efficient and enjoyable.
Yes, AI shopping assistants can boost sales by offering tailored product recommendations, upselling and cross-selling items, and ensuring a seamless shopping journey. Their ability to engage customers 24/7 increases conversions and customer satisfaction.
Examples of AI shopping assistants include Amazon’s Alexa, which assists with voice-activated purchases; H&M’s chatbot for style recommendations; and Sephora’s Virtual Artist, which helps customers try on makeup virtually before buying.
Aaron Jebin is an enthusiastic SAAS technical content writer interested in writing for new and existing technologies, platforms, and tools. With an experience of over 4 years in technical writing, he is keenly focused on developing articles to provide readers with complete solutions to the common problems that arise in the everyday workplace. His writing mostly focused on team building, work ethics, business analysis, project management, automation, AI, customer and employee engagement methodologies. He has an interest in baking cakes and making stained glass art. He is currently honing his drifting skills.
