Conversational commerce, also known as chat commerce, makes B2C interactions more efficient by meeting customers where they are and getting rid of websites and apps that get in the way. But not all managers know the full benefits of conversational commerce, even though it has a lot of potential for businesses. The e-commerce market is also very competitive, making it hard for businesses to stand out.
So, in the first part of this article, we’ll talk about the benefits and value of chat commerce for your business. Then, we’ll talk about the best ways to use conversational commerce, such as using chatbots, getting information from customers, and coming up with a plan that makes you stand out from your competitors. Last but not least, we give examples of conversational commerce to help readers understand the topics in each section.
Conversational Commerce: Explanations in Detail
In 2023, “conversational commerce” can refer to a number of ways that e-Commerce companies and retailers will use to improve and make shopping easier for customers. These ways include using chatbots, artificial intelligence, and messaging technologies. For example, this could be like putting a messaging widget on a store’s website so that customers can ask questions. The ecosystem of messaging-first marketplaces, where people buy and sell from each other directly, may be similar.
It could be a grocery delivery person telling a customer about a swap or a salesperson in a high-end boutique telling loyal customers about new items. It could even be how businesses set up integrated payments and user verification so that customers can buy things right from messaging apps.
Conversational commerce seems to be everywhere, so businesses now have to give customers the conversational experiences they’ve come to expect. The differences between shopping in a store and shopping online are becoming less clear. The same is true for the points where messaging, e-Commerce, sales, and support all meet. Conversational technology is always adding new touchpoints for both brands and customers. This is because the customer journey is so complicated.
Types of Business Conversations
Conversational commerce has a lot of benefits, and it’s easy to see how it could help your business make more sales and keep customers coming back. Here, you should think about what kinds of conversational commerce platforms can help your business the most.
Here are some of the best types of conversational commerce that could be good for your business:
Live Chat Service
Live chat software is common on eCommerce sites today because it lets users answer questions quickly and clearly without having to fill out forms, send emails, or call, all of which can cause people to leave their carts or sites.
Live chat can be a “here if you need me” service or it can reach out to customers as soon as they land on your website to help and guide them through the process.
With the help of live chat software, an agent can handle more than one case at once instead of just one call. Customers won’t have to wait as long, which makes it more likely they’ll stay and buy something. There are a lot of free live chat platforms out there, but it’s important how you use and set them up for the features you want on your website.
Chatbots
By answering questions that are often asked, chatbots may be able to achieve the goal of conversational marketing for small businesses that don’t have as much capacity for customer service or for products and services with a simpler purpose or offer.
Chatbots may also be able to handle routine questions like order status, similar items, and case resolution automatically. More advanced versions may even use conversational AI to make the experience even more personalized.
Messaging Apps
You can send and receive instant messages using a messaging program like Messenger or WhatsApp. Customers want to use them because they let them talk privately, interact with brands, and buy things online. In fact, these apps have surpassed social networks.
Also, these helpful messaging platforms let you use emoticons, GIFs, movies, and memes. This keeps the conversation light and keeps customers interested. Message apps are used by brands for this reason. They help make connections with customers much more natural and personal, which leads to higher conversion rates.
Data shows that 70% of emotionally involved customers spend twice as much with brands they emotionally identify with as with brands they don’t.
Voice Assistance
Voice assistance programs like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are becoming more and more popular because they are easy to use and convenient. Also, they give customers a sense of fun and engagement while they’re looking for information, which can help lighten the mood and make it more likely that they’ll feel an emotional connection to your business.
Voice assistants are becoming more and more popular among businesses that want to improve their relationships with customers. This is because they can respond right away to voice requests, send people to your website, and give you a chance to get to know them better.
Advantages of talking about business
Conversational commerce is quickly becoming the key to giving great customer service as businesses try to personalize customer service with the latest technologies.
Increased customer happiness
Conversational commerce improves the customer experience by giving customers a personalized, quick, and easy way to buy things.
Convenient Checkout
About 70% of the time, people put things in their shopping carts but don’t pay for them. Chatbots in messaging apps could be used by businesses to remind customers to finish their purchases and pay for them right away. As a result, customers can buy goods and pay for them all on one platform.
Collecting Information from the Customer
By talking to customers, businesses can find out what they need and want. Because of this, e-commerce companies can better guess how much demand there will be for certain items. They may also look at how chatbots affect their efforts to market and sell.
deals that are only for you
Everyone has different needs. 30% of buyers are willing to pay more for things that can be made to their specifications. Conversational commerce makes personalized suggestions better because it gets to know the customer by talking to them.
Every hour of every day
You can’t tell when someone will buy something because people buy things on the internet around the clock. Because of this, businesses need to be available to customers seven days a week to help them decide what to buy or answer their questions.
Using chatbots for messaging apps, businesses can talk to customers around the clock. They can be reached at any time to offer customized products and answer the most common questions customers have.
Make Your Clients Loyal
Conversational commerce makes it possible to have loyal customers and do business with them again and again. When you know what your customers want, you can always give it to them. Because your product makes them happy, they are more likely to stick with your e-Commerce business. Business Insider says that personalized products, for example, make it more likely for customers to buy again by more than 40%.
Leads are more likely to become customers
Conversational commerce could nearly double the number of sales from leads because:
- Interacting with clients, either in person or through chatbots, is the best way to learn what they want. Because of this, businesses can give customers what they want.
- By collecting customer data, companies can make targeted offers and discounts that work well.
- If you use a chatbot, it will be available 24/7, giving your business an advantage over competitors who aren’t always available.
A plan for SMBs to stay in business
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) might find it hard to compete with e-Commerce and retail giants on price. Because giants do more business, they can take advantage of economies of scale and save money.
On the other hand, e-Commerce behemoths may find it hard to answer customer questions quickly because they do so much business.
Conversational commerce in action
Now that we know what conversational commerce is, let’s take a look at how it works on some websites and services you may have used:
Amazon Alexa
Many of you who are reading this post have probably interacted with Amazon’s voice-activated assistant “Alexa,” who knows everything, either directly or indirectly. Alexa can handle almost anything you ask it, from a simple question to a shopping question.
Alexa can do a lot of things for you, like search the web, bring up and fill an Amazon shopping basket (and complete transactions if you link your credit card information), connect to other software and hardware, like a home audio system to play music, and more.
It is useful around the house, but as a voice-activated virtual shopping assistant, shopping is where it really shines.
Starbucks
One of the most annoying things about going to work in the morning is having to wait in line for coffee. Starbucks has used its app to solve this problem. You can place an order through their app and talk to a “virtual barista” about what you want to add to your morning coffee. This makes you feel like you are talking to a real person.
The voice ordering, texting, and payment features of the message-based ordering system completely speed up the process. You can avoid those long lines if you finish your purchase online and get a message when it’s ready.
H&M
H&M moves conversational commerce forward with proactive conversational marketing. H&M uses a chatbot to reach out to potential and current customers through the messaging app Kik to tell them about new products, deals, and things that are similar to what the person may have been looking at recently.
The chatbot works like a real stylist or salesperson in a store. After a few simple questions, it makes suggestions and takes the customer’s preferences into account. Another similarity to buying in a store is that you can look at and vote on what other chatbot users have made.
Final Verdict
The word “conversational” might be off-putting for many brands. It makes it seem like conversational commerce is soft, with a lot of talking but not many sales. Another trend that marketers like but doesn’t have much of an effect on sales.
Conversational commerce can be used in a number of ways, as the examples in this article show. It’s clear that conversational commerce is one of the best ways to start a conversation with your audience.
But it’s also a very powerful way to answer questions from customers, raise brand awareness, and get in touch with potential customers at the right time.