An Introduction to eCommerce Chatbots

With online shopping, customers can browse and purchase your products 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

And, as technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, and online shopping becomes the norm, consumers expect to be able to access support, advice, and guidance 24/7 too. This can be problematic for many businesses – having employees on hand at every hour of every day to deal with questions and requests isn’t always realistic, in terms of both costs and resources. This is particularly the case for small to medium businesses.

Automation services, such as chatbots, provide a solution, helping businesses deal with many of their customers’ enquiries quickly and efficiently, without the need for real time, human input.

Chatbots are transforming the customer experience. Here’s our guide to everything you need to know about ecommerce chatbots.

What is a chatbot?

First thing’s first, what exactly is a chatbot? A chatbot is an automated computer programme that simulates conversation with users in order to deliver a service. In ecommerce, chatbots are often used to provide customer support, as well as other services such as helping buyers complete a purchase and offer product recommendations.

Chatbots automate processes, help users complete tasks, and even have brief, scripted conversations with users.

Chatbots are used by all different types of businesses. You’ll find them in apps, on websites and on online messaging platforms.

The benefits of using a chatbot for your ecommerce business

Using a chatbot can offer a whole host of benefits to your business, allowing you to provide a much better level of customer service to your customers.

A chatbot will allow you to save your employees and your customers a significant amount of time, while increasing revenue at a relatively low additional cost.

As well as giving customers an answer quickly and efficiently, regardless of the time of day, chatbots will also automate some of the more basic, recurring tasks carried out by your support team. This frees up valuable time for your agents to focus on more complex, strategic tasks.

They can work out of hours and during holiday periods, and won’t become overwhelmed during busy times, reducing the need for your customers to have to queue for support.

In addition to this, your chatbot can act as a great lead generator and collect useful data from visitors to your site.

In summary

Chatbots can be incredibly beneficial for ecommerce businesses, helping them provide a high level of customer service and support 24/7. They are most effective in situations where they are required to perform repetitive tasks, such as processing payments, looking up orders, and answering common customer queries.

Chatbots can save businesses time and money, while freeing up resources to focus on more complex tasks. Not only this, but they enhance the customer experience, generate leads, and capture data.