Customer experience is the name of the game in e-commerce, and AI can help you take it to the next level. Take Amazon, for example, the world’s premier online retailer recognized the benefits of AI technology years ago and uses machine learning to improve user experience and optimize logistics. They collect user data to predict a customer’s buying patterns, so customers who buy a specific brand of shampoo every month might receive personalized offers for their preferred products. The retailer might even use machine learning algorithms to recommend a conditioner that goes well with the shampoo.
The next wonders of the e-commerce world, e.g. AI-enabled digital assistants like Google Duplex, will come with new capabilities like creating grocery lists to place orders on behalf of the customers. As an e-commerce business, you need to keep up. So what are some ways AI can help you out?
Here are 6 major applications of AI for e-commerce businesses.
1. AI Copywriting:
Gone are the days when e-commerce stores hired copywriters and ad agencies to write all their intros, headlines, and product descriptions. Today, with AI-powered writing tools, retailers can generate marketing copy within seconds.
These writing tools leverage advanced AI language models to create social media content, digital ad copy, and more. Some of these copywriting services may still require manual editing to ensure that the resulting copy is high quality, but the efficiency of AI copywriters is hard to beat and can help you deliver content to your users quickly and easily.
2. Personalized Recommendations:
Personalized recommendations are nothing new for e-commerce websites. Many companies use machine learning algorithms or AI filtering systems to recommend products to buyers. Sellers apply filters based on best-selling product data, viewing history, and other aspects of buyer behavior. AI also creates a customer-centric experience using keyword tags or visual similarity to generate recommendations, helping customers discover complementary products. This greatly improves customer experience and retention.
3. Automatically Retouching Images:
How many times have you looked at a product photo in your store, only to realize it’s not quite right? How much money have you spent on photo editing to glam up your images? What if we told you that AI is also revolutionizing image retouching? Yep, it’s true! Today, you can automate up to 100% of your image editing process with a few clicks by leveraging AI-powered tools.
Automation tools exist for almost every editing need, from skin retouching to background removal to generating clipping paths. Tools like autoRetouch even offer automated creation of ghost mannequins. Using machine learning algorithms and AI features, e-commerce AI support tools enhance the quality of product pictures and much more. A consistent and high-quality visual approach for e-commerce products makes a big difference to customers browsing online.
4. Virtual Assistants & Chatbots:
One of the biggest advantages of shopping in person is the ability to get help and advice from knowledgeable shop assistants. We all miss that personal touch when we’re shopping online and don’t have a friendly employee to answer questions and help us choose the best products. While e-commerce stores often have customer service representatives to provide phone support, it wasn’t until recently that AI came into the space as well. The introduction of voice chatbots and virtual assistants for immediate assistance is altering the way we shop online. Despite the question, customers can receive support 24/7.
Voice chatbots are programmed to interpret voice-based interactions through natural language processing to provide personalized recommendations. However, the best part is these chatbots can learn over time to better address customer needs.
5. Pricing Optimization:
AI-powered dynamic pricing allows marketers to change their product prices based on supply and demand. With access to the correct data and programs, AI software can predict when to offer discounts, when to increase the price range, and which products are trending in the current market. This helps you stay competitive with other retailers and offer the best prices to your customers.
6. Better Search Results:
At least 35% of online shoppers use the search function when shopping online. While a human clerk can quickly help customers find what they’re looking for, search algorithms aren’t quite so reliable. Currently, most search algorithms on e-commerce websites do not have any practical intelligence.
Integrating websites with AI and machine learning can enhance results for user search queries. AI services can generate search rankings that allow any site to sort results by relevance instead of keywords, helping customers find exactly what they’re looking for. Similarly, AI integrations can analyze product copy, product photos, and more to generate better search results.
Bottom line:
The term ‘artificial intelligence’ might remind you of rogue androids and sci-fi dystopias, especially if you’re not used to having AI as a tool for your business. But in the world of e-commerce, AI presents an opportunity for businesses to create a deeper, more personalized experience for every customer. E-commerce websites and brands across the world are turning to AI to improve their competitiveness, therefore, AI technology will have an enormous effect on the e-commerce industry in the future. To stay ahead of the curve now is the perfect time to integrate AI-enabled software into your business.