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What Are Ecommerce Chatbots? – Your Guide On Conversational Marketing

What Are Ecommerce Chatbots? – Your Guide On Conversational Marketing


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In today’s world of ecommerce, businesses are always looking for new and innovative ways to improve their marketing and ecommerce customer journey to avoid cart abandonment and boost sales. Because of this, one technology that has gained popularity in recent years is chatbots

Chatbots are AI-powered programmes that can simulate conversation with human users, or conversational marketing, providing a personalised and interactive experience. In this article, we will take a deep dive into ecommerce chatbots, exploring what they are and how they can be used to enhance marketing efforts. From lead generation to online customer engagement and support, we will cover everything you need to know about ecommerce chatbots and their potential benefits – as well as 17 great chatbot scripts and hooks to use for your online business.

What Is A Chatbot?

A chatbot is a computer programme designed to simulate conversation with human users, typically through messaging interfaces, overlays and pop-ups, such as chat windows or voice-based assistants. 

Chatbots can be programmed to understand and respond to user input and provide automated assistance, information, or entertainment. 
They are often used for customer service and customer retention, lead generation, and other business purposes, but can also be designed for personal use, such as providing reminders or answering questions. Chatbots can be built using a variety of programming languages and technologies, and can be integrated with messaging platforms and other applications to provide a seamless user experience and customer journey.

What Are The Two Main Types Of Chatbots?

The two main types of chatbots to consider for ecommerce are rule-based chatbots and AI-powered chatbots.

Rule-Based Chatbots: Rule-based chatbots operate on a set of pre-defined rules and scripts. They are designed to respond to specific user inputs with predetermined answers. Rule-based chatbots are limited to the responses programmed into them and are less flexible than AI-powered chatbots, and are generally easier to set up and maintain.

AI-Powered Chatbots: AI-powered chatbots use machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to understand user inputs and respond in a more human-like way. They are designed to learn from user interactions and improve their responses over time. This means that AI-powered chatbots can handle more complex conversations – for example, within AI email marketing. However, they require more advanced technology and expertise to develop and maintain.

Brands can harness the power of digital marketing AI tools like chatbots to enhance their marketing activity.

What Is Conversational Marketing?

Conversational marketing is an approach to engaging with customers that focuses on personalised, one-to-one conversations. It involves using various communication channels, such as chatbots and other forms of onsite messaging to initiate real-time conversations with potential customers.

The goal of conversational marketing is to build relationships and trust with customers by providing them with personalised and helpful experiences throughout their buying journey. This approach aims to foster trust, build customer loyalty, and ultimately drive sales by making it easy for customers to ask questions, get information, and more importantly, make purchase decisions.

What Is An Example Of An Ecommerce Chatbot?

An example of an ecommerce chatbot is the Nike Virtual Assistant, or ‘Nike Chat’ which is available across all of their online platforms, including the Nike app. The Nike Chat chatbot is an AI-powered chatbot that can help customers with a wide range of inquiries, such as product recommendations, reviews, and sports campaigns.

The chatbot uses natural language processing to understand customer requests and respond with personalised recommendations. Customers can also use the chatbot to make purchases, track orders, and receive notifications about stock levels and promotions, including special offers and promo codes.

This kind of virtual assistant provides a convenient and personalised shopping experience for customers, allowing them to quickly find the products they need and get advice from industry experts, without having to leave the messaging platform.

Is Chatbot A Marketing Tool?

In short – yes, chatbots can be used as an incredibly dynamic marketing tool. Chatbots can provide personalisation within the customer journey, as well as an interactive experience for customers, which can be effective in engaging and converting potential buyers. Here are some ways that chatbots can be used as a marketing tool:

Lead Generation: Chatbots can be used to gather customer information and generate leads for sales teams. Chatbots can ask customers for their contact information and provide them with valuable content or offers in exchange.

Customer Engagement: Chatbots can engage customers in conversation and answer their questions in real-time, which can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Product Recommendations: Chatbots can analyse customer behaviour and preferences to provide personalised product recommendations, increasing the likelihood of a sale.

Customer Support: Chatbots can provide support for customers, answering frequently asked questions and resolving issues quickly and efficiently.

Upselling and Cross-selling: Chatbots can suggest related products and services to customers through cross-selling and upsell opportunities, increasing the average order value and generating additional revenue.




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What Do Customers Want From Chatbots?

Like with most features that are part of ecommerce, customers want chatbots to provide a quick, convenient, and personalised experience. Some of these expectations include:

Fast response times: Customers expect chatbots to respond quickly to their inquiries, providing them with the information they need in a timely manner.

Personalisation: Customers expect chatbots to provide product trends and suggestions based on behavioural segmentation and individual preferences.

Problem-solving capabilities: Customers expect chatbots to be able to resolve their issues and answer their questions quickly and accurately.

Easy-to-use interface: Customers expect chatbots to be easy to use and navigate, with a simple and intuitive interface.

24/7 availability: Customers expect chatbots to be available 24/7, allowing them to get the support and information they need at any time.

Seamless integration: Customers expect chatbots to integrate seamlessly with social proof through other channels and platforms, such as social media and mobile apps.

Overall, customers want chatbots to provide a personalised and convenient experience that meets their needs quickly and efficiently. By meeting these expectations, chatbots can improve customer satisfaction and drive business results.

What Is The Benefit Of Chatbots For Ecommerce?

There are several benefits of chatbots for ecommerce to consider if you’re deciding whether to integrate AI within your online suite:

1. Improved Customer Experience

Chatbots can provide a personalised and interactive experience for customers, improving satisfaction and customer loyalty.

2. Increased Sales

Chatbots can use customer behaviour prediction and preferences to provide personalised product recommendations, increasing the likelihood of a sale.

3. Cost Savings

They are able to handle a high volume of inquiries and support requests, reducing the need for human customer service representatives and lowering costs.

4. 24/7 Availability

Chatbots can provide support and information to customers 24/7, allowing them to get the help they need at any time.

5. Improved Customer Engagement

Chatbots can increase online customer engagement in conversation and provide them with valuable content and offers, increasing their engagement and loyalty.
Better Data Insights: Chatbots can collect and analyse data on customer behaviour and preferences, providing ecommerce businesses with valuable customer insights that can be used to improve their products and services.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Chatbots?

While chatbots offer many benefits, it is important to carefully consider the limitations and potential drawbacks before implementing them in a business setting. Here are some disadvantages to consider:

1. Limited Capabilities

Chatbots can only handle a limited range of inquiries and tasks, and may struggle to handle complex or unusual requests.

2. Lack Of Empathy

Chatbots cannot empathise with customers in the same way that human customer service representatives can, which may lead to a less satisfying customer experience.

4. Inability To Handle All Languages And Dialects

Chatbots may struggle to understand and respond to certain languages or dialects, which can limit their usefulness for international businesses.

5. Privacy Concerns

Chatbots may collect and store sensitive customer information, raising concerns about privacy and security.

6. Technical Issues

Chatbots can encounter technical issues or glitches that may disrupt the user experience and customer journey – and ultimately lead to frustration.

While chatbots offer many benefits, it is important to carefully consider the limitations and potential drawbacks before implementing them in a business setting.

17 Best Chatbot Scripts & Hooks

Conversational marketing via thought-out scripts and hooks creates instant and personalised engagement with customers and buyers. It accelerates business revenue by removing friction from the customer experience.

Here are 17 best practices for chatbot scripts and hooks to guide your consumer audience and boost sales.

1. Welcome Message

Start with a welcome message – or ‘Catchall’ hook – for a friendly greeting and a brief introduction to the chatbot to let the consumer know that the tool is there to assist their customer journey. For example, “Hey there! Want to hear about our special offer?”

SaleCycle-welcome-message-chatbot

2. Product Recommendations

Ask the customer what they’re looking for and offer product recommendations based on their preferences and purchase history.

SaleCycle-product-reccomendation-chatbot

3. Order Status

Allow customers to check the status of their order and provide real-time updates on shipping and delivery.

SaleCycle-order-status-chatbot

4. FAQs

Answer frequently asked questions about products, shipping, returns, and other relevant topics.

5. Abandoned Cart Recovery

Send a friendly reminder to customers who have left items in their cart and offer incentives to complete the purchase.

SaleCycle-abandoned-cart-chatbot

6. Upselling and Cross-Selling

Suggest complementary products or upgrades to increase the customer’s order value.

SaleCycle-upsell-cross-sell-chatbot

7. Customer Support

Provide assistance with any issues or concerns that the customer may have, including troubleshooting, returns, and refunds.

8. Loyalty Programmes

Offer rewards and incentives for repeat customers, such as discounts, free shipping, or exclusive access to new products.

SaleCycle-loyalty-programme-chatbot

9. Personalised Offers

Use customer data to offer personalised discounts and promotions.

10. Customer Feedback

Collect feedback from customers on their shopping experience and use this data to improve the ecommerce platform.

11. Referral Programmes

Encourage customers to refer friends and family to the ecommerce site and offer rewards for successful referrals.

12. Product Reviews

Encourage customers to leave online customer reviews and use this feedback to improve the ecommerce platform.

13. Social Media Integration

Allow customers to share products on social media platforms and offer social media-exclusive discounts and promotions.

14. Chatbot Escalation

If the chatbot cannot answer a question, escalate the conversation to a human customer service representative.

SaleCycle-escalation-chatbot

15. Chatbot Analytics

Monitor chatbot performance and use analytics metrics and customer data to optimise chatbot conversations and improve the customer experience.

16. Personalisation

Use customer data, such as names and age preferences, to personalise the chatbot conversation and offer relevant product recommendations and promotions.

17. Chatbot Survey

Collect customer feedback on the chatbot experience and use this data to improve the chatbot’s performance and optimise the customer experience.

SaleCycle-survey-chatbot

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Casey Turnbull

Casey is a Fashion Journalism graduate & ecommerce marketing executive at SaleCycle. Casey is committed to producing high quality content backed by in-depth research and data. She has experience developing content in a range of sectors including fashion, ecommerce and sports.