In today’s technology-driven society, companies are constantly trying to create a name for themselves by implementing innovative solutions into their business processes. Conversational commerce and conversational marketing have become the talk of the town because they allow you to communicate with your target audiences and build deeper connections with them.

Moreover, implementing conversational technology can streamline your buyer’s journey, resulting in a seamless and positive purchasing experience. Thanks to enterprise chatbot platforms , companies of all sizes can now implement artificial intelligence-powered conversational solutions that help them increase sales and build long lasting relationships with their audiences.

That being said, identifying the various benefits and learning how to implement conversational commerce tools is not always easy. Because of this, I’ve put together an article to help you identify the advantages of conversational technology and the reasons why it will become the future of e-commerce.

What is Conversational Commerce?

Conversational commerce is an umbrella term that refers to the junction of messaging apps and the shopping experience. In other words, it describes when consumers have the ability to interact with companies through popular messaging apps, such as Slack, Facebook Messenger, Skype, and Whatsapp, to name a few. Conversational commerce also includes voice-activated technology (e.g., Amazon’s Echo).

Thanks to conversational commerce, consumers can now communicate with their favorite brands the same way they communicate with their friends, which is through messaging applications. Individuals spend more time on messaging apps than they do on any other type of application, so communicating with your audience where they’re most likely to be will greatly increase your chances of success. Not only will you build a deeper relationship with your potential clients, they are also more likely to provide you with information you can use to create targeted ad campaigns in the future.

Enterprise chatbots are the best conversational commerce tool available because they can provide assistance to your target audience around the clock without you having to hire additional help. These automated assistants use AI to carry out complex tasks and to learn from each interaction. They can be programmed to assist users with both customer care inquiries and sales-related ones.

You can create an AI-powered chatbot with no coding or programming knowledge, thanks to platforms.. The best part is, it literally takes a matter of minutes. If implemented properly, chatbots can help your improve your e-commerce efforts by:

Increasing Awareness

Consumers first begin the buyer’s journey when they identify the need for your product or service, a stage often referred to as awareness. You can create awareness by using your chatbot to push relevant content about your brand or industry to keep your audience informed. Keep in mind that this content should attract your audience’s attention and provide valuable information that sets you up as an industry leader and thought provoker in your field of expertise.

Increasing Engagement

The next step is to engage with your audience and build the foundation for a lasting business relationship. Increased engagement translates to consumers who are interested in hearing about your brand, its story, and the products you offer.

Engaging your target audiences means you’re actively interacting with them and exchanging information, which you can use to identify their needs and expectations. This will help you discover what factors encourage your customer’s involvement and build targeted campaigns accordingly.

Collecting More Specific Data

One of the biggest advantages modern advertising techniques offer companies is the ability to gather information about their clients. Most digital marketing strategies help you identify your audience’s needs and interests by analyzing their browsing patterns.

However, conversational commerce platforms go a step further because instead of observing and deducing, they can ask questions directly to consumers about their preferences. This means you’ll gather more relevant data that comes directly from consumers, improving your chances of engaging and moving them down your sales funnel.

Streamlining Your Purchase Process

User experience and navigability are two of the most important factors of a successful e-commerce website. Implementing a conversational commerce tool can help you address and solve common navigation issues, thus creating a smooth purchasing process for your customers.

Instead of having to run a search or browse through different landing pages, users can now simply ask your chatbot about a product. The virtual assistant should be able to provide information about prices, color, design options, and availability. In addition, chatbots should also be able to submit orders and check order statuses for users.

Reducing Operational Costs

Besides improving user experience, conversational chatbots can help reduce operational costs and improve productivity. This is because they can take part of the load off of your customer service and sales teams by helping clients solve simple issues and by processing orders.

AI-powered chatbots can now help change account information, answer product-related questions, help users make payments, and complete purchases. As a result, your employees will have more time to invest in activities that produce revenue and increase profitability.

Monetizing Social Media Channels

Social media and messaging apps enable brands to connect with their audiences, and chatbots can help take them a step further and harness their revenue-producing capacities. You can now integrate conversational chatbots with e-commerce platforms, which means you can collect payments and process orders through your social media channels and messaging apps.

Making You Available Across Multiple Devices

Consumers can use an array of devices to communicate with companies, such as cell phones, tablets, computers, gaming consoles, and even smart watches. Conversational commerce tools are so versatile, they can easily adjust to any new gadget or type of technology that may be introduced into the market.

Users can communicate with a conversational chatbot using one device, then switch to another gadget and pick up the conversation right where they left off. Thanks to emerging technology like voice recognition capabilities, conversational commerce tools are helping create a totally seamless experience for consumers regardless of their choice of device or platform.

Finally…

Conversational commerce tools have the ability to help consumers and create a smooth shopping experience while allowing companies to create and launch targeted marketing campaigns. Because of this, it’s safe to say that conversational chatbots will completely revolutionize the way consumers interact with their favorite brands. Take into consideration the tips outlined above to help you prepare for the future of e-commerce and harness the power of conversational commerce tools in your business strategies.