TOPICS: Chatbot for Ecommerce   Chatbot for Website    Building a chatbot   

Ecommerce Chatbot – 4 Killer Tips to Create A Successful Ecommerce Chatbot For Your Online Store

Going from promising possibilities to mainstream ecommerce tools within a couple of years, ecommerce chatbots have had a phenomenal journey. Currently, they’re going strong on most major ecommerce websites, and have won the millennial audience over with their efficiency, accuracy and intelligence.

But it isn’t always easy to get started with an ecommerce chatbot on your online store. For the uninitiated, the number of chatbot platforms, possibilities and tutorials available online can make things rather confusing. In the years we’ve spend building ecommerce chatbots for websites and messaging platforms, we’ve identified some important factors that every ecommerce business needs to consider in order to create a successful chatbot. If you’re about to add an ecommerce chatbot to your online store, take a look at these pro tips.

1. Use a design that engages your visitors.

Ecommerce businesses often invest considerable amounts of time and effort into building ecommerce chatbots for their websites. And yet, their new chatbot doesn’t seem to get them the desired results. In a lot of these cases, the reason’s pretty straightforward – the chatbot wasn’t prominent enough to get the attention of the website’s visitors.

To make sure your visitors interact with your ecommerce chatbot, use a design that stands out. Prominent colors and an initial message that triggers a response can go a long way in increasing engagement. Make it easy for shoppers to start engaging with your chatbot by offering them a menu of options that they can click instead of having to type something. On an online grocery store, for instance, the chatbot can pop up with something like:

“Hey there! Get 20% off site-wide on your first order. Where would you like to head first?”

And follow it up with options such as “fresh fruits and vegetables”, “staples and cereals”, “eggs and dairy”, “meat and poultry”, and so on. This way, a shopper doesn’t have to make much effort to get started on their buying process.

2. You don’t need a ‘perfect’ chatbot.

At least not right at the start. The best ecommerce chatbots start out as simple programs, learning and improving as they converse with more and more customers. To make the most of your ecommerce chatbot’s AI, launch it as soon as possible so it can start interacting with real people. All you need as a starting point is to create a basic script with answers to common questions that your customers have asked so far. These Q&As are probably already included in your website’s support section. Add them to your chatbot and then let it bring you new suggestions as it starts conversing with your customers.

3. Integrate your chatbot with your CRM.

When you create an ecommerce chatbot for your ecommerce store, you give your business the advantage of a direct link with its customers. With the chatbot in place, you’re going to receive a steady stream of leads, feedback and insights on customer trends, preferences and behavior. To put this data to good use, integrate your ecommerce chatbot with your website’s customer relationship management (CRM) system.

Doing so will ensure that the leads your chatbot picks up make their way to your sales team well in time for them to follow up with promotional emails or phone calls. Your support team will also be better placed to provide effective customer service because the chatbots will send support tickers straight into the system. Over time, this CRM integration will make your store’s behind-the-scenes operations efficient and result-oriented. Which is something you need as a new ecommerce business running a tight ship.

4. Create a chatbot with a real person behind it.

Knowing that their messages are going to a real person and not into a pile of data can go a long way in helping your customers trust your business. They will feel encouraged to submit their contact information for a follow-up or a discount notification email. Ecommerce businesses that keep this in mind while building chatbots for their websites are able to boost customer loyalty and increase the number of quality leads they get from their website’s traffic.

If you’re looking to create an ecommerce chatbot for your online store, aim for a mix of artificial and human intelligence. The best ecommerce chatbots are built on this principle. The chatbot generally has a name and an identifiable image, and a real person monitors the chats on the other end of the screen. This way, the chatbot’s responses have a human touch and don’t read like boilerplate messages that can be alienating to a customer.

For more tips and guides on building ecommerce chatbots and other businesses, take a look at our blog posts or contact us with your chatbot development queries.