How will your business compete with the biggest brands in the market now that the busiest time of the year for retailers is here? You need a little help from Live Chat and AI!
To understand why these two are necessary, I think it’s important that we give you some context:
Today, consumers expect their favorite brands to know them almost personally. However, at the same time, they don’t want to feel overwhelmed by random ads popping up while they’re navigating online.
How does one establish that fine line between personalization and data privacy?
That is a big challenge. One that also revolves around the GDPR, a regulation for Customer Data protection. But there is already a solution for brands to keep working with their clients’ information while still following the law.
So, to make your marketing and sales strategies create a real connection with the consumer, you need the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
Especially when dates like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are getting closer, companies need to focus more on targeted shopping experiences to enhance their results. Because of that, every marketing effort needs to be assertive.
Through AI technology, you’ll understand what makes a purchasing decision happen and what leads to an abandoned cart.
Long story short: it’s all about Customer Experience.
Keep reading to learn all about how to enrich your eCommerce this year by:
- knowing what is and how to use AI on a Live Chat
- understanding how AI will improve your customer experience
- using a Live Chat for Black Friday
- learning what the role of Customer Data in modernizing your brand’s Black Friday experience
What is AI?
From the popular Siri and Alexa to self-driving cars, artificial intelligence has become quite common these days. It is a computer science branch that develops machines capable of performing tasks that would typically require human intelligence.
For example, talking to a customer through chat support.
Nowadays, companies are using this technology more and more, putting it to different uses. Whether it’s to perform a support service or to automatize personalized recommendations.
Why is this happening?
Simply put: because AI can create valuable knowledge for a business strategy. I mean, not only can it collect and analyze Customer Data, but it can also select what is relevant and what is not. Even more than that, it can actually understand what needs to be done to reach the customer the right way (and at the right time).
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How will AI improve customer experience?
One of the biggest issues retailers face today is personalized content and offers to their customers. Usually, the major retail brands out there can do pretty well on this matter. They use systems that allow data collection and content personalization.
However, some of these data come from third-parties. Now, you might be asking, “why is that a problem?” Well, this type of data typically comes from external sources, that is, not directly from the relationship between the brand and the customer.
The most reliable way to work with Customer Data today is to focus on first-party data, the type shared with the brand from the consumers themselves. That is where the opportunity to enhance business results is.
You can easily do this by using a Customer Data Platform. That’s the best guarantee you’ll be working with clear, assertive data. Any guess on how this platform works? Yeah, that’s right, with AI.
Some more examples of how AI can be used to enrich your customer experience:
Online chatbots
There are two types of chatbots, the simple ones and the ones that work through AI. This first type is pre-programmed with questions and answers, so the client can’t really ask a question. They can only click the options available on the chat.
The second type, the one we are indeed interested in, is the AI chatbot. It has some pre-programmed information, but it works mainly through machine learning. That means that each customer attended will make it learn a little bit more.
At first, it may not be so efficient, but it will become a robust customer support tool as it keeps being used. That’s actually why it’s recommended to test it out and use it before making it available to your consumers.
Machine learning
As mentioned right above here, AI is directly associated with the machine learning concept.
Where do I want to get with this information?
Well, machines don’t just learn information about the customer. They can also learn how to detect the tone of voice and sentiment in their communication. This allows retailers to see how their products impact their audience, what makes them desirable, and what doesn’t.
Besides, they can use this information to create offers and ads that trigger the consumer’s emotional aspect.
Analytics and personalized recommendations
Every bit of information is beneficial for a company, even more so when a system performing through AI does the main job of selecting the most important for you. When AI learns what customers are saying about the brand (both online and in-store), you can analyze that and create new ways to improve the facets that are getting complaints.
In the same way, you can work with marketing and sales teams to refine the method you’re currently using to attract and retain customers.
A CDP, for example, gathers similar customer profiles into a singular place. Then, you can use it to send personalized offers and promotions.
Targeted deals and promotions
So, here it is. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
Targeting is the key to success this year. You need to nail your segmentation groups to achieve the best results you possibly can. Additionally, using connected strategies will make your goals easier to accomplish.
Live Chat is an example of a tool you can use to reach those groups I’ve just mentioned. By being proactive and sending the first message like, “Hey there, do you want to learn how to get 50% off on this product?” results will come quickly.
Of course, it’s necessary to know what the customers like and dislike. What drives them away from hitting the “finish order” button?
Once you have that answer, your work with targeted deals and promotions will be at its prime.
Better understanding and tracking of consumers
For that reason, artificial intelligence also assists in knowing your consumer. While it gathers customer data, all the information is read, analyzed, and selected to present only what actually has some value to the company.
When AI solutions were being created, aiming to help retailers do better in the sales department, no efforts were saved.
What do I mean with this statement? Well, have you noticed that each topic I’ve included here has completed each other? That is an indication of how AI technology works and how it’s thorough doing its job.
After the technology you’re using to help your brand collect and analyze information from your consumer base, you’ll just need to take that, transform it into a strategy, and define what the next steps and goals to be achieved are.
The live chat experience
I’ve talked about live chat above, and I think it’s interesting to focus our energies on this subject a little longer.
First of all, what is live chat? If you’re still wondering about this, let’s make it clear: it’s a tool similar to chatbots, but the conversation happens with a human agent, not a robot. Although, it can also be programmed with some automatic bot messages — such as, “an attendant will be available in about 2 minutes, hold tight.”
It works for many purposes, but the main reason is sales, followed closely by customer support. It can also be used for marketing, cross-selling, and retargeting; strategies. For most of these, you can be a proactive chatter; that is, you can send the first message instead of waiting for the customer to start a conversation.
When you have this software installed in your eCommerce, you will notice the positive outcomes like increased conversions, qualified lead generation, and more productivity for your customer service team.
How will Live Chat help you during the Black Friday season?
This time of the year is the busiest time for retailers. Not only is it the period for Christmas shopping, but it’s also an opportunity to make big purchases (new notebook, phones, etc.). Many people wait for this season to get the best deals on the products they want.
Because it’s such a hectic period, especially on Black Friday itself, website pages might be congested, or people might need extra help to find what they want or to apply for discounts. Thus, Live Chat is a must-have gadget.
It provides your brand with a combo of better supporting customers and selling more. Overall, it generates the best Customer Experience you could ask for.
Working with Customer Data
While using a Live Chat, you will need to perform your strategies through Customer Data. Even though the amount of data generated yearly is immense, you may have noticed it’s not so easy to work with it.
That’s because you need to stick to the GDPR rules of data privacy. So, instead of randomly collecting data and using it to reach more people over the internet, you should center your approach to using a trustable data system.
As previously mentioned, the Customer Data Platform is of immense help in this matter. It collects, selects, and stores clear and valuable information from your customer base. Moreover, it breaks data silos, automates marketing workflow, tracks shopping events, and so much more.
The Arena solution
Here at Arena, our AI is built to enhance the results of your business. Do you want to improve your campaign results? Arena is here for you. Do you want to have more engagement? Arena is here for you. Do you want to have a better branding experience? Arena is here for you.
Basically, we can solve any issues you have related to your Customer Experience and make the best of it.
Are you interested? Start by trying our Live Chat platform for free!
