{"id":3061,"date":"2024-11-18T20:02:39","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T20:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getleadster.com\/blog\/?p=3061"},"modified":"2024-11-27T20:41:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T20:41:07","slug":"chatbot-for-e-commerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getleadster.com\/blog\/chatbot-for-e-commerce\/","title":{"rendered":"Chatbot for E-commerce: The Best on the Market"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let\u2019s start the article with a somewhat controversial point: people, in general, are either not used to dealing with chatbots in e-commerce or simply don\u2019t like them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there’s a caveat: we’re not talking about AI-powered chatbots. Most people today have no idea what customer service looks like when driven by this technology.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest complaint from those who dislike interacting with chatbots in e-commerce is that these bots can’t solve problems or maintain a conversation as a human would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This complaint is valid when we\u2019re talking about pre-programmed chatbots. They truly can’t understand what the user is asking beyond their set parameters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, ChatGPT has completely revolutionized the way chatbots for e-commerce operate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, they can provide personalized assistance, not only answering customer questions but also suggesting products, aiming for conversions, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we\u2019ll discuss these types of chatbots. We\u2019ll explore what they\u2019re already capable of, what they will be able to do in the future, and, of course, suggest a few tools as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shall we get started?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s New in E-commerce Chatbots with ChatGPT?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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From our own experience as chatbot developers, for most of their existence, chatbots didn\u2019t have the features we see emerging today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And by “today,” I mean very recently: following the launch of major Natural Language Processing<\/a> models like ChatGPT, new chatbots have been developed and released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chatbots have always operated through simple algorithms created by users themselves \u2014 these are the chatbot flows.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many cases, like lead generation, for example, this approach is more than sufficient.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in many other cases, it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer service is the main area affected. The simplest chatbots, which work through flows, often don\u2019t even allow the user to say anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interactions are pre-determined by the flow itself. Instead of stating their need, the user selects an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This renders such chatbots ineffective for customer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So much so that companies specializing in customer support tools \u2014 like Zendesk, for instance \u2014 have consistently focused on frameworks to assist human agents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ChatGPT is changing this dynamic, and in the following sections, you’ll understand exactly how:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chatbots Have Become Truly Intelligent<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you may have noticed, chatbots couldn\u2019t provide effective support simply because the technology didn\u2019t exist back then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when we say “back then,” we\u2019re talking about just last year. \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chatbots were only as intelligent as their flows allowed, which was often enough in many cases.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, chatbots have silently transformed banking support. Alongside apps, they\u2019re responsible for significantly reducing the long lines at bank branches during business hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, for customer service, they weren\u2019t that smart. But now they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The GPT model can be integrated into various types of applications through APIs. In other words, apps can be created using GPT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is precisely what chatbots do. Just as ChatGPT can understand what you’re saying and deliver appropriate responses, so can chatbots that use GPT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what\u2019s been transforming the e-commerce landscape. Now, customer service can be automated, freeing up human agents to handle more complex issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This intelligence isn\u2019t just about the ability to respond. By feeding the tool with your database, responses are provided based on your brand’s information.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone asks the price of a product, for example, the chatbot can answer and even provide the link for purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot is still in development, and not all tools offer the maximum capabilities for e-commerce chatbots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we bring examples, this will become much clearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application is Simple and Very Fast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Building a chatbot from scratch isn\u2019t a simple task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have an article on the blog, for instance, that discusses three ways to create a WhatsApp chatbot. And in that article, we saw that if you decide to build the chatbot yourself, the process is quite complex and costly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you don\u2019t go it alone and opt for a flow-based chatbot, you\u2019ll still need to create the flows, design strategies, and plan the support process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI-powered e-commerce chatbots don\u2019t have these limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our own support chatbot here at Leadster can be implemented in just a few minutes. Specifically, 12 minutes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the time it takes to read the page where it’s applied and start responding to users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this isn\u2019t a unique advantage exclusive to Leadster. AI technologies are naturally fast, and the task of reading and storing information from your site isn\u2019t too complex for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI E-commerce Chatbots Answer up to 78% of Questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With all of this in mind, you may be wondering about the true effectiveness of these AI-powered e-commerce chatbots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are they really that good, or is it all just marketing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, regarding the idea of it being “just” marketing: that\u2019s not exactly the case. AI-powered chatbots can indeed handle user requests because they converse like a human and understand almost like a human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a simple conversation, natural language and access to all company data are all a tool needs to deliver accurate responses.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s precisely what AI e-commerce chatbots have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our tests and conducting global benchmarks, we found that AI-powered customer service chatbots can answer up to 78% of user questions and requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remaining 22% is entirely expected. Some queries will be very, very specific.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example: the user is looking for information on the delivery status of a product they ordered. In this case, the AI would need access to tracking details, which is more complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or a specific use of a product that led to damage. Here, it\u2019s difficult for the AI to \u201cdecide\u201d if this issue is covered by the return and exchange policy; human analysis is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, responding to 100% of questions is impossible, and even customers don\u2019t expect that. But close to 80% efficiency allows the other 20% to receive the best possible attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Top 5 Chatbot Platforms for E-commerce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Everything we’ve discussed so far isn\u2019t exclusive or hard to find. AI-powered e-commerce chatbots have been a market reality for some time now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They exist in a few different categories, but the two main ones are general customer support platforms and AI chatbots specifically for e-commerce.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They might seem similar, but there\u2019s a subtle difference that impacts pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are customer support platforms that have been in the market for years, maybe even decades. They already have a robust framework around customer service as a whole, with AI emerging as an added feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, there are chatbot platforms created exclusively for direct support. They are more straightforward, getting to the point faster, and therefore are more cost-effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the list, we\u2019ll assess together, case by case, which category each tool falls into.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s go:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 – Leadster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Leadster sits somewhere between the first and second categories we described.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have always been a chatbot developer focused on lead generation. And we’ve implemented ChatGPT in this task since 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now, we’ve launched Leadster AI for direct support, with no need to create flows, going beyond the lead generation focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Leadster AI, you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n