If you need help in a store, there is always a salesperson present to assist you. Nowadays, this is happening more and more online. A virtual shop assistant can help customers to make the online decision process as easy as possible for them.
This article explains more about using a virtual shop assistant. So read on!
What Is a Virtual Shop Assistant?
A virtual shop assistant is a software solution that uses machine learning and language processing technology. It is mostly used to make interactions with visitors easier. A shop assistant can perform various tasks, including answering questions, making product recommendations and providing order information.
Thanks to advances in AI technology, virtual sales assistants have become quite effective. For example, they are able to answer 80% of routine questions. Even 34% of online shoppers prefer chatbots to human customer service.
To interact with a shop assistant, someone has to go to a website or social media page first. The shop assistant then greets the user, and asks a question or informs about a discount. This greeting, question, or offer can be personalized based on available data about the user. Or it can be kept general, so the experience will be the same for every visitor.
Why Every Store Should Use This!
Everything the shop assistant does, ultimately contributes to your business. Firstly, there are many benefits to having a virtual shop assistant. Here are a few:
- Make the decision-making process faster and easier
- Generate more sales
- Collect data
- Create a better customer experience
- Save money
- A head start on the competition
Secondly, a virtual shop assistant is a good addition to human sales staff. In fact, they add a lot of value. When people are aware that Artificially Intelligent Voice Assistants (AIVA) are not fully human, they might let go of the pressure they may feel to be judged by humans. Research has shown that people tend to provide more personal information to virtual bots, than to real people. The fact that AIVAs are not real people may lead people to use them for help with more personal issues. And it can reduce the anxiety they may have about their choices or questions.
What Can You Use a Virtual Shop Assistant For?
Answering Customer Questions
First, it is important that the questions people have when planning to buy something, can be answered quickly. A virtual shop assistant can do this perfectly. They are usually basic questions about shipping and return costs, or delivery time. But they can also be informative about the products or services being sold. If the assistant helps customers well with these questions, the chances are higher that they will eventually buy something. Shop assistants are also available 24/7, that’s because people can be shopping online at any time of the day.
Giving Product Recommendations
But virtual shop assistants can do more than just answer basic questions. They can also make product recommendations based on a customer’s needs, behavior and preferences. You can use a shop assistant, for example, to look up more information about a product a customer is looking for. And make recommendations on it based on this information. This can significantly improve the customer experience. Because you can offer customers a solution to their question or problem as quickly as possible.
Offering Discounts
Another thing a shop assistant can do is provide offers and discounts to customers. They can do this in a variety of ways to increase conversion and generate more sales. For example, brands can choose to give first-time customers a welcome discount, promote seasonal discounts, or offer product-specific discounts. A virtual assistant can also give customers a discount if they’re about to leave the website without making a purchase.
Virtual shop assistants try to help customers as much as possible in their decision making process. They contribute to it in order to make sure that they will eventually make a purchase. Do you also want to work with a virtual shop assistant? Our chatbot feature will be available soon. In the meantime, you can get started with LiveChat, or one of our other conversational channels!
