Where To Use AI In Your Ecommerce Strategy

The development of AI within the technology industry has led to changes that affect all of our day to day lives. The sphere of eCommerce is no exception. The way that we buy things online (whether this be web, mobile, application or social media) has all been affected. 

In this post we will look at some of the ways that AI can transform the way you interact with eCommerce. If you are looking to upgrade your eCommerce store and bring it up to par with others operating in the industry, this post will explain how to use AI for your benefit.

As the eCommerce giants continue to race ahead with their AI technological advances, it’s a great idea for you too as well. With companies such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft already leaning heavily into AI backed operations, if you don’t start to incorporate it, you will be left behind.

So in what areas of eCommerce can you use AI? Let’s take a look.

Advanced Search

The search bar is one of the most important elements of your eCommerce experience. This is whether it is via your web browser, mobile browser or mobile app. Especially for high intent customers; when they come to search on your site, they want to be presented with their results seamlessly and intuitively.

AI can help power a search that operates on a human centric level. This means that it can use natural language processing (NLP) as well as synonym and antonym suggestions, to allow users to search in the most convenient way for them. 

Without this AI, search results will just be based on keyword queries. This is not an effective solution, as some shoppers might not know the correct keywords, or they might not know the spelling, or simply make spelling mistakes. If the search operates on keywords alone, then this would result in the dreaded ‘0 Results’ outcome. This is not what you want.

AI backed search means that not only can keywords be considered, but in the case of vector search, even intent can be considered. Machine learning can help determine the intent of the user, and multimodal search can mean that results can be presented from different inputs and outputs.

Along with this, autocomplete and linking to social media, search engines can go above and beyond what is previously understood. AI within site search makes all the difference, and this can result in huge increases in sales and AOV.



Voice Technology

The growth of voice technology within AI makes perfect sense within the context of eCommerce. Shoppers want to search in the most convenient way possible to them. Rather than typing out words they might not know the spelling of, voice search allows them to simply speak. For many people this is the quickest and simplest way of searching.

The more AI comes to understand voice commands (as seen through Siri and Alexa), the more convenient your users’ shopping experience can be. With advanced voice technology, the users can speak in their natural language, and machine learning can understand the context and intent behind what they are saying. 

This means they don’t have to speak in a certain way, but as if they were talking. This kind of conversational commerce is set to make huge waves in the eCommerce world. Increased efficiency is never a bad thing.

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality mixes together virtual reality and the eCommerce experience. Many times, especially when making big ticket purchases, shoppers want to be assured that they are making the right purchase.

Augmented Reality creates the potential for this, as items can be seen in real time as they will appear. For example, a sofa can be viewed in the context of the room you intend it to be. Or a dress can be viewed on the body it is intended for. 

This uses AI in a convenient way that can also have positive environmental impact as it reduces the potential for returns. This also will see your business prosper, as sales are more likely to be final.

Chatbots

As chatbot technology continues to grow, the potential for using these within the eCommerce world does too. This is a great way to reduce the need for human agents to spend time on projects that AI could easily handle.

Queries such as:

• FAQs
• Delivery information
• Package tracking
• Returns information
• Product details
• Company information

Can all be handled by a chatbot. This frees up human agents to handle more complex queries. It also means that your shoppers can access this information 24/7. The more advanced the chatbot, the more complex queries they can handle. This can have a hugely positive impact on your business.

There are many ways that AI can improve your eCommerce presence. Some of these are more commonly used (advanced site search) and some of them are more product specific and inventive (Augmented Reality). Whatever you decide suits your business best, using AI within your eCommerce strategy will undoubtedly bring benefits to your business.