Personalised recommendations are a handy tool in the online retailer's toolkit. These can take many forms, but often come in the shape of pop-ups. However, more and more retailers are beginning to realise the immense value that a chatbot can offer to online shoppers. Take this dialogue, for example...

🤖 Great to see that you’re purchasing shampoo! Did you know that 50% of customers purchasing shampoo also choose a conditioner? These two items go particularly well with the shampoo you're buying. In fact, if you’d like to sign up to our customer loyalty programme, we’ll even remind you when you might be running out, and when it’s time to purchase more 👋

🧍 Hmmm, good point! Yes, I’d like to add that to my basket 😃

🤖 I see you’ve also just come from the suncream section; are you off on your holidays soon? The current weather forecast for your location is cloudy ☁️, so it wouldn’t surprise me! Be sure to check out these sunscreen products as well 🧴

🧍 Will do! You’re awesome, helpful robot! 👏

🤖 Thanks! Would you like me to do a little dance in GIF-format? 💃🕺

🧍 Perhaps when I’ve paid and received my order confirmation 😁

How does a product recommendation chatbot work?

Personalized shopping experiences are emboldened by product recommendations tailored to the interests of individual shoppers. When people walk into a physical store, they ask in-store attendants for advice on the products they need to simplify their shopping experience.

That degree of personalized service is what people want as they shop online, and that’s why product recommendation chatbots add so much value to e-commerce sites. People can interact with the chatbot, and its machine learning algorithms learn how to recommend products that align with the needs and interests of that particular shopper.

How a product recommendation chatbot grows your business

Think about the shopping experience from the perspective of your end consumers. They want fast, convenient, and informative service to save time and simplify their decision making process. Rather than roam aimlessly across a website, they want a helpful, guided path that navigates them from the point of entry on the site to the point of purchase in an organic flow.

A product recommendation chatbot facilitates that experience. Instead of having to scroll through a dozen product pages, people only need to answer a few questions and get the perfect recommendation within minutes, if not seconds. The whole process could be done in a few clicks rather than over the course of several minutes or hours on end of research.

As the business owner, imagine what you could do with such a tool. Not only do you increase customer loyalty by giving your customers a delightful experience, you’ll also increase sales revenue and gather important insights that help you build a better business. Chatbots enable this real-time engagement with shoppers that satisfy their needs and empower your team to achieve your strategic business goals.

How dialogue-driven chatbots increase conversion

Still need convincing that chatbots will benefit your brand? There are a number of prudent reasons to invest in chatbots in order to achieve key business objectives. By focusing on revenue-driven incentives to use the technology, you can build a case for your business to make product recommendation chatbots part of your core business model.

#1 Chatbots say the right thing at the right time

You can program chatbots to engage in humanlike dialogue with shoppers as they interact with your website. Powered by AI, chatbots learn how to respond to frequently asked questions with insightful answers that guide shoppers towards their ideal destination. This helps simplify the shopping experience, increase order fulfillment, and ultimately drive up revenue for your company.

#2 Chatbots are seen as friendly and non-intrusive

Chatbots can be very welcoming, programmed to act as the digital version of an in-store customer service representative. Online shoppers feel no pressure when interacting with a chatbot. They’re there just to help and not to sell, which makes customers trust them more. This non-intrusive approach to shopping builds trust and credibility with your consumers, increasing the likelihood they’ll consider a purchase and complete the checkout process.

#3 Chatbots gather useful insights

Since chatbots are seen as non-intrusive, people are more likely to interact with them. Shoppers who have a keen eye on a particular product will want directions to where they can learn more about the item in need. Similarly, people who are looking for general information can interact with the chatbot, which can motivate them to spend more time on the website. The chatbot also collects useful information about shopping behaviors that you can use to optimize your business and marketing strategy. Build customer loyalty and drive business growth with a recommendation chatbot

Fundamentally, any piece of technology should contribute value to your business. In the case of product recommendation chatbots, they’re designed to generate one-to-one engagement with shoppers and create pleasant experiences that increase brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. By accumulating more credibility on both those fronts, you’ll succeed at developing a community of highly engaged shoppers who will help grow your business.