If you’ve attended any digital marketing or eCommerce conference this year, you know that artificial intelligence is one of the hottest topics around. The speakers are talking about it, the vendors are selling it and the attendees are trying to keep up. If you shy away from AI discussions, they are too complicated or not right for your brand, then you are missing out.
Source: google
AI solutions are easier to use and apply to your eCommerce business than ever before. Let’s get rid of the myths surrounding artificial intelligence to find out how this tool can be useful for your business.
You don’t need the budget of a national retailer like Yankee Candle Company to lure your customers with artificial intelligence.
AI and machine learning: Know your rules
Before you start exploring the various intelligence options for your eCommerce business, you need to understand the terminology. Many industry leaders break down words like “machine learning” to make sure you know what they’re talking about, without taking the time to break it down. Here are some simple words you might want to remember:
Artificial Intelligence: The robot’s ability to complete tasks that are usually needed by a human. AI occurs when a robot can follow certain rules (called an algorithm) for making decisions.
To Know About: Top 10 Powerful Applications & Example Use cases Of AI in eCommerce
Machine learning: The robot can make its own rules and improve the algorithm to get better results. Machine learning is often considered a subset of artificial intelligence. Typically, developers create an algorithm to follow the robot (AI) and then develop machine learning capabilities for the robot to create their own rules.
Consider what it takes to teach the robot to fold the laundry. Through AI, the robot can detect the shirt using an algorithm and fold it properly. However, machine learning is required to take the robot scarf, study its features, and fold it into a towel rather than a pair of pants or socks.
To Know About: AI for commerce is affordable and easy
The next step in understanding how artificial intelligence can help your eCommerce strategy is to eliminate the misconception that investing in AI is expensive and complicated. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to use AI on your site, and many companies are already testing AI tools on their web pages.
In 2017, more than 60 percent of businesses used AI tools in some form, a significant increase from 2016’s 38 percent. 77 percent of those businesses say they use AI to improve their marketing and sales processes.
Using artificial intelligence in your eCommerce strategy is as easy as trying out an “off-the-shelf” AI tool that generates products for customers and generates email recommendations through machine learning. You don’t even need to invest in a forward-facing tool that confuses your customers.
After a series of short, successful tests, you can expand your AI budget to explore various options to improve the customer experience and increase eCommerce sales.
How can eCommerce brands use AI?
Now that you understand that AI is not a complicated or expensive concept, you can start exploring its uses in the eCommerce sphere. Depending on your comfort level and website improvement goals, you can use artificial intelligence.
Improve customer recommendations with frequently purchased or substituted items.
Automate your customer service experience through chatbots to provide more information to your sales team.
Send automated engagement emails and responses based on customer interactions and information.
Learn about your customers and how to market them with big data analytics and analytics.
Listen to what people are saying about your brand online to help you respond to comments, reviews, and queries.
These are just a few examples of how some companies use AI and machine learning to help customers, but Apple Hub recently shared a high-level view of where companies are directing their AI efforts. While eCommerce is one of the top uses, many companies are working on more complex applications, starting with digital marketing or analytics.
Where can I start investing in Artificial Intelligence?
It’s not hard to get started when you are ready to jump into AI investing. In fact, you can already use some AI tools without realizing it.
If you host your site on WordPress, explore their AI tools to improve your website. These tools work to detect some spam, remove duplicate comments, and recommend products or posts to increase customer engagement.
The next place to look is the Shopify App Store. Dozens of results for applications that use machine learning.
If you feel comfortable adding AI tools to the back end of your website, go ahead and go ahead. There are a variety of customer service chatbots tools for your website or for Facebook Messenger. Consider testing one of these to drive more leads or move customers deeper into the sales funnel.
You don’t have to completely surrender your eCommerce website to robots. You can test and modify different machine learning tools as you feel comfortable or if you don’t see the results you want.
Another note about E-Commerce AI tools
If there is one takeaway that you have to keep in mind when choosing AI tools, then not all apps are created equal. If you find a recommended engine that doesn’t work, the problem may not be AI, but that particular app. Consider testing out any different options to see what works best before abandoning AI and returning to traditional eCommerce tools.
Artificial intelligence is never far away. Most of the eCommerce brands (big and small) are testing AI tools in some form or another on their web pages. If you can embrace AI, you can stand in front of the curve without having to go back and surprise your customers when your competitors adopt this new technology.
