With the advent of AI, brands have gathered a deeper understanding of customers. As AI deals with semantic meaning, meta-level knowledge, and answers which are either exact or optimal, it can easily come up with personalized interactions based on the preference of each customer. AI is able to decipher tendencies and predict future customer needs or create excellent recommendation engines.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has had a huge impact on the retail industry. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2020, 85% of our interactions will be with chatbots. To put it differently, AI is deemed to change a lot. Human workforce will be no more at the forefront of customer interactions, and marketing calls will rely mostly on hard data instead of individual ideas. In fact, a study reveals that AI will increase business output by 6.5 times. Now the question is with this technology in flux and advancing into mainstream how AI will influence everyday customer experiences
Ways to Optimize Customer Digital Experiences with AI
With the use of AI that promises to deliver relevant retail experience seamlessly across devices. In fact, a survey among US customers said that 83 percent of shoppers are happy to shop from a brand that uses chatbot or some other AI competences.
Tailored content to suit customer needs – There is no denying the fact that personalization plays a key role in meting out positive customer experience and brands are looking out for different ways so that they can make every point of the customer journey more personalized.
However, with rising complexity of products and services, sometimes it becomes challenging to keep the content relevant. Th is is where AI has a major role to play. AI enables creation of tailor made content for a specific customer base. Deep-learning models can take cue from common words and phrases that customers look for and in turn can come up with tactful recommendations.
Let us have a look at an example, when a customer submits a support ticket, he keys in the words, “change my password,” in such instance AI will recommend apt editorial adjustments to relevant help articles. Nevertheless, having an understanding of customers search terms, the content can be adjusted accordingly so that target users easily interpret the content. In this case, AI helps support organizations have deeper understanding of customers’ issues and they can come up with more personalized content.
Voice-based Commerce – AI powered voice-based product search and voice commerce has made shopping a delightful experience for shoppers today. Customers need not type their queries in small devices they can just ask Alexa to add carrots or the new lipstick that is launched by MAC to their shopping cart. Also customers can ask smart assistants about the present delivery status, estimated arrival time, or reorder all their previously added items. Brands like Target, Tesco, Walmart, Kohl and Costco either use Google or Amazon AI technologies for an enhanced shopping experience.
In fact, rising Voice commerce has made purchases faster and easier.
Virtual Fitting Rooms and Mirrors – The AI-powered virtual fitting rooms and mirrors have brought in huge impact into the retail industry. The technology seems great for busy shoppers because they can try out multiple apparel and matching accessories within a matter of seconds. Brands like Moda Polso allow clients to create their own avatars. Th e virtual avatars allow Moda Polso shoppers try out numerous outfits so that they can quickly accomplish the purchase. In fact, virtual dressing rooms have been a great boon for online shoppers because online shoppers return around 25% of the clothes that they buy and in 70% of the cases the reason is wrong size.
Combination of IOT and AI
A Report by Global Market Insights says that Internet of Things (IoT) in the retail market will reach to over $30 million by 2024. In fact, IoT has dramatically enhanced customer experiences by enabling retailers with business insights so that they can advance their marketing strategies. It does so by deriving utmost benefit from the world of AI. It is AI that gains helpful insights from the sheer volume of data that is brought to table by IoT through connected devices and sensors. Th e good thing about combining IoT with AI is that both brands and customers benefit from the technology unequivocally. For instance, when a customer chooses a drink from a retail shelf, IoT and AI will work together to come up with a food suggestion that would go well with the drink and also where to fi nd the ingredients within the store. Th e result is customers have an improved shopping experience and brands get a chance to cross sell their products.
Improved customer journey with AI and ML
AI enables brands to have a deeper learning about customers. As AI deals with semantic meaning, meta-level knowledge, and answers which are either exact or optimal, it can easily come up with personalized interactions based on the preference of each customer. AI is able to decipher tendencies and predict future customer needs or create excellent recommendation engines. Brands like Sephora, France-based chain of beauty stores, and Black Diamond, a manufacturer of equipment for skiing and climbing are successfully using AI to off er personalized recommendations to clients. Machine Learning (ML) on the other hand defines customer personas more precisely; in fact with ML customer pattern recognition becomes easier. Combined together, AI and ML can scale new heights in the retail industry.
With ML and AI, browsing for hours in search of the perfect product will be long gone.
Rather brands will off er ultra-personalized recommendations so that the customer can easily choose the product. Last but not the least, the time has come when companies will not only take care of the need of the customers rather will work ahead of time so that they can decode customer requirements, preferences, moods, desires, and also the kind of problems that customers might face. The concept of retail customer engagement will increase in leaps and bounds.
