If you are a geek who enjoys learning about technology you’ve probably observed the rise of artificial intelligence over the years. Whereas previous generations imagined it as science fiction, you probably immediately recognize how the technology could potentially disrupt the world.
Entrepreneurs and other innovators have previously used artificial intelligence to improve the healthcare and finance industry. Now it looks like it’s coming to ecommerce! Industry experts and analysts currently believe that ecommerce stores will soon begin to embrace artificial intelligence to drive sales and overall growth.
Ecommerce is a very competitive field. While Walmart is fighting off Amazon, smaller online retailers are competing against brick-and-mortar stores to capture people’s interest and wallets. The addition of artificial intelligence can give many companies a competitive advantage since it will make them a novelty to consumers. Below are five different ways artificial intelligence can impact the ecommerce industry:
1. Artificial Intelligence Will Seamlessly Connect Both The Offline and Online Worlds
Artificial intelligence is now advanced enough to seamlessly connect both offline and online worlds. In the near future, physical stores will be able to display ads based on your most recent online searches. Also ecommerce stores will provide better customer service since they will have a massive amount of data about each website visitor. Overall, each customer experience will improve regardless if they are shopping online or in a physical store.
A recent article by Time Magazine about Amazon Go illustrates how artificial intelligence will connect the online and offline world. The company’s store will allow customers to grab food items off the shelf and simply walk out without waiting in line. Amazon will automatically recognize them and bill their account using the store’s artificial intelligence.
2. Artificial Intelligence Will Improve the Virtual Personal Shopper Experience
Another way artificial intelligence can impact the ecommerce industry is by improving the personal shopper experience. When customers visit a website they can immediately get recommendations based on their specific tastes and preferences. Technology like Intouch Insight is key for these stores since it can gather customer feedback and interpret it so companies can improve their strategies.
3. Artificial Intelligence Will Use Visual Search
Did you know that soon you’ll be able to find any product you want as long as you have an image of it? Artificial intelligence is powerful enough to find complimentary products (or the same product) when it scans a picture. The technology can recognize and interpret the item’s brand, shape, color and fabric. Another company that focuses on delivering speed is Check In Easy, an application that allows event planners to coordinate events and check guests in half the time.
4. Artificial Intelligence Will Increase The Amount of Personalization or Customization
Many ecommerce stores already offer some level of personalization, but artificial intelligence will raise the bar to a whole new level. The technology can gather the data from a mobile application, physical store and online store in one central location to create a customer profile. Based on that information they can make custom recommendations to the customer.
Companies like Dot Com Development use their sophisticated technology to create personalized ecommerce projects for their clients. They develop mobile apps and responsive websites for businesses around the world.
5. Consumers Are Starting to Embrace Artificial Intelligence
Research shows consumers are open to using artificial intelligence when they are shopping online. Hubspot recently did a study that revealed customers are willing to talk with a chat bot or another type of artificial intelligence as long as they get their questions answered quickly and they don’t have to wait too long.