Will Stephen Hawking’s forecast that “AI will result in the extinction of humanity” come true? Consider Asia, where artificial intelligence is driving the e-commerce sector.
40 per cent of online shoppers use chatbots to acquire products and services, while 51 per cent of consumers are open to making purchases from them.
By 2025, 95 per cent of all customer contacts, including live phone and online discussions, will be driven by AI (without human agents). Consumer expectations for businesses to embrace visual technology like holograms and virtual and augmented reality are projected to soar simultaneously. Businesses that don’t get ready for this future run the risk of falling behind their rivals.
The e-commerce business is booming in developing nations. Vietnam, Thailand, and other Asian countries demonstrate the involvement of numerous e-commerce businesses with widespread public backing.
Due to the positive feedback from many clients, internet shopping has been more popular recently. Nevertheless, regardless of whether AI “wipes out” humans, this combination may one day result in a boom in the retail industry.
AI – Stealth 24/7 supporter in e-commerce customer service
Chatbots and digital assistants are the areas of AI that are currently most often employed. Customers are gradually beginning to find these characteristics to be trustworthy and useful. They are there to support and assist people when they need it, not to entirely replace people.
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AI-powered chatbots can solve many simple and minor difficulties, leaving customer care to handle more complicated problems. Compared to a standard human-driven help desk, this method is far more effective and time-saving.
Chatbots have now become “hard workers” handling simple tasks related to e-commerce, such as recommending products, encouraging purchases, tracking shopping carts, and updating financial information accounts. Chatbots also can issue a notification to end the automatic process and resume the conversation through real person-to-person interaction.
E-commerce Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and AI-powered digital assistants, like Google’s Duplex engine, are gaining the ability to make shopping lists using a customer’s genuine voice and even place an order for them online.
Some of the key AI applications in e-commerce are more successful than others at achieving online or in-store commerce objectives. From this vantage point, it should be emphasised that although artificial intelligence in e-commerce has many advantages, these are the most prevalent uses of AI in the sector.
Chatbots have now become “hard workers” handling simple tasks related to e-commerce, such as recommending products, encouraging purchases, and tracking shopping carts. They also can issue a notification to end the automatic process and resume the conversation through real person-to-person interaction.
AI support customer service for Shopee in Vietnam
Shopee, the largest e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, has been active in the Vietnam market since 2016 and has achieved a lot during that time. We may ignore the poor quality of the retailers on this online marketplace and focus on how Shopee has pleased customers with the standard of its chatbot-based customer support.
Shopee is dedicated to the buyers on this platform and the stores linked to it for sales operations. They are the ones who give Shopee the majority of its income.
Shopee’s chatbots address problems with payment methods, shipping times, purchase options, and resolving complaints. Chatbots are installed by Shopee’s algorithm to provide automated client service. The chatbots will immediately transmit the pre-set responses to clients if they have any questions.
One Shopee user reported that the company’s chatbots satisfied his needs even at the busiest hours of the day. When he wishes to ask, the issue of not being able to pay for his order is also resolved because the system is already in place.
However, when urgent issues require quick attention and clients are not satisfied with the chatbots’ responses, AI is not always a useful tool in customer service.
Once, a glitch with my account prevented me from logging in, and using chatbots was also unavailable. Calling the radio and scheduling a meeting with customer service was my best action. Only humans can directly address issues at times like these.
Human resources are still “in the town” of supporting e-commerce
Even though the world is going more quickly toward AI or automated sales, human psychology still favours learning from a human. Shortly, 85 per cent of sales will reportedly be made without the involvement of any human beings. Since AI is more efficient, intelligent, and sensible. You might also discover that the seller’s website has answers to many of your questions.
These efforts are being made to help you save time and money. As a result, software businesses are competing to eliminate human needs from customer support, and they are somewhat effective in doing so.
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Despite having access to these services, customers still prefer to speak with a live person before buying. Customers’ preference for in-person sales encounters can be attributed to several factors. AI won’t entirely replace humans in the early future.
People enjoy hearing from a professional salesperson about a specific product. Your consumers will therefore perceive that you are interested in them if you use human sales contacts. Sharing individual selling experiences fosters the development of enduring bonds between buyers and sellers.
It appears that consumers still do not have the habit of making purchases solely through automated means. An actual human voice can assist them in moving down the sales funnel instead.
AI and humans – A perfect combination
We believe that combining AI and humans is the perfect solution. Since AI and humans can do various duties, it would be beneficial for online retailers to incorporate their advantages into their business strategies.
The use of cutting-edge technology in your company is something you should do as a modern business owner. However, you should add human contacts to your online store to satisfy customer demand. If not, you risk alienating a lot of potential clients. Live chat for e-commerce may be a clever modern strategy to maintain contact with your leads.
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