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Following on from 2015’s Chinese eCommerce market generating in the region of $562 billion (£435b) in sales, and the rapid transition from the brick-and-mortar shops, is it not the time for us to at least consider the potential that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could have in the multi-trillion-pound global eCommerce industry?
The eCommerce sector has evolved into something that is somewhat essential for many lives in the first world regions, and the addition of AI in eCommerce could see the industry taken to the next level.
There are three major areas where the implementation of AI could essentially alter the face of eCommerce. You can discover them here:
Fancy Having A Personal Shopper?
Future search technology will be so smartly constructed that brands will be able to comprehend their customers’ every want and need without ever needing the assistance of a human salesperson for help with their orders.
In fact, there is an early example of this in Viv, also known as the Son of Siri.
Developed by the creators of Siri, Viv is the next-gen AI assistant that offers equipment that is able to handle a number of complex requests, with great ease, both in the understanding of tasks and performing of services too.
Viv takes what Siri already does and moves beyond that mark – for example, it will connect with third-party merchants and make the purchases or reservations for you instead of peeling you off to a basic web search, leaving you to do the rest of the work.
Search
An area that is still developing for both the engines and the consumers are the search terms themselves. Do you go big and type in long-tail terms, or go short and hope that Google or Bing can pull out what you’re after? It’s getting better, but there’s work to do!
We’ve all searched for something and been presented with a listing of things that we didn’t want, mainly due to existing search engines characteristically working by retrieving results based on matching keywords in a search query to keywords in product titles and descriptions. What they don’t do is a factor in more context.
So how will AI help to strengthen this area of eCommerce and make it an improved experience for consumers in the future? Well, essentially, it aims to allow AI to utilise its own power combined with natural language processing capabilities – currently missing in existing search engines – and presents it with a human element in a digital world for every consumer.
The potential is for eCommerce platforms to transform huge amounts of otherwise failed search into fruitful conversions. By using natural language, processing wants to understand the text as humans understand it. This means that they won’t just comprehend computer search words, it will apply search with its own contextual understanding and potentially rescue an otherwise unsuccessful search.
AI Covers All The Bases
Reverting back to the aforementioned, Viv technology and other upcoming digital data custodians, their purpose is clear. They are designed to be omnipresent, have the capability to comprehend your history and preferences as the user engages and interacts with it daily. This wouldn’t be restricted to just one device either, it would encompass everything from your home desktop, to your workplace devices and mobile devices.
AI searches would come from a range of sources pulled to make one extensive database all for each user, which wouldn’t just offer improved and better-informed responses, it would also have the capability to envisage, preferences, behaviours and future purchases. Why? That is because all of these elements are there to give users a new world of unlocked potential.
What Would This Mean For eCommerce Store Owners?
Essentially it boils down to this; increased transactions, increased retention, increased conversions and increased customer satisfaction.
AI is set to provide the eCommerce industry with heightened understanding, as well as a more human-style touch, which is, of course, something that the industry could always welcome in.
If you’re looking for more information on how our Magento agency can help push your eCommerce business to the next level while you’re waiting for AI to enter the fore, then why not get in contact with us today?