In today’s digital world, marketing success largely depends on providing a superior customer experience which is increasingly gaining importance. Consumer behavior has undergone a sea change since buyers started shifting to online buying, which is the mainstay of omnichannel eCommerce. The Covid19 pandemic gave a massive thrust to e-commerce as more buyers took to online buying as visiting physical stores was impossible. It also focused on customers as businesses realized the importance of developing customer-centric business models. To survive the intense competition of the online marketplace, brands must meet the customer expectations of practical and easy interactions with a personal touch. All exchanges must be relevant to the context that addresses their needs and not just chit-chatting.
The rise of Omnichannel eCommerce
On realizing the importance of seamless customer experience, brands and businesses are taking a multi-channel approach in online selling with stress on omnichannel marketing. Companies now ensure that brands remain highly visible to customers who can access the business online from any device. Smartphones are the most preferred device for shoppers who also use desktops, laptops, and tablets to shop online. The multi-channel approach ensures that customers who want to have it easy can access the business from the device of their choice. An article published in Harvard Business Review confirms that most customers (73%) use multiple channels to reach online businesses. Almost 50% or more buyers from all segments, B2C and B2B, search the internet before shopping or making a purchasing decision. Interestingly, even when shopping in a brick-and-mortar store, customers prefer searching online instead of physically searching items at the store.
Continuous and personal communication is the need of the hour
Ensuring easy accessibility to online businesses from various devices opens up new challenges for the E-Commerce players. When customers access the companies comfortably from their homes or while on the go, they want to enter into meaningful conversations and interactions to address their issues.
Real-time communication with customers is paramount, whether sharing information about some products to explain some finer details or attending to queries about quality. Proper communication at the right time is critical for creating a compelling customer experience that helps brands gain their trust.
Businesses are falling back upon digital technology and using chatbots to communicate with customers almost like humans. It helps to attend customers round the clock and opens new avenues for engaging with customers whenever they want.
Chatbots are must-haves for online businesses
As the omnichannel strategy is a must for businesses, Chatbots form the backbone of customer service and keep customers happy by interacting with them when needed. Most importantly, companies can create a personalized experience for customers through close interactions to feel comfortable.
Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), chatbots can enter into highly personalized conversations based on the customer interests, behaviors, context, and past earlier purchase history, thereby closing the gap in the digital shopping experience.
Modern businesses can meet the personalization and need for immediate customer response by using chatbots.
Automated messaging
Online shoppers have preferred to interact with their favorite brands at a one-on-one level to enjoy the intimacy of conversation that lends more transparency to the relationship. Customers ask questions before buying and interact with businesses using various channels like WhatsApp, Instagram DM, and Facebook Messenger. Customers expect companies to interact with them on these channels to speed up the buying process that meets their expectation of immediate gratification. Businesses can take advantage of the unified chat service feature of Facebook that allows cross-channel communication between these apps.
AI-powered chatbots
As businesses use chatbots instead of humans, it is imperative to have the bots supported by AI to replicate human conversations by adhering to the context to stay relevant. Failing to emulate the standard of real-life conversation will frustrate customers and have a negative impact on brands as customers turn away from it. AI helps in highly personalizing customer interactions, leading to a fulfilling customer experience.
Businesses must take advantage of chatbots and omnichannel messaging to become more proactive in dealing with customers. In Omnichannel eCommerce, companies must take a customer-centric approach to achieve success to create the most satisfying personalized customer experience.
