AI Shopping Assistants: A Guide

Until recently, searching for products on an ecommerce website mostly involved filtering items by category or typing a few keywords into a site search bar. But AI technology in ecommerce are changing that. Instead of combing through product listing pages or tweaking keywords, AI shopping assistants enable customers to use natural language to find what they're looking for. And these assistants can handle ultra-specific requests. For example, a shopper might ask: "I'm looking for a red dress to wear to a party. I want it to have a high neckline, mid-length, no sleeves and cost under $100."

AI shopping assistants are virtual agents that act as online shoppers' personal concierges, helping them easily browse, compare and purchase products. There are many factors to consider before implementing an assistant, however and it’s important to understand how to choose the best one for your online shop. Here's how it works.

• What is an AI-powered shopping assistant?
• AI shopping assistants vs. chatbots: What's the difference?
• The benefits of AI shopping assistants
• Virtual shopping assistant use cases: Ecommerce examples
• The challenges of implementing AI shopping assistants
• Tips for maximising the benefits of an AI-powered personal shopping assistant
• Choosing the right AI-powered shopping assistant software

An AI-powered shopping assistant is a natural language chat agent that allows shoppers to easily browse your digital shop front. AI assistants can be trained on your product data, which makes them experts on every item you offer. You can also train them on other commerce data like purchasing trends, customer reviews and inventory management data. This information ensures that assistants offer genuinely helpful, accurate information — down to every detail. For instance, along with a product recommendation, an AI assistant might add, "Looks like this item is in high demand and there are only a few left. Based on customer reviews, this item runs true to size. You can also use code FALL2024 for 15% off."

Powered by machine learning, natural language processing and secure data, AI shopping assistants provide elevated commerce experiences. And it's more than just product recommendations; they can even add items to baskets, assist with checkout, identify trends and proactively detect potential service issues. Unlike traditional search or recommendation engines, AI shopping assistants answer all queries in natural language. The result? Interactions feel more like having a conversation with a trustworthy consultant.

AI shopping assistants and chatbots are similar in some ways, but certain capabilities make AI shopping assistants much more powerful. Chatbots provide pre-written answers based on specific keywords and phrases in a customer's query. From there, they rely on a decision tree to continue the exchange. If a shopper goes off-script, a chatbot may not be able to help them.

AI shopping assistants, however, use natural language processing to create a more conversational commerce experience. They can respond to any customer query with unique recommendations or advice. While chatbots are great for resolving simple customer support issues, AI assistants excel at helping shoppers with more complex questions and needs.

AI shopping assistants offer personalised experiences, enabling customers to make informed shopping decisions quickly. Some of the key benefits are:

• Improved customer engagement: Personalised responses and product recommendations create engaging customer experiences, keeping visitors on your site longer.
• Increased conversion rates: If shoppers can find products easily and get detailed, relevant specifications, they're more likely to complete a purchase.
• Higher average order value: AI assistants can effortlessly upsell and offer strategic, individualised suggestions based on a shopper's purchase history or product trends to boost average order value.
• Better customer satisfaction: An efficient AI assistant can save time and feel more confident in their purchases, ultimately leading to greater brand satisfaction.
• Reduced support needs: With dynamic, flexible chat, customers can get answers quickly, which reduces the number of service requests your business receives.

Companies of all sizes and in every industry have already implemented AI shopping assistants. In fact, more than a third of commerce leaders report that AI has made major improvements on product discovery, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and personalisation.

Depending on the items or services you sell, your AI assistants might take on different tasks. For example, if you run a B2B ecommerce site with an extensive catalogue filled with complex products, your main use of AI shopping assistants might be to help business buyers find the right items quickly.

If you’re at the helm of a healthcare company with an ecommerce presence, you might train your AI shopping assistant on the ins and outs of medical billing and insurance. This gives customers an easy, intuitive way to navigate an experience that has historically felt complex and disjointed.

Travel companies have also been at the forefront of AI-powered shopping experiences. For example, potential holidayers can simply describe their desired trip (think: ideal climate, travel time and activities). Then, the assistant can find flights, accommodations and other necessary bookings in minutes. It’s difficult to overstate the potential for AI shopping assistants to enhance the shopping experience, regardless of your industry or type of business.

The challenges of implementing AI shopping assistants

While these assistants offer many benefits, there are also a few obstacles to implementing AI in ecommerce.

• Data privacy and security: A whopping 72% of commerce leaders say privacy and security is a moderate to major roadblock when it comes to implementing AI. It's crucial to work with a trusted partner that will ensure your AI shopping assistant is trained on carefully selected and secure data. Additionally, your partner should give you assurances that customer data collected while shoppers use the assistant is also kept safe.
• Data accuracy: Undoubtedly, commerce leaders have seen headlines about AI hallucinations, toxicity and bias damaging brands' revenue and reputation. It's crucial to validate an AI assistant's training data and conduct careful testing to ensure it consistently provides accurate information about your products and services.
• Avoiding inappropriate responses: Because generative AI can respond to any prompt, there's a risk it could provide a response that may not align with your brand's values. It's important to take reasonable measures to prevent an AI shopping assistant from responding to provocative or inappropriate prompts.
• Ensuring intuitive user experiences: UX is crucial to consider when introducing new or unfamiliar technology to shoppers. Your AI shopping assistant should be inviting and intuitive.

You can take steps to ensure your AI shopping assistant is effective. These steps include:

• Clean and validate your product data: An AI shopping assistant is only as helpful as the data it's trained on. It's essential that all the information, from product details to platform data, is accurate, secure and clean. This is the backbone of successful AI implementations and the only way to provide useful experiences for customers.
• Put image data in training sets: It can be difficult for a customer to describe a product or an issue with words. Sometimes it would be much easier to reference an image. Thanks to generative AI, that’s possible. By training your AI shopping assistant on images (like product photos or images sent from customers depicting defects or issues), you can offer superior customer support and genuinely helpful advice.
• Integrate the assistant into your checkout system: The purpose of an AI assistant is to save shoppers' time — and not just during a product search. You can encourage conversions by training AI assistants to assist with other tasks like add-to-basket and checkout.
• Make it easy to use: Ensure the message box stands out and includes a clear description of how it works for new users, while ensuring the agent remains unobtrusive to allow users to shop freely.

When used correctly, AI shopping assistants can elevate your digital shop front, creating a modern and engaging online shopping experience. To guarantee you're investing in the best AI shopping assistant, choose one that's flexible, easy to use and allows you to train it with your own data while tapping into the broader strengths of existing LLMs.

The right AI shopping assistant will empower you with the tools and flexibility to simplify your customers' lives with minimal effort on their part.