E-commerce has grown immensely. Looking at the landscape as it is today, we can clearly see great advancements. Presently, most businesses have a website and an e-commerce store for their online operations.

Online stores have become so popular such that some physical shops have been closed in favor of online stores which have a much lower operational cost and a potential to sell a lot more.

In as much as most businesses understand that offering a customized online experience is critical to retaining clientele, not many companies have an idea of how to go about it. This means that clients may not have an enjoyable experience while in your store. Recent research on online shopping personalization statistics and trends by Invesp highlighted a few critical matters anyone with an online business must understand:

• 59% of shoppers online believe finding items on a personalized online retail shop is easier and interesting.
• 53% believe that those who offer a personalized shopping experience have a higher client retention rate than others.
• 56% of people are likely to return to the site and share discovered items from a more personalized shop.
• Businesses with personalized content get up to 10-times higher click-through-rate than standard content.

As such, technology has continued to evolve to this end by ensuring that every client gets nothing less of their expectations. Chatbots have been one of the answers to this problem. We have had many versions of chatbots for a while now. But it’s only recently that they have really blown up to become the powerhouse they are today. Chatbots have helped many e-commerce stores get more profitable. This is because they are always present 24/7 and due to the influence of machine learning, the bots understand more and can do more in return.

The future of chatbots was all but cemented when social media giant Facebook ventured into the territories. With 2 billion monthly active users, their incorporation of service branded chatbots into their platform was a huge game changer. With the proper strategic moves, a business could leverage Facebook’s numbers and turn them into conversions.

Customers want a personalized experience in any shopping. This makes them feel special, hence want to come back to your store and maybe even recommend it to a few friends. And this is exactly what augmented reality looks to bring out. Augmented Reality has existed for a while even though many users did not understand what it really was. Some of the companies that have leveraged augmented reality and harvested major dividends include Snapchat with their selfie lenses that show “glowing eyes,” “a flower tiara” or even the “puking rainbow.” Another augmented reality champion is Niantic; an AR specializing firm that built the immensely popular Pokémon go back in 2016.

Augmented reality and chatbots

AR and chatbots are perhaps two of the most promising avenues in e-commerce. Both solutions have their range of applicability which could help businesses get more profitable and the customers satisfied. Since customers today are used to communicating with chatbots about their inquiries while at a store or website, adding augmented reality would take it a notch higher. When these two technologies are combined, they create a range of possibilities that have not been utilized before. Here are a few ways chatbots and augmented reality can be integrated into bringing the customer more joy and satisfaction during their shopping experience.

Uniqueness

Being unique can be the most significant selling point in your business. A business that integrates augmented reality to their chatbots will have an advantage over the competition because they are offering something no one else in the space is. When this technology is implemented in the right way, it will generate you all the buzz you need simply by word of mouth.

More personalized content

The basis of augmented reality is adding layers of information atop of an already existing physical environment. A retailer can showcase their goods in a more productive way which will involve showing the client how a particular product will fit and not just telling them. With augmented reality in the mix, clients can see items more clearly and realistically.

Better customer experience

When customers want to make a purchase, they want to do so while being as informed as possible. What augmented reality does is to bring this possibility to life. For example, in a store that specializes in makeup and beauty products, augmented reality infused into a chatbot would be incredibly useful in determining whether certain products are right for a client. By implementing such a feature into a chatbot, the client will make a more informed decision. This means the possibility of return orders will drastically reduce, eventually increasing your profit margins.

Make the experience memorable

In business, sentimentality is often equal to sales. The more sentimental a customer is towards something, the more likely they will purchase it. The same can be reiterated when it comes to combining augmented reality with chatbots. Since most chatbots run on artificial intelligence, they understand questions better. Coupling it with AR means that the customer will have a unique experience when shuffling through the various items as suggested by the bot. Since the experience is expected to be informative and smooth, it's highly likely that the customer will spread the word regarding their experience, hence more clients for the business.  

When properly combined and implemented, augmented reality with chatbots could mean a lot for many businesses especially in the retail sector. Proper implementation will result in a great experience for the client on your online store, which translates to more revenues for the business.