AI and The Future of eCommerce Web Development

15 December 2021

Over the last few years, eCommerce has reached new heights. During the pandemic, eCommerce transactions soared drastically. According to Statista, online transactions crossed 4.28 trillion US dollars in 2020. These numbers will only grow further. Many businesses reported their online sales crossing their offline for the first time. Experts believe that the trend here is to stay irrespective of when the pandemic ends. The reason is that online shopping offers many benefits to the buyer. Before we come to today’s topic, let us discuss the pros of eCommerce.

Benefits of Online Shopping

Ecommerce offers numerous benefits to buyers and sellers. For instance, as a seller, all you need to do is hire a reliable eCommerce Web Development Company, then set up a website and invest in digital marketing. Soon, you will see an increasing number of people visiting your website and buying your product/service. But our focus is on the buyer. So, let us focus on that.

One of the most notable advantages of online shopping is convenience. You do not need to head out to a store if you need anything. Instead, all you need to do is open your smartphone or laptop and search for the product. Once done, just enter the payment information to complete the purchase. The second benefit is cost-effectiveness. The sellers sell their goods/services a bit cheaper when online. Why?

The reason is that they save considerable money by selling online, and they pass these savings onto the customers. One way they save money is by reducing the employee headcount. They must pay for security guards, salespeople, and others when running an offline store. In an online setting, many of these employees are not required. Thus, the seller saves money.

Thirdly, online shopping allows for easier price comparisons. Numerous websites provide this feature. It means that you can compare prices from different manufacturers/service providers without leaving your home. In an offline setting, a person would need to visit individual stores for price comparison. It is undoubtedly a hectic and time-wasting exercise.

Contact an eCommerce web development company if you are a seller and wish to include the price comparison feature. They will design it on your behalf and integrate it with the website. You may find free versions online. However, our experience shows that they are not worth it.

The fourth benefit is privacy. There are some purchases that you do not want others to know. Well, if you plan to purchase such a product/service, the best option is online shopping. You do not need to go out and interact with the salesperson physically. Instead, search for the product/service online and complete the purchase process. Online shopping also offers more variety.

Well, enough about the benefits. Let’s get back to our topic.

Artificial Intelligence & Ecommerce

We all know about AI because it is something that we keep hearing in every field of life. Hence, we will not take any time in explaining it. Instead, let us get straight to the point.

Personalisation

One of the things that every eCommerce web development company focuses on is personalisation. Every business owner wishes to offer a personalised experience to the customer. The reason is that research shows that the greater the personalisation, the higher the customer satisfaction. If a customer is satisfied, it means better sales and brand reputation. AI uses past data and extracts valuable insights. It then uses the insights to deliver a personalised experience.

Suppose that an individual keeps searching for shoes at Amazon. The next time they browse Amazon, the platform will show them shoe recommendations. Even Amazon’s ‘Products related to this item’ can be considered AI personalisation. In the future, personalisation will further improve with the help of AI. For example, the website theme may change according to each user’s preferences.

Notifications

The AI can be used to send customised notifications. For instance, a customer keeps adding a product to the cart and then removes it. The AI will notice this habit and alert the customer when the product is on sale or in stock. AI can even notify the user that a new product will complement their previous purchase. There are a few websites that are already using this feature. However, personalised AI-powered notifications are expected to become the norm in the future. It will lead to greater satisfaction and better sales.

Customer Feelings

AI can be used to study customer feelings and create unique audiences. How? An online business cannot survive without social media presence. So, every business maintains a social page. The customers comment on all sorts of things on the posts. Natural Language Processing can analyse the comments and covert the seemingly unstructured data into structured. The structured data can help create unique audiences that a business can target.

Content

AI can be used to personalise micro-content. The micro-content includes greetings, the subject line in emails, regards, or follow up messages. Naturally, when a customer sees such a personalised message, they express happiness. A customer’s happiness means higher customer satisfaction. When a business can satisfy its customers, they are likely to return and shop again. It means higher sales and an edge over the competitors.

Chatbots

You might be wondering that chatbots have been around for a while now. Well, true. Then why did we mention it on the list? The reason is that chatbots are increasingly becoming advanced. Soon, it will become outright impossible to discern if a customer is talking to a human or chatbot. The chatbots will reduce the need for a support agent present 24/7 to answer simple to complex queries themselves. The bot can also collect data that can go a long way in improving the customer experience and website functionality.

Wrap Up

With this, we conclude today’s blog post on AI’s role in eCommerce web development. If you have any questions or suggestions in mind regarding the above content, feel free to reach out to us. We will get back to you promptly. Lastly, when selecting an eCommerce web development company, ensure that you check their reviews. It will help you avoid issues later. Thank You.