Virtual Shopping Assistants

What Are Virtual Shopping Assistants?

Virtual shopping assistants are typically backed by artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) solutions. As such, the tools are able to learn about a shopper and their needs, tailoring responses to their interests. These kinds of shopping helpers come in different forms, including chatbots, pop-ups, and browser plugins.

Here's how virtual shopping assistants work: Say a shopper is looking for a new winter jacket. When the shopper arrives at a winterwear brand's website, they can click a button to activate the virtual shopping assistant chatbot. Then, the shopper can input the size, color, and type of jacket they're on the hunt for.

The chatbot then quickly scans the brand's inventory to recommend a few jackets that fit the shopper's needs. What's more, the shopping assistant can also recommend related products to upsell or cross-sell the customer.

This type of interaction helps create a better, more efficient shopping experience, which in turn drives greater customer loyalty.