6 secrets of higher customer satisfaction in ecommerce (hint: they all involve AI)

Mar 26th 2024ecommerce

How can you leave your customers more satisfied?

Let’s be honest: if you’re like many companies, without specialized help, it’s likely that your reviews and conversion-rate metrics are mediocre at best. And the question “What would it take for us to fix these dismal numbers?” probably comes up often in your team meetings.

That question, however, is imminently answerable. And the answer, as with so much else these days, involves artificial intelligence. By offering engaging online shopping experiences powered by AI, you can get a collective thumbs up from your customer base and drive better conversion and ROI. Plus, by applying AI’s continuous-learning processes, you can ensure that every part of your site or app gets even better at meeting your online shoppers’ needs and providing a rewarding customer experience.

When it comes to getting more traction with ecommerce customer satisfaction, you can use AI to:

1. Target improvements

AI-driven analytics tools look at online interactions, purchase history, browsing habits, and other customer-journey touchpoints, affording deep insights on people’s behavior and preferences. With these valuable insights, ecommerce business owners can make data-driven decisions to continually tailor their marketing strategies, optimize inventory levels, and enhance shopper satisfaction in their online store.

Let’s say that your search analytics reveal that shoppers often abandon their carts on a certain product page. As it turns out, the problem is related to an omnichannel-wide pricing error. By being made aware of the issue early, you have the opportunity to fix it before too much revenue is lost.

2. Create relevant content

AI helps companies create content that resonates, and they know it: more than 80% of marketers are using some form of AI technology in online marketing activities. By analyzing which content works for different shopper segments, an ecommerce industry business can optimize marketing for better engagement and conversion that lead to more loyal customers. This might involve, for instance, writing personalized product descriptions that highlight features and benefits most relevant to a shopper’s behavior on the site.

When it comes to creating a fantastic user experience and happy customers, this ability to dynamically personalize content at scale can make all the difference. An example would be someone who buys lots of country-music-themed merchandise. She frequents an ecommerce website that sells limited-edition collectibles. However, after visiting the product detail page for the latest promoted item, she’s not sure. The AI notes this, and to encourage her to reconsider, a personalized follow-up email about the products lands in her in-box. This makes her feel personally cared about, and she’s inclined to revisit the items and take a chance.

3. Enhance search

Robots, machines, AI…these words are now part of our daily lexicon. This is especially true in ecommerce, where AI-powered predictive search tools are accurately interpreting the intent behind shoppers’ searches. They’re deftly handling typos and anticipating what consumers are looking for before they finish entering queries. This is thanks in part to NLP, machine-learning computer technology that comprehends human language.

For example, consider a shopper who’s looking to update his drab style with a royal-blue blazer and brown leather jacket. As he pulls out his smartphone and starts entering “brown lea…” in a clothing retailer’s search bar, he sees “brown leather jacket” automatically suggested. And when he misspells “blue blazrrs for men”, the search engine asks “Did you mean blue blazers for men?”. With the help of AI-driven features such as autocomplete, he’s able to zero in on these items and get on with his life.

4. Personalize recommendations

Knowing what your shoppers want is essential to providing good recommendations. AI can help there, too, analyzing vast amounts of information to generate personalized product recommendations that align with shoppers’ interests.

When receiving relevant suggestions, a shopper is likely to find their experience on a website worthwhile. For example, consider a mom who’s into skincare and has a daughter who loves the LA Lakers. This mother’s frequent searches on marketplace websites revolve around age-defying skin products for herself and Lakers merchandise for her daughter. To reflect these interests, the platform’s AI personalizes her recommendations on the home page and in search results to reflect what she and her daughter might like. She loves these recommendations, as they make it easier to find the perfect products for herself and her daughter. And she’s not alone: 76% of consumers “said receiving personalized communications was a key factor in prompting their consideration of a brand, and 78 percent said such content made them more likely to repurchase.”

5. Improve discovery

AI can easily improve people’s navigation and finding of new things, making the process seem more intuitively aligned with shoppers’ preferences. By assessing user profiles and people’s interaction patterns, this technology can highlight the products, categories, and promotions that could be most attractive to individual consumers, turning prospects’ browsing and buying sessions into productive shopping trips. For instance, if a shopper seems interested in buying sustainable products, a company can use AI to prioritize eco-friendly options in relevant categories and promoted content.

6. Provide great customer service

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are proving that companies can enhance the customer-service experience by ensuring that help is instantly available 24×7, reducing visitor frustration with wait times.

Let’s say a customer has a problem with their order: in the middle of the night, they realize that the shirt they just bought doesn’t fit and they need a bigger size fast, for an upcoming event. Fortunately, on the customer-service page, a friendly chatbot tells him how to exchange the item. Added benefit: when people get their customer needs addressed by chatbots in record response time, human customer-support agents are free to focus on resolving other issues (or to get some sleep).

Use AI to satisfy your customers

As you can see, when it comes to customer satisfaction in ecommerce, it’s safe to say that pretty much all roads lead to AI. When you’re ready to move in that direction, we hope you’ll consider Algolia’s AI search and discovery features designed to win your shoppers’ hearts and build customer loyalty. Contact us and let’s get you started!