In order to satisfy its customers around the world, the eCommerce industry has entered a new dimensional stage with AI. However, if we go a few decades back, the world wasn’t convinced that the eCommerce industry would succeed. However, with global eCommerce revenues expected to reach $4.88 trillion this year, it is clear that the market is expanding at a reasonable pace. Moreover, it is expected to go further than that with the implementation of AI in this field.
Let’s find out what Artificial Intelligence is before we get into how it can affect eCommerce.
What is AI?
Artificial intelligence is the creation of intelligent hardware or software that can mimic human behavior. It belongs to the field of computer science and has always piqued people’s interest. For decades, it has also served as a critical catalyst for science fiction films. Despite the fact that the concept was first proposed in 1965, it has since become a popular term for film producers and directors.
These machines perform human-like tasks and can learn from their mistakes. Artificial intelligence (AI) can have a significant effect on our quality of life as it develops. It’s pretty normal that everyone today wants to engage with AI technology somehow, whether as a consumer or as a professional in the field.
AI and Ecommerce Market
Artificial intelligence is becoming a fascinating concept among the eCommerce businesses industry with each passing year. Customers are now benefiting from a smoother and easier online shopping experience than ever before, thanks to the growing benefits of AI in eCommerce. As a result, E-commerce players have started to use artificial intelligence as an advanced tool to achieve the desired results, whether it is to construct highly customized user experiences that combine the simplicity of online shopping with the personal feel of traditional shopping. Following are some of the innovations of AI that have helped and reshaped the e-commerce industry:
Chatbots
You can’t share everything in E-commerce without talking to chatbots. All of the chat boxes on e-commerce websites’ home pages and mobile apps are based on AI computers designed to converse with customers in a personalized way. For example, buyers can use e-commerce chatbots to verify product availability, find the right solution, compare different items, and eventually purchase.
In case the clients have a complaint or query, the chatbots can cater to the problem by directing the client to the right service staff. Buyers can communicate with these devices using text, speech, and even graphics. Chatbots enable businesses to add a personal touch to the relationship between AI and consumers without using manual labor.
Driving sales by improving personalization
In order to have a customized and smooth customer experience, AI is essential. It gives retailers the data they need to better understand their customers’ preferences and buying patterns. As a result, retailers can better match their products to the needs of their customers. For example, based on a customer’s demographic data and social footprint, along with several other data points, AI may recommend deals and items customized to them. Companies that have provided customer experience have seen an increase in revenue.
Warehousing automation
Warehousing activities are an essential part of the e-commerce industry and play a significant role in deciding a company’s earnings trend. For example, a company based in Beijing developed robots to aid in warehouse processes such as parcel repainting, sorting, and packaging.
With the help of AI, the efficiency and speed of these sorting mechanisms’ have improved along with the product delivery schedule.
Image annotation in E-commerce
Image annotation is another development by AI that has made user experience easy. You can now annotate images online and tag them with specific keywords and captions so that the user can classify products easily. It helps the user to buy exactly what they are looking for. It also ensures that the items are categorized in the proper manner.
Inventory management
While traditional inventory management was limited to current stock levels, inventory management based on AI allows for the maintenance of stocks based on data related to:
• Trends in previous years’ sales
• Changes in product demand that are expected or projected
• Issues with supply that could affect inventory levels
Conclusion
While we have mentioned only a few ways in which AI has influenced e-commerce today, however, still its scalability and impact are only expected to grow.
