Almost every article about Chatbot technology heralds the end of email marketing. Why is that? AI experts are convinced that communicating to your customer through chat is a better way to go than email, and that email is dead.
But marketers are smarter than that. We know that new technology has a ton of value, but email is far from extinct. In fact, combining these two marketing and communication channels prove powerful. They together will boost sales and increase conversions. In this article we are going to discuss Chatbots, their eCommerce value and finally how can they be integrated into your email marketing strategy.
What is a Chatbot?
A chatbot is sequence of pre-programmed responses based on user input, or AI, or a combination of both.
Most chatbots have pre-written responses but some actually go and collect information that the user requests.
What can you use a Chatbot for?
Chatbots are very versatile because you can program them to do literally anything. There are a lot of great ways that chatbots are used specifically in ecommerce. Here are a few of them:
1. Use a Chatbot at checkout
Users can buy your merchandise on their phones using a chatbot. They simply go on your facebook page and start chatting. The Chatbot can then present a menu, offer customized options, answer their questions and ultimately take their order.
One of my favorite bots is called BellyHungry, it’s a chatbot that not only finds a restaurants for you, but can also search the area for your favorite dish. You input a dish that you like and the bot finds restaurants nearby that offer that dish.
2. Use a Chatbot to help the customer find the right product
Since Chatbots can look up information very easily you can use the technology to help your customer find the product that they are looking for. It’s just like an email with recommended products, you can send the chatbot on a product hunt for the most compatible items in your online store.
One company is taking it a step further. Modiface is a makeup ecommerce business that is using augmented reality (AR) to help their customers find items. For example, a customer can take a picture or video of their lips and the Chatbot will find the correct lipstick color for them and allow them to buy it on the spot.
3. Combine Chatbot and Email Marketing
Email is still the highest converting marketing channel there is. If you own an eCommerce business the best way for you to build a customer base is to build an email list and then send personalized emails with your product to your audience.
So how would you combine the Chatbot capabilities and the email popup? Very simple.
Some people prefer to get an email while others prefer to chat. You need to display both options on your site in order to capture both audiences. For the chatbot you would send weekly updates the same way you would in an email.
Here is an example that Andew Warner built. Notice how the Chatbot button (Messenger) is right next to the email popup.
When I clicked on the blue button I got a popup that asked me to enter the email address, as well as a message to my Facebook Messenger app.
Chatbot and Email Marketing Collaboration
So why complicate life? If customers are used to receiving an email from you why then send them to a chatbot? These are totally valid questions. Here are some advantages of using chatbots and email together:
- You have more access to your customers
- Customers can share your product on Facebook Messenger (bot company Kik is developing that feature)
- Works great for people that use Messenger more than they check their email
- Brings people back to your site
- Chatbot popup can attract people and then lure them to enter an email (sneaky I know)
Chatbot technology provider
There are a number of Chatbot providers, and amongst the World’s leading Plug & Play Chatbot providers is Mmuze. Mmuze offers a unique mobile-shopping experience to your eCommerce customers. It has the ability to extract real-time data, including spotting top discussed products’ features and real-time social trends, aimed at impacting upon, and influencing, the customers’ purchasing decisions. If you want to find a Chatbot that understands your customers’ language and matches the best-fit product from your catalog then look no further than Mmuze.
Recap
Email is a powerful way to reach out to your customers, and so are chatbots. When you use them together you can automate your business on an entirely different level.
Chatbot technology is here to stay, so the sooner you adopt it and combine it with your email marketing efforts, the quicker you will grow a successful business.
