ChatBots

As a brand, it’s becoming increasingly crucial to be present on chat apps, as almost all consumers are consistently linked to their mobile device where they’re active on at least one of them. This includes SMS, WhatsApp, and (most popularly) Facebook Messenger. As such, businesses need to be ahead of this evolution. Before we know…

For some of the most customer-centric retailers, artificial intelligence will be hard at work this holiday season. While there are many applications of AI for the e-commerce industry year-round, there are a few that are uniquely suited for the holiday rush this year. The global pandemic squeezed budgets for more established retailers, while influencer and…

The holiday season guarantees a seasonal spike in customer support tickets, resulting in a 42 percent increase. This is because 20 percent to 40 percent of annual sales take place during the holiday season, followed by an inevitable spike in product returns. To ensure that the customer experience (CX) isn’t negatively impacted by this surge,…

Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) is fast approaching, and retail/e-commerce brands are anxiously planning for what's sure to be another record-breaking year. Ada, a brand interaction platform, automated over 1.5 billion customer interactions last year and has drawn insights to help retailers gear up for the shopping season. Below are the top takeaways from Ada’s research.…

The pandemic has reshaped the way people work, study, shop — and that’s just scratching the surface. With more consumers relying on virtual resources for everyday things, their expectations of the businesses they frequent have changed. When online, people want user-friendly, self-service options to solve issues, gather information, process returns, schedule services, and more. This…

Traditional chatbots have become commonplace on e-commerce sites, yet too many are becoming unreliable and are alienating consumers due to their limitations. This is because many retailers rely on what's called "rule-based" chatbots when instead they should be implementing conversational artificial intelligence (AI), two terms often used interchangeably, but which are actually very different. Conversational…

New data from the 2021 Adobe Digital Economy Index makes it clear: online spending is surging and shows no signs of stopping. In fact, Adobe expects that by 2022, e-commerce will become a $1 trillion market. To stay competitive and efficient in this increasingly critical space — and to enable a more robust customer experience…

2020 was a decisive and divisive year for retailers. Those that had already embraced or were quick to embrace e-commerce were able to capitalize on the accelerated shift toward digital spurred by the pandemic and leverage its infrastructure competitors. Those that were slower off the mark are either still playing catch-up or have shuttered entirely.…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Melissa Campanelli and Kristina Stidham discuss the latest trends impacting retail customer communication methods, drawing on key insights from a recent survey conducted by NAPCO Research, sponsored by Podium. The subsequent report, "A Message for Retailers: Go Digital," details what retailers should be considering as they…

Many national retailers began announcing their 2020 holiday season plans and shopping promotions much earlier than in years past. The holiday shopping season was particularly different considering the COVID-19-induced drastic shift from a traditional brick-and-mortar shopping experience to an even more robust online environment. While stores ponder their physical store operations, retailers understand that 2021…