Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
As we venture on into the early ‘20s, it’s definitely safe to say that nearly every individual has access to the Internet, and if they don’t there’s probably a good excuse as to why. Large retail groups and even small businesses can take this fact to their advantage by customizing particular and unique customer service-based campaigns to target specific groups, but also answer questions if they are to be thrown a company’s way. Though retailers employ people to operate under that position title, sometimes those teams can get overwhelmed with other tasks they have on their plate, so that’s where an automated employee would clock in for duty. Many of these chatbots are smart enough to be integrated into any app, microsite, or landing page to help benefit their human counterparts in providing excellent customer service, all around the clock, instead of just during the 9-5 interval.
A quality customer service response is essential in any business environment and after the year we’ve had, businesses have reported a total increase in online sales, likely due to all the downtime Americans were experiencing due to the quarantine period. 
It was as early as April that businesses started to see an upward peak in sales by more than 30% compared to the year prior, and that was when all of this began, so you know that increase only trended more towards a vertical movement as time pushed forward. With that uptick of popularity, there’s often more of a need for customer service representatives on the other side to answer dire questions and suggest product-related advice. The majority of customers will tell you that they prefer to work with someone via online chat or on the phone, because they are a better able to get to their point and receive the assistance they expect. On the retailer’s side, if the automated chatbot is the one ‘picking up the phone,’ they are able to curate an endless list of potential responses and direct to any outlet they see fit that could best benefit the interested customer.
No More Abandoned Carts
There is no harm in ‘window shopping’ online, we’re probably all used to just some casual online browsing, but if you add something to your cart and then exit the tab, you’re doing more harm that good. Online Cart Abandonment is a real thing and it affects businesses large, small, and everywhere in between. 
Shopping Cart Abandonment takes place when a potential customer begins the checkout process without actually completing the transaction. Any item that enters the cart without actually leaving the cart in possession of the consumer is considered to be “abandoned” by the shopper. This is an important metric for e-commerce sites to track, because a high abandonment rate can result in a poor user-experience, improper website flow, and even a flawed sales funnel.
Why does Cart Abandonment even happen in the first place, you might wonder? It’s actually pretty common and can be the result of customers not having the funds to pay for the purchase at the time. Smart online shoppers will have multiple tabs open while they are browsing to compare prices to get the best bang for their buck. Some shoppers, although not many, don’t feel comfortable inputting their important payment information into a website, out of the fear of having their personal data compromised. Another common cart abandonment reason comes in the form of technical issues, which can occur from time to time.
To combat these lost and forgotten shopping carts, there is much one can do to alter this issue, including the involvement of chatbots to check in on shoppers. Abandoned cart emails and messages can be utilized if the user inputted their email 
address during their site visit and if the automated CX representative notices an abandoned cart, it’ll reach out to the shopper with a message header such as: “We noticed you left something in your cart” or “Going, Going, Almost Gone” to signify that their chosen products are almost out of stock, prompting a sale to take place. During peak holiday seasons, this attention to customer service detail can come off as an important way to cultivate the ideal customer service experience for every customer in mind.
Finding the Right Product
Toilet Paper, Nintendo Switch Consoles, and thermometers were just a few of the essential and non-essential items that were practically sold out throughout the initial months of quarantine. With people stuck at home, unable to do anything hardly at all, there was a large recorded boost in product sales and as their popularity skyrocketed, an angry flush of shoppers was close to follow as well. Retailers are armed and ready with several representatives both by hotline and even online in the form of chatbot to aid. Chatbots are able to help customers locate their desired product in-store, and if the product isn’t in-house, the assistant can work with users to navigate it an efficient inventory flow to get that parcel to the shopper in good timing. Cue the entrance of automated shopping.
Retailers are embracing the omni-channel shopping life by combining in-store customer service experiences such as 
BOPIS/Curbside Pickup and follow-up online communications to curate regularly occurring relationships with customers that could last a lifetime. It’s essential for these businesses to ensure that their supporting customer base feels safe, no matter where they are shopping from, in-store or online, and chatbots can help out with those procures following up to each experience.
