AI is emerging in many different circles and platforms these days. Artificial intelligence is changing the shape of eCommerce business and providing a way for business owners to ramp up their online business workflow. AI affects not only the products and services that they offer but also the people that they employ and the way that they use people to improve their performance.
Critics of AI state that it can be overused where people become less important and machines take over. This is why such systems must be used with integrity and common sense and remember that the most important link in your eCommerce business is the people that you hire.
Shaping the Focus on Mobile Devices
One way that AI will influence the future of eCommerce is in how it will shape the view of mobile devices and the way that customers interact with your site. Last year’s latest Google algorithm updates emphasized the need for focusing on mobile users when you are building your eCommerce business.
Forgetting the mobile users that might be interested in your brand is like giving up over half of your potential market that is looking for you through their mobile devices. The future of AI must include mobile users, and the smart eCommerce owner will work on ways that they can tap into the opportunities to support mobile users with new technologies that make it easier for them to interact with their business.
Creating Responsive Sites
One thing that will never change is the requirement to create mobile sites that are responsive and that work well with both traditional desktops and mobile devices. Remember, too that no two mobile devices are the same. With the increasingly diverse number of mobile devices on the market today, it has become even more important that your site is mobile-friendly and responsive no matter what type of device the user is using.
Creating a Customer Journey
One way to ensure that you have a responsive website that will work for your mobile users is to have a mobile app created specifically for your business. Native apps, as well as mobile websites, are both viable options for producing a responsive site that helps create a positive customer journey for your customers.
Can everything be automated?
The question of how much can and should be automated in the future is both a question for technology specialists and ethics leaders to answer. Automation creates efficient systems that operate in the absence of the website owner and allow a business to operate 24/7, 365 days per year. It helps entrepreneurs build completely independently-run businesses.
They are not completely independent. Automated programs and robotics shouldn’t make some managerial decisions. Some processes are too artistic in nature to be handled by technology alone.
Customer service, for instance, while aided by the new technologies, would not be a viable choice when used in isolation to handle customer service issues or complaints. People have become wiser to the processes that are controlled by robotics and AI. While they appreciate the speed at finding an item such as with Amazon Assistant and other on-site help, deep down they still crave interaction with a living, breathing human who actually understands their needs.
That being said, the future of artificial intelligence systems looks promising for eCommerce businesses because of the vast number of online tools and systems that promise to speed up the process immensely.
What do you need to adapt to the changes?
Remember that a good rule of thumb regarding the changing and evolving technologies is that you should only plan to incorporate the things that would help you be more productive and that won’t compromise the human experience. In other words, use your staff for what they are good at but automated the systems that make the most sense and improve the overall customer experience.
Trends to Watch For
Regarding what is coming down the pike in the area of AI technologies, you can expect to see the following trends hit the eCommerce market soon.
- More chatbots on sites– Chatbots are a cool technology that simulates the appearance of a person that is chatting with customers when really it is just a pre-programmed script that responds to certain verbal cues. When customers enter a site, the chatbot may pop up automatically, or you can program it to come up when a client has spent a few minutes on the site without taking action.If you install a chat bot type service on your site, you should consider this to be your customer’s first point of contact for your site that helps them decide whether to stay or not.
- Customer service assistants– Customer service assistants are any artificial intelligence system that assists the customer in their browsing, shopping, or purchasing decision. They are programmed with AI so that they learn about the customer the more they talk to them, or they may just offer shopping options based on the customer’s behavior on the site.
- Faster search options– Something else to look for are smart technologies that allow for faster search options on the site. Most of this is based on information gathering about the searcher’s preference based on big data that the system usually compiles from a variety of sources.
- Speedier checkout– As an eCommerce business owner, you’ll be happy to know that you should witness many other AI tools that allow for much speedier checkout and distribution options. This will speed up your entire process from the purchase process to the delivery of the goods that they order from your site, making your potential for a higher ROI possible.
- Drones for delivery boys– Drones are one of the hottest new technologies that are now hovering over a city near you. Well, if they’re not yet, they soon will be as this technology is due to hit the mainstream over the next few months and years. Amazon, among other big players, is planning to launch this technology that allows programmed AI drones to drop your package at your door and then fly off into the wide, blue yonder! Won’t that be a site to see?
- Land rovers– In addition to drones, land rovers will also take the place of some of the UPS and FEDEX drivers by rolling in your package on wheels, manned by a robot that resembles R2D2 from “Star Wars.” These land-based robots are sent out from some central location in your area, and they are programmed to drop your package at your door and then be on their way. It has not be determined if you’ll be able to talk to them, which would be a great added feature.
How to Use the Technologies to Your Advantage
Well, if all of this seems like a remake of “Star Trek” or “Star Wars,” that’s understandable. The new AI technologies that we’ll e seeing over the next few years is sure to amaze and astound many people. Businesses can best use the technology to try to speed up their website actions, increase their distribution efficiency, and make the customer experience more positive.
If you need help with your website and are wondering how these new tech systems will fit in with your eCommerce business, see us at webdesignteam.com.
We specialize in custom-made high-tech websites, and we understand the future is coming.
We’re ready for it. Are you?