The Omnichannel Chatbot Revolution: 18 Key Benefits for Any eCommerce Business

Using an omnichannel chatbot to tackle customer service and improve the shopping experience has proven a very efficient strategy and a must-have best practice since there are many benefits that a chatbot can deliver to an eCommerce business. In 2021, the chatbot market was worth $190.8 million and will grow to over $1 billion by 2030. A chatbot is an AI-powered program that simulates human customer service with consumers, interacting with them and answering their questions, and lets customers interact on more than one platform.  

One of the primary benefits of an omnichannel chatbot in eCommerce is the ability to serve customers in real time without making the support team available 24 hours a day. As the eCommerce industry grows, more businesses and people are familiarizing themselves with website chatbots as they evolve.

Omnichannel Chatbot vs. Traditional Chatbot

An omnichannel chat helps customers to get service wherever they prefer, including via text, email, or social media. Traditional chatbots can be used in multiple places as well, but what they can’t do is carry on a single conversation through different platforms. With an omnichannel chatbot, a customer can start engaging on a retailer’s website and move the conversation over to Instagram or Facebook.

Chatbot Benefit #1: Boost Sales and Conversions

Chatbots can respond to people on a user’s website based on their activity. In a store, a customer just browsing may be approached by salespeople who engage them and try to make a sale. Chatbots can do the same with customers on an eCommerce site, offering to answer questions and turn browsers into buyers. For example, if a customer has been lurking on a website for a while, a chatbot may pop up and ask if they need help. 

When using a chatbot for sales, a retailer can automate messages to welcome customers and inform them of sales and other promotional offerings. They can also engage customers and send reminders to shoppers who’ve abandoned their carts. 

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

A chatbot like ContactPigeon’s Samaritan can resolve specific customer inquiries, letting retailers offer personalized service at any time. If a potential buyer needs more information before adding an item to their cart, Samaritan can start the conversation. It can also follow up with customers to increase their overall satisfaction and boost their chances of returning. 

Chatbot Benefit #2: Personalized Interactions and Customer Experience

Modern shoppers value a personalized experience when shopping online. Adding a personal touch to customer service can help a business grow faster than following a blanket approach. Most consumers (75%) prefer shopping with brands that personalize the digital experience (RRD). For example, a chatbot can send recommendations to customers based on what’s in their carts, so personalization is among the top benefits a chatbot provides to an eCommerce business. 

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

Powered by AI and machine learning, Samaritan can tailor conversations to match a customer’s needs. It can make product suggestions, provide offers, and guide customers through their journey with complete access to their historical data. Conversational AI in eCommerce is more like talking to a human service agent. 

Chatbot Benefit #3: Greater Retention Rates

Using chatbots for retail industry customer service makes it easier to get feedback. The chatbot can automate a survey sent at the end of each customer interaction, letting them rate their experience and provide suggestions about products and services. The best eCommerce chatbots can follow up with customers to ask for referrals or remind loyal customers about special promotions. An increased retention rate is one of the benefits a chatbot offers to an eCommerce business.

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

With Samaritan, an online retailer can identify priority customer segments for targeted offers and recommendations. This benefit helps them feel valued and may increase their loyalty.

Chatbot Benefit #4: Reduced Call Center Workload

ECommerce retailers can free up their call center workers for more complex inquiries since both omnichannel and traditional chatbots can respond to simple customer inquiries and common questions. Customers get better service, and human agents can spend more time with high-value clients. Chatbots for retail industry workers learn how to escalate complex tickets to human service team members, and customers won’t wait long on the call line.

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

Samaritan helps reduce waiting times by responding to inquiries right away. With this tool, call center representatives can spend less time answering tedious and repetitive questions, while the customers get immediate answers to their questions.

Chatbot Benefit #5: 24/7 Customer Service

Many retailers operate worldwide, which complicates customer service. Relying on call center employees in a central location makes it tricky to serve customers on their time. Additionally, many customers shop after traditional business hours. One of the benefits of a chatbot for eCommerce websites is that it responds to customers whenever they are shopping, solving minor issues, and answering questions.

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

Using the Samaritan omnichannel chatbot for the retail industry is a safe way to offer 24/7 customer service. This tool is GDPR-compliant with a two-step verification process, so customers can get help while keeping their personal information secure.

Chatbot Benefit #6: Smart Integrations

Chatbots can integrate with other software platforms, including email lists and client relationship management programs. Chatbots also integrate with web analytics, using real-time customer data to generate reports. A chatbot can help a retailer better understand how customers find them online, what they’re shopping for, and other valuable insights. So, smart integrations are also among the top benefits that a chatbot delivers to an eCommerce business.

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

With Samaritan, anyone using the Contact Pigeon platform can easily integrate it into their system. It integrates with analytics reports and other tools that help retailers track the ROI of various campaigns.  

Chatbot Benefit #7: Provide Communication Channels That Are Pleasant for Everyone

Not every customer wants to interact with a business using the same channel. Some prefer to talk via social media, while others prefer texts. They may also feel more comfortable chatting with the service bot directly on a web page. Using an omnichannel chatbot lets customers receive service on their desired platform. This capability is one of the key benefits a chatbot yields to an eCommerce business.

Chatbot Benefit #8: Data Collection

With chatbots, customers can validate and save user information. This feature allows retailers to collect customer data for targeted campaigns and better client relationship management. As third-party cookies disappear for better privacy, one of the benefits of a chatbot in eCommerce is that it offers a tool to collect customer data with their permission.

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

With Samaritan being an integral part of ContactPigeon’s omnichannel customer engagement solution, it is easy to collect and store customer data for future use. If they log in to the site again, the platform can recognize them and personalize the interaction based on behavioral data.

Chatbot Benefit #9: Responding to Queries in a Timely and Professional Manner

Some customer inquiries may fall through the cracks when an online retailer relies on the call center team to handle them. Chatbots for retail industry professionals respond to every inquiry when it comes in. While these tools perfect their conversational skills with machine learning, they can be programmed with basic conversations and answers to common questions, giving customers access to a professional service agent.

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

Samaritan gives you the ability to program predetermined flows based on common inquiries. The chatbot provides options to customize multiple pre-made responses based on specific customer interactions. It also sends alerts, via push notifications or email, to agents who may need to respond to a customer.

Chatbot Benefit #10: Support With Growth

A business owner may wonder, “Do chatbots increase sales?” With a chatbot for retail and eCommerce, they can track how customers interact with the site. They can monitor customer conversations to identify common issues and consumer characteristics. With this data, they can market their products more effectively, targeting the right audiences with the right messaging. As the company grows, chatbots can also handle the increased volume of service inquiries.

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

With Samaritan, people who use a chatbot for online retail can get better insights into their customers. Since this tool integrates with web use analytics, they can focus their marketing efforts on successful channels, improving their ROI. 

Chatbot Benefit #11: Cost Savings

Omnichannel chatbots for retail industry websites not only help businesses grow but can help retailers save money. A chatbot can save up to 30% on customer service costs. Chatbot usage for easy customer interactions may also help a business owner retain employees. Workers who don’t have to do tedious and repetitive tasks are often more focused and motivated. As a result, among the benefits of a chatbot in an eCommerce business is saving costs. 

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

The Samaritan tool lets a business owner deploy multiple chat agents, saving hiring costs.  A business owner doesn’t have to have a whole call center to support operations.

Chatbot Benefit #12: Obtaining Useful Customer Insights

Since a chatbot saves each interaction, business owners can read conversations and learn more about how customers interact with their brand. They can use analytics tools to search for keywords or identify and track words and phrases that come up a lot. With these insights, business owners can learn more about how to market products and services or change their target audience to align with their existing customer base. 

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

Samaritan integrates with ContactPigeon’s platform, offering a valuable eCommerce data set that highlights visitor activities, user referrals, and much more. 

Chatbot Benefit #13: Page Targeting

Omnichannel chatbots engage customers while browsing, but they are also smart enough to target people on various site pages. With an omnichannel chatbot, a retailer can set up chatbots in different parts of their website to answer potential queries based on how a person interacts with the site, which means that a new visitor may see an alternate welcome message than someone looking at a specific product page for the third time.

Chatbot Benefit #14: Business Revenue Generation

Using chatbots for sales may not be the first use case that comes to mind when discussing these tools. However, a chatbot can boost revenue in multiple ways. Since chatbots improve customer service, they may increase customer loyalty and revenue. They also allow businesses to experiment with how they target and market their products.

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

The Samaritan omnichannel chat offers multiple benefits to a retail business, including smoother customer service and data insights that can create a unified customer profile.

Chatbot Benefit #15: Minimize Human Errors

Chatbots use programming and algorithms to learn about customers and answer their queries. Once a customer’s data is stored within the system, a chatbot can pull it up and access each previous conversation. There is less risk of compromising client information because a service agent typed in the wrong account number.

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

Since Samaritan runs on AI and machine learning, it gets smarter as more people interact with it. With each successive case, the tool reduces the risk of errors. 

Chatbot Benefit #16: Help Customers Find the Product They Want

Chatbots for the retail industry can give tips and offers to customers based on previous interactions and their activity on the site. Once a bot gets to know a customer, it can personalize service offerings and suggest products the customer might like. It also gives a customer insight into what product might meet their needs. 

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

As customers interact with ContactPigeon’s chatbot, they aid it to learn from each interaction and suggest better products in the future. 

Chatbot Benefit #18: Build Brand Awareness

With a chatbot readily available to answer their questions, customers may spend more time on an eCommerce site. They might notice content, other products, and features of the website that draw their interest and help them remember the brand. Better customer service can also boost brand awareness and retention. 

Extra Benefits of Omnichannel Chatbot in E-Commerce

Samaritan effortlessly engages customers, offering a pleasant experience. They can get answers to their questions quickly, which may give them a favorable impression of the brand.

Chatbot Examples To Follow: Brands That Lead the Chatbot Revolution With Success

Implementing new tools into a business can be daunting, but it can also elevate the brand. These chatbot use cases highlight brands that have been using this tool effectively and in their favor by implementing some chatbot best practices.

The Staples Example: A Chatbot That Makes Everything Easier

Staples is a great chatbot eCommerce example of how to use this tool to guide customer interactions. The office product retailer created its Easy System to make it easier for customers to order what they needed. Customers could ask the bot simple questions or scan their lists to generate an order. Staples is an excellent example of using an AI bot for sales.

The Lidl Example: A Chatbot That Educates Customers

Lidl tapped into a frequent customer frustration — crowded stores. Its chatbot educates customers, telling them when the shop will be quieter so they can skip the crowds and shop in peace. Another of its eCommerce benefits is that this bot pings users with recommendations for complimentary food and beverages based on what they want to buy.

The Pan Macmillan Example: Personalized Education

Publisher Pan Macmillan has upped its service game with chatbots. This is one of many chatbot use cases in retail that demonstrates how technology can revive a brand. The bot works with SMS and social media and recommends books to users based on their profile, which increases book sales and introduces customers to their next favorite brand.

The Michael Kors Example: A Chatbot That Educates and Skyrockets Personalization

In 2018, Michael Kors launched the Michael Kors Concierge, an AI-powered bot that personalizes each customer’s journey. This bot works with Facebook Messenger to address frequently asked questions, recommend products, and educate customers about their product selection. 

4 Insightful Chatbot Statistics You Should Not Ignore

Business owners who aren’t convinced to take the plunge and add chatbots to their service teams should consider these statistics: 

• The chatbot sector is expected to be worth $1.25 billion in 2025 (Statista)
• Nearly three-quarters of customers would rather interact with a chatbot (Demandsage)
• More than half of agents in organizations with chatbots spend their time with complex problems (Salesforce)
• 23% of service organizations use chatbots (Salesforce)
• It is anticipated that the chatbot’s market growth will surpass $1 billion by 2030 (Statista)

With its benefits, Omnichannel Chatbot Is Your Partner In eCommerce

What are the advantages of chatbots? Now you know! An omnichannel chatbot in your eCommerce store can help you offer a more personalized customer service experience. The chatbot business model can help you build customer loyalty by addressing their queries quickly and effectively. You can also save money on service agents, and your current service team can stop wasting time on routine inquiries.

With an omnichannel chatbot on your team, you can access valuable customer insights that let you market your products in new ways. If you’re ready to level up your business this year, visit ContactPigeon and schedule a demo. We are eager to show you how Samaritan can help your business reach new heights. 

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