What is Conversational Commerce?

Start by thinking about what makes your journey as an online shopper simple and hassle-free. Did customer service come to mind? We’re going to take a wild guess and say yes. This is where the topic of conversation comes in, conversational commerce.

Conversational commerce simply put, is interacting with businesses though different methods of messaging. This can include anything from chatbots, to Facebook messenger, even “sliding into a DM”. Smart speakers have especially become a part of conversational commerce since a simple voice command is ten times faster than ordering a product from a computer.

The inclination of conversational commerce has significantly risen in the past couple years as more and more businesses are selling online. Offering customers that immediate helping hand can go a long way, especially when questions are getting answered in real-time.

If your online business is ready to jump into the conversational commerce game, then here you’ll find everything you need to know about getting your feet wet.

What Opportunities Can Conversational Commerce Offer?

Emails and newsletters can only go so far. Buying habits are changing and we’re living in the world where consumers move on the second they have to wait for an answer. Better yet, consumers aren’t even asking questions anymore. They don’t want to go to you, you need to go to them and put the information they want right in front of their faces.

By implementing different forms of real-time messaging, you’ll enable efficient two-way conversations with consumers. Even if this real-time messaging is with a chatbot, it’s still cultivating a personalized experience for each and every shopper. Plus, automated conversations will make life easier behind the scenes. Those repetitive questions that won’t stop flooding your inbox will slow down significantly (thank goodness).

How Can You Apply Conversational Commerce to Your Business?

This is where you’ll need to start thinking about how conversational commerce can play into different aspects of your brand. It’s important to consider points like customer acquisition, customer retention, even announcements, like updates and promotions.

So, how can you tackle conversational commerce in both a proactive and a reactive way? By mapping out the customer journey. Break it down by the habits of new customers and returning customers, then determine where you have opportunity to improve their buying process.

Conversation is something we do naturally. It doesn’t have to be expensive with AI chatbots or fancy smart speakers. By simply taking the first step and leveraging the different messaging interfaces that you’re already using, you can create a whole new experience for consumers.

It doesn’t matter which form of conversational commerce you’re using, as long as it’s being utilized by your shoppers. Analyze what is working best and use that data to improve other aspects of conversation.

Speak Up and Start Conversation

It’s no secret that conversational commerce is growing vastly. It’s no longer the future of eCommerce. It’s the present, it’s the now, and it will continue to improve and grow over time.

For consumers, it makes shopping the last thing they need to worry about. For businesses, it’s driving sales and increasing customer retention rates more than ever. You won’t have anything but a positive outcome from conversational commerce, so it’s time to act upon it if you haven’t already.