AI Chatbot for Ecommerce: Top 7 to Boost Sales [2024]

Struggling to manage your eCommerce business efficiently? Concerned about costs but don’t want to compromise on customer service? An AI chatbot for eCommerce is the solution you need. These intelligent tools offer instant support, enhance customer experiences, and can significantly boost your sales.

In this article, we’ll introduce the top seven AI chatbots for eCommerce in 2024. Discover their benefits and learn what to consider when choosing the right one for your business. Plus, we’ll showcase success stories of companies that have thrived thanks to chatbots.

What is an Ecommerce AI Chatbot?

If you own an ecommerce business online, you must know how crucial it is to have effective customer service. An eCommerce AI chatbot serves as a virtual assistant that engages customers in human-like conversations, powered by artificial intelligence. These chatbots are often embedded in a website or social media platforms, such as Shopify, and leverage Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand and respond to queries.

Nonetheless, this is not all. AI chatbots also handle customer queries, guide users through the buying process, provide product recommendations, and offer support—all done seamlessly in real time.

Further, they can even assist with cart recovery, cross-selling and upselling, and managing returns and complaints. These features are precious for Shopify merchants who rely on fast transactions and real-time customer support to increase sales.

As impressive as this sounds, what is even more astonishing is that they learn from customer interactions to improve responses and predict future needs. This, in turn, leads to efficiency and makes the conversations personalized, thus promoting higher conversion rates and customer loyalty.

Why Do You Need an AI Chatbot for Ecommerce? Transforming the Customer Journey

Having understood what an ecommerce chatbot is, we will now discuss the several reasons you should incorporate it into your business.

24/7 Customer Service Available

With chatbots, customers do not have to worry about such time restraints with e-commerce, not to mention AI chatbots for e-commerce. Customers can visit your Shopify store anytime, get instant support, and never be disappointed. You can also configure chatbots to automatically respond to after-hours queries with pre-programmed responses. This improves customer satisfaction, leading to higher retention.

Making Shopping a Personalized Experience

Would you enjoy scrolling through products that hold no interest? Your customers won’t either. To drive sales, you must present options that align with their preferences.

Ecommerce chatbots make this possible by analyzing customer behavior and preferences and offering personalized product recommendations. These bots can scan your customer’s browsing history and recommend products accordingly, increasing the chances of a sale and customer satisfaction.

Increase in Conversion Rates

Conversion rate refers to the process of depicting how many viewers responded to the call-to-action compared to the ones who only visit your website. The higher the conversion rate of your business, the more successful it is.

Shopify merchants benefit significantly from chatbots in this area. Chatbots reduce cart abandonment rates by offering support during checkout and recommending alternative products if a customer hesitates. If a customer is not sure about a product, the chatbot can offer an incentive like a discount, pushing them to convert.

Research shows that businesses that use the customer support AI chatbot platform for e-commerce saw an increase of 30% in their conversion rates.

Efficiency in Order Management

In a bustling eCommerce business, managing multiple simultaneous orders can be overwhelming. You need to process orders, respond to customer queries, handle returns, and keep customers updated—often with a limited team. AI chatbots for e-commerce streamline the order management process by handling inquiries about order status, tracking, and returns while you focus on more critical tasks.

Cost-Efficiency

Running a business requires money, especially if it’s running 24/7 like your ecommerce store. In addition, you need employees to manage all tasks, and those employees need training to ensure they meet your business standards. This incurs heavy costs.

Fortunately for Shopify businesses, chatbots can handle most customer service functions, drastically reducing the need for round-the-clock staffing. This frees up resources that can be allocated to other areas of business growth.

Real-Time Analytics and Insights

Have you ever felt frustrated for not being able to timely figure out what products resonate most with your customers? This data is crucial for Shopify businesses looking to increase sales. However, manually analyzing customer behavior can be time-consuming.

An ecommerce chatbot can gather real-time insights by tracking visitor behavior and highlighting patterns in product preference. This way, Shopify merchants can use the chatbot data to better target products in their ad campaigns.

Automated Lead Qualification

Lead qualification is about identifying which customers are most likely to make a purchase. In Shopify e-commerce, this is usually done by tracking customer actions—such as product page visits or cart additions.

AI chatbots simplify this sales process. They can engage with customers in real time, gathering data about their preferences and inquiries. Based on their responses, the chatbot can automatically flag leads ready to convert and send them to your sales team for follow-up. This ensures your team focuses on high-potential leads, maximizing sales efficiency.

7 Best Solutions Offering Ecommerce AI Chatbots in 2024

Having read about the benefits of the AI chatbot solution for ecommerce, are you ready to integrate this powerful solution into your business? If so, read on as we take you through the best ecommerce chatbots.

Willdesk

Willdesk, from ChannelWill, is one of the best AI chatbot for ecommerce. Its remarkable features ensure that customer interactions are streamlined and that customers are satisfied with it. When customers are satisfied, you will observe a boost in your sales conversion rates.

Main Features

• Automatically prioritizes, assigns, and categorizes tickets
• Smooth integration with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, email, and live chat
• A self-branded widget for easy order tracking
• Integrated with Shopify, allowing you to manage customer service and orders from one place

Pros:

• Easy setup with intuitive designs
• Customer service across various channels is made possible without extra charges
• Efficient ticket management and workflow automation

Cons:

• Limited features in the free plan

Pricing

Willdesk has a free plan with basic features. The Starter Plan starts at $16.9 per month or $152.25 per year. The Pro Plan begins at $89.9 per month or $733.72 per year.

Best for

If you are a small to medium-sized business owner looking for an affordable, user-friendly, and multichannel AI chatbot solution for ecommerce with Shopify integration, then this is for you.

HubSpot Chatbot Builder

HubSpot Chatbot Builder, from HubSpot, streamlines customer service and sales. It does not require coding to create ecommerce chatbots, and it facilitates lead generation, customer support, and personalized interaction, thus making it a sought-after platform.

Main Features

• You can create a chatbot ecommerce without coding knowledge
• Automatically stores customer interactions and data in HubSpot’s CRM
• Integration with multiple channels, including live chat, email, and social media platforms
• Automates lead qualification and nurturing workflows.

Pros:

• HubSpot’s CRM easily integrates with Shopify
• An easy-to-use, no-code interface
• Supports omnichannel communication

Cons:

• The free version has limited features
• Limited chatbot customization options

Pricing

It has a free plan with basic chatbot templates and premium plans, which start at $50 per month. Higher-tier subscriptions like the Professional and Enterprise plans also exist.

Best for

It is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses already using HubSpot’s CRM and marketing tools. Those looking for an integrated chatbot solution can also use it.

ManyChat

ManyChat is a leading customer support AI chatbot platform for e-commerce that helps businesses automate conversations on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. This, in turn, enhances customer engagement, driving up sales, and streamlining communication with leads.

Main Features

• Automates replies and delivers product suggestions via Instagram DMs and WhatsApp
• Automatically adds email addresses and phone numbers for up to 80% of leads to your database
• Automatically responds to every message, comment, and mention
• Pre-built templates and AI assistance, make it easy to create custom automation without technical expertise.

Pros:

• Easy-to-use templates
• Omnichannel marketing
• Shopify merchants can easily convert leads via Instagram and Facebook Messenger

Cons:

• A learning curve is required for advanced customization options
• Limited features in the free plan

Pricing

It has a free plan with basic features, whereas the Pro Plan begins at $15 per month.

Best for

It is ideal for businesses wanting to engage with customers on social media platforms.

Tidio

Tidio is an AI-powered customer service platform — ideal for growing e-commerce companies. With features like live chat, a help desk, AI chatbots, and automation flows. It enables businesses to manage customer inquiries, automate responses, and boost conversion rates — all from a single, user-friendly interface.

Main Features

• Lyro AI Chatbot resolves 70% of customer queries in real-time
• Multilingual customer service
• Automation for tasks like cart recovery, product recommendations
• Connects with Shopify, Mailchimp, WordPress, and other tools

Pros:

• Easy-to-use automation
• Multichannel support
• Advanced AI chatbot capable of resolving customer inquiries 24/7

Cons:

• Advanced features require a learning curve
• Additional costs for higher volumes of conversations and advanced automation features

Pricing

It has a Free Plan with basic features. The Starter Plan starts at USD 29 per month. The Growth Plan starts at USD 59 per month.

Best for

It is ideal for small to medium-sized e-commerce businesses looking for AI-powered automation, live chat, and multichannel support.

Snatchbot

SnatchBot is an omnichannel chatbot-building platform designed to help businesses create AI-powered chatbots for various messaging app channels. It does not require coding skills and has many robust features. They include Natural Language Processing (NLP), speech recognition, and integration with popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Main Features

• Works across multiple platforms like Messenger, WhatsApp, and Slack
• Has Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology for smart, human-like conversations
• Automates back-end processes and tasks
• Supports over 60 languages for text-to-speech

Pros:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Free plan with access to core features and templates
• Multichannel support and scalability

Cons:

• The free plan includes SnatchBot branding, which may not be ideal for some businesses
• Advanced features and high-volume usage require upgrading to the paid plan

Pricing

SnatchBot has a free plan with access to all basic features but is limited to 2,000 messages. The Pro plan begins at $99 per month, the price increases with the number of features you want.

Best for

It is best suited for companies looking for multichannel support and superior automation.

Chatbot

ChatBot is a chatbot-building platform designed to help businesses automate customer interactions across multiple channels. It uses natural language processing (NLP) and does not need programming skills. ChatBot allows companies to create, train, and deploy smart chatbots for websites, social media, and even messaging platforms. This, in turn, makes customer service seamless and scalable.

Main Features

• Proprietary Large Language Model (LLM) framework for delivering human-like responses
• Training Chatbot is possible with the use of multiple data sources
• Integration with Shopify, Zendesk, LiveChat, Facebook Messenger
• Engage visitors, qualify leads, and recommend products

Pros:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Versatile chatbot
• Automates sales and marketing

Cons:

• It requires time and effort to fine-tune responses
• Higher customization requires premium plans

Pricing

ChatBot offers you a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Paid plans are also available, starting at $50 per month.

Best for

It is ideal for companies seeking a user-friendly AI chatbot solution that has the capabilities for not only customer support but lead qualification and conversion optimization as well.

SendBird

SendBird is a communication API platform designed to power not only in-app messaging, voice, and video, but AI chatbot capabilities for businesses as well. With this platform, companies are able to enhance their customer engagement by providing real-time communication solutions that also seamlessly integrate into apps.

Main Features

• Enables messaging across SMS and WhatsApp
• Improves user engagement
• Monitors conversations through real-time analytics
• Offers highly abstracted APIs and SDKs for chat, voice, video, and chatbot deployment

Pros:

• Enterprise-grade security and compliance
• Integration with messaging apps
• Developer-friendly with easy-to-use SDKs, APIs, and UI Kits

Cons:

• Advanced features require technical expertise
• Pricing for advanced features may be high for smaller businesses or startups

Pricing

SendBird offers a free trial to explore its features. The pricing varies based on usage and the number of messages or calls, with custom pricing options available for enterprise solutions.

Best for

It is ideal for large enterprises, digital health platforms, marketplaces, financial services, and any business looking to enhance their customer experience and engagement.

How to Choose the Right Ecommerce AI Chatbot

To select the right eCommerce AI chatbot, start by identifying your business needs. Consider whether you want to enhance customer service, increase sales, or automate marketing tasks. Options like Willdesk, HubSpot Chatbot Builder, ManyChat, Tidio, Snatchbot, Chatbot, and SendBird can address these goals.

You need to keep in mind whether your ecommerce chatbot requires ease of integration with your existing systems or some customization capabilities.

The pricing structure must also be kept in mind because it cannot exceed your budget. Willdesk, HubSpot Chatbot Builder, ManyChat, Tidio, Snatchbot, Chatbot, and SendBird have free plans but with limited features. Keep in mind your budget when deciding which pricing structure to opt for.

Ensure that it integrates seamlessly with Shopify’s backend to handle inventory, orders, and customer communication efficiently. Willdesk, Tidio, and Chatbot have Shopify integration.

Lastly, you need to ascertain if you require an omnichannel chatbot that can smoothly engage with websites, social media, and mobile apps. Willdesk, HubSpot Chatbot Builder, ManyChat, Tidio, Snatchbot, and Chatbot have multichannel support.

Measuring the Success of Your Ecommerce Chatbot

In order to understand how far the ecommerce chatbot impacts your business, you need to measure the success of your ecommerce chatbot. You can do this by tracking key metrics and KPIs. They not only assess your chatbot’s performance but also use the data it gathered to suggest means to increase its effectiveness.

Metrics and KPIs for Evaluating Performance

1. Conversion Rate: In order to understand how effective your chatbot is in boosting sales, you need to keep track of the number of customers who opt for purchase after their interaction with your ecommerce chatbot.
2. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Needless to say, a higher CSAT means more of your customers are satisfied with your chatbot. You can measure CSAT by having your customers fill in surveys and give feedback regarding your chatbot.
3. First Response Time (FRT): Your customers’ inquiries need to be responded to quickly. Therefore, you should measure the time taken for your ecommerce chatbot to respond to your customers and their inquiries.
4. Resolution Rate: If the resolution rate is high, then your chatbot is capable of answering customer inquiries without human help. Thus, you should measure your chatbot’s resolution rate to determine its independence.
5. Abandonment Rate: If the abandonment rate of customers’ carts is low, it indicates that your chatbot is doing its job correctly. Hence, you need to keep track of the number of customers who end up abandoning their carts after an interaction with your chatbot.
6. Return on Investment (ROI): You need to determine how your chatbot is financially affecting your ecommerce business. You will do this by comparing the capital your chatbot has generated to the cost of its implementation. You will know if your chatbot was worth the investment or not.

Best Examples for Using AI Chatbots in Ecommerce

Several ecommerce chatbot use cases have proven how effective ecommerce chatbot is in its purpose.

1. Sephora

Sephora offers a wide range of products, including skincare, hair care, and makeup. However, many customers hesitate to purchase these products from online retailers due to concerns about compatibility with their skin types.

Sephora overcame this challenge by implementing chatbots for efficient customer service in e-commerce. Their chatbot offers personalized beauty advice, product recommendations, and make-up tutorials to each of their customers.

In addition, customers can even inquire about product details, browse inventory, or even book in-store appointments through the chatbot. This has inevitably increased their conversion rates and enhanced customer engagement.

2. eBay

eBay, the multinational ecommerce company, also makes use of AI chatbots to interact with customers and enhance their shopping experience. This chatbot helps customers find products, places bids, and tracks their orders.

This personalized guide aids customers during the whole process, thereby reducing support costs and cart abandonment, and increasing customer satisfaction.

3. Domino’s Pizza

Domino’s Pizza’s chatbot, called Dom, is available on Facebook Messenger to allow customers to order pizza through conversational interactions. This ecommerce chatbot has made online ordering on Dominoes extremely easy for customers.

It can remember past orders, provide real-time order tracking, and offer personalized pizza recommendations. This not only streamlined Domino’ ordering process but also increased repeat orders.

AI Chatbot for E-commerce: Bottom Line

eCommerce chatbots are vital AI tools that enhance online shopping and streamline operations. They provide 24/7 availability, personalized experiences, improved conversion rates, and efficient order management.

Given these benefits, it’s time to integrate a chatbot brand voice-over into your eCommerce strategy to elevate customer satisfaction and drive sales.