The Rise of AI-Powered Sales Associates
Your friendly neighborhood salesbot is here to help
My 13 year old son loves magic. He spends hours a day practicing it. One of his favorite activities is going to Tannen's, an awesome magic shop in NYC. Sure, he can find all the same magic tricks on PenguinMagic.com, probably even for less money. But the thing is… he just loves going to Tannen's. Why? It's all about the people. They teach him new tricks, recommend the coolest stuff to buy, and help him hone his craft. He pays a bit more, but because of the sales associates, it's worth it.
It's those great sales associates that make a lot of retailers stand out in an Amazon-dominated world. When we head to Best Buy, we're not just looking for a TV; we're looking for advice on the right TV to buy. And at Home Depot, those associates know exactly which widget will work for our DIY project. Even at Tiffany's, the person behind the counter guides us to that perfect romantic gift. The sales associate playbook is successful online as well: Chewy, Crutchfield, and Running Warehouse are a few of the many stores that offer great advice from human experts by phone or video chat, driving online sales (and relationships) in the process.
But people aren't scalable. Sometimes, it's a struggle to find anyone to help you in larger retail stores, like those massive supermarkets, pharmacies, or supercenters, outside of a few overworked cashiers – Publix, CVS, and Walmart come to mind. And as effective as video chat is for online retailers like Chewy, the reality is most e-commerce websites aren't equipped for hands-on human service (even if they are, who bothers to click on the contact button unless you want to return something?)
Which brings us to AI.
Thanks to large language models, we can now train AI bots to be experts in a specific retailer's products and limit responses to that specific information. Think of it like ChatGPT, but laser-focused on one brand or store instead of everything the internet knew in 2021. AI-powered sales associates, or "Salesbots," as I like to call them, could, perhaps, become the most transformative innovation to hit retailing since the advent of mobile. Need help picking the best product from a bunch of similar options? Ask a Salesbot. Looking for a specific shirt in your size and color? The Salesbot has got your back. Looking for a good birthday gift for a five-year-old? A Salesbot is here with the perfect recommendation.
We can train Salesbots just like we onboard real sales associates, with product info, sales guides, and real-world examples coupled with a continually-growing collection of real-world questions and answers. When done right, Salesbots can have meaningful, sales-driving conversations with customers, helping them find exactly what they need. They might not be as good as a real person (yet!), but they are a step-function better than the annoying automated chatbots that proliferate so many websites.
The applications of Salesbots to real-world commerce are plentiful. For e-commerce companies, Salesbots can be game-changers. They can replace the often frustrating search bars on most websites and become the heart of your online shopping experience. A Salesbot chat isn't just text; it can include helpful messages, product images, detailed info, and links to product pages. Customers can ask follow-up questions, get clarifications, and make more requests, making it feel like a real life salesperson finding new item options as the customer’s preferences evolve. The result: Salesbots can make ecommerce not only more efficient, but also more fun and rewarding.
But Salesbots aren't just for online shopping. In physical stores, they can step in when human sales associates aren't available. Send a text or scan a QR code, and get instant help. And for brands sold in third-party stores, promoting a Salesbot in retail displays gives consumers access to detailed product information and recommendations that store employees, no matter how well-trained, might not have. For brands with many SKUs in a supermarket or high volume retailer like Walmart, Salesbots can be the secret weapon in the battle for shelf space.
Salesbots… poised to be the next big thing in retail making shopping easier, more enjoyable, and maybe even a bit magical.