What is a virtual shopping assistant? Its application in online and offline sales today

July 13th 20244 mins2,681 views

Online shopping is taking place like a marathon between giants, and brands,... that never ends. In the past, in Vietnam, there were famous Shopee, Lazada, Tiki,... but now the number of pages appearing on the platforms is dizzying with countless products. If we keep working with manual processes, will we be able to optimize our work and meet a large number of customer needs? Perhaps that's why AI shopping assistants - called Virtual Shopping Assistants in English - appeared.

What is a virtual shopping assistant?

AI shopping assistants, also known as virtual shopping assistants, are one of the virtual tools designed to help optimize activities in E-commerce. Such as personalizing recommendations, simplifying the purchasing process, promoting the connection between businesses (sellers) and consumers (buyers),... At the same time, providing care services. customers and post-purchase support to enhance their shopping experience.
Currently, Virtual Shopping Assistants have been seamlessly integrated into both physical stores and online platforms to contribute to enhancing the overall shopping experience, evenly. Especially in this time of outstanding technological advancements, AI shopping assistants have become an important element in the entire digital retail process.
It can be said that Virtual Shopping Assistants are serving dual purposes in E-commerce. One is to support users in searching and answering questions about the product. From there, it provides businesses with huge amounts of valuable data about customers' preferences, behavior, etc. Therefore, it can be affirmed that virtual assistants not only facilitate quick product/business discovery but also bring tangible business advantages to businesses/organizations when properly integrated in e-commerce.

Application of Virtual Shopping Assistants in online sales?

By applying AI technology to e-commerce, businesses have gradually improved the online shopping experience from providing products/services to personalizing customers during the shopping process. Below are some popular applications of Virtual Shopping Assistants in online sales:

Personalized solutions for each customer: AI shopping assistants will aggregate and analyze customer data to provide personalized recommendations with customized products and content. Suitable and promotional programs, etc. Just like every day, we will receive notification emails or notices on our own e-commerce sites about newly updated products in the store and promotions. Exclusively for customers...
Automated Chatbot: It's very familiar with the image of chatbots on websites or social network accounts of businesses or individuals with online sales. They are used to assist customers in answering questions and providing support information anytime, anywhere according to pre-programmed programs. Quick, automatic and focused responses are the benefits of chatbots, especially in customer care.
Virtual shopping assistant: Some retailers have also deployed AI technology assistants to help customers conveniently shop online. These assistants will proactively suggest products and assist customers in choosing the appropriate size, style, color, etc. according to the requirements provided by customers. It also provides real-time customer support and streamlines the payment process.
Voice assistant: A typical example is Google Assistant or Amazon's Alexa,... can be integrated into e-commerce platforms to bring customers a completely new and hands-free shopping experience. convenient. That means customers can use their own voice to describe what they need to search for products, add products to the cart and complete the purchase payment process,...
Track order status: Tracking order status or supporting returns are important post-purchase steps and AI assistants are also doing that well. They can help buyers automatically update delivery status, help buyers push orders as required or support the return process when needed,...

Application of Virtual Shopping Assistants in offline sales?

Not only useful for e-commerce platforms, Virtual Shopping Assistants also contribute a part in the traditional offline sales model. They enrich the in-person shopping experience for customers with personalized support and solutions. Here are some typical examples:

In-store kiosks: Stores today have almost all set up interactive kiosks equipped with AI assistants to provide product recommendations, answer frequently asked questions or guide customers. Navigating the store space helps customers increase their experience and optimize search and purchase time.
Mobile applications: Developing mobile applications with AI assistants is also a method that many businesses are applying. It helps locate specific products, provide additional information, and make personalized recommendations about the products/services the store is offering.
Smart speakers: Just like voice assistants on e-commerce platforms, smart speakers equipped with virtual assistants in physical stores contribute to increasing the experience. Customers can interact with these smart speakers using voice commands to ask questions about products, services, purchase advice,...
Smart Mirrors: Have you heard of Smart Mirrors equipped with AI to help customers synthesize product information, suggest additional items or give styling advice, etc. based on preferences? , customer's request.
Employee applications: Another application is the digital tools used to support the work of employees during customer service engagement and interactions. They provide employees with practical applications such as accessing real-time information, customer profiles and managing related tasks,...

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What is a virtual shopping assistant?

Application of Virtual Shopping Assistants in online sales?

Personalized solutions for each customer: AI shopping assistants will aggregate and analyze customer data to provide personalized recommendations with customized products and content. Suitable and promotional programs, etc. Just like every day, we will receive notification emails or notices on our own e-commerce sites about newly updated products in the store and promotions. Exclusively for customers...

Automated Chatbot: It's very familiar with the image of chatbots on websites or social network accounts of businesses or individuals with online sales. They are used to assist customers in answering questions and providing support information anytime, anywhere according to pre-programmed programs. Quick, automatic and focused responses are the benefits of chatbots, especially in customer care.

Virtual shopping assistant: Some retailers have also deployed AI technology assistants to help customers conveniently shop online. These assistants will proactively suggest products and assist customers in choosing the appropriate size, style, color, etc. according to the requirements provided by customers. It also provides real-time customer support and streamlines the payment process.

Voice assistant: A typical example is Google Assistant or Amazon's Alexa,... can be integrated into e-commerce platforms to bring customers a completely new and hands-free shopping experience. convenient. That means customers can use their own voice to describe what they need to search for products, add products to the cart and complete the purchase payment process,...

Track order status: Tracking order status or supporting returns are important post-purchase steps and AI assistants are also doing that well. They can help buyers automatically update delivery status, help buyers push orders as required or support the return process when needed,...

Application of Virtual Shopping Assistants in offline sales?

In-store kiosks: Stores today have almost all set up interactive kiosks equipped with AI assistants to provide product recommendations, answer frequently asked questions or guide customers. Navigating the store space helps customers increase their experience and optimize search and purchase time.

Mobile applications: Developing mobile applications with AI assistants is also a method that many businesses are applying. It helps locate specific products, provide additional information, and make personalized recommendations about the products/services the store is offering.

Smart speakers: Just like voice assistants on e-commerce platforms, smart speakers equipped with virtual assistants in physical stores contribute to increasing the experience. Customers can interact with these smart speakers using voice commands to ask questions about products, services, purchase advice,...

Smart Mirrors: Have you heard of Smart Mirrors equipped with AI to help customers synthesize product information, suggest additional items or give styling advice, etc. based on preferences? , customer's request.

Employee applications: Another application is the digital tools used to support the work of employees during customer service engagement and interactions. They provide employees with practical applications such as accessing real-time information, customer profiles and managing related tasks,...