How to Build a Chatbot for ECommerce: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

1. How to Build a Chatbot for ECommerce: A Simple  Step-by-Step Guide  Chatbots in the ecommerce industry are ready to bridge the gap of personalization             that customers face in online shopping. According to top ​retail and ecommerce             software development ​companies, chatbots are the future of customer service in       ecommerce segment. Already, 80% of the e-tailers use some form of chatbot services             in their business operations to improve customer interactions today. Chatbots           dramatically improve your shopping experience by offering personalized product         suggestions, quick responses, and real-time support, just like an old friend when you         visit an online shop front.     However, building bots with such advanced functionalities is not an easy task for           retailer or e-commerce players. You, as an ecommerce owner, need to have good             technical knowledge and ideas about latest ​chabot development​ ​trends.     Follow the steps given below to fast pace chatbot development for your business:                                                                                                                               Step 1: Select the Chatbot Type First, you need to select the chatbot type you want for your online store. There are two                 popular categories of chatbots that you can choose for your e-commerce store:    Pre-scripted or rule-based chatbots - ​These are the simplest types of a chatbot that           you can use. They are capable of answering simple user queries or questions. You can                                                                  

2. use these bots to answer basic user questions related to product inquiry on your               ecommerce store.     AI/Smart chatbots: T​hese are more advanced chatbots ​with using AI and natural           language processing (NLP) capabilities. You can use these bots for your ecommerce         store to provide human-like interaction and support to users. Also, by integrating           machine learning capabilities, you can train these types of chatbots to learn from past           user interactions for improving customer service. You need to ​hire chatbot developers           for building an AI bot for ecommerce.                                                                                             Step 2: Choose the Platform for Chatbot Integration Some of the popular platforms where you can use a chatbot solution include:    ● E-commerce website   ● Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook   ● Messaging apps -Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Telegram    If you want a chabot solution for both your online store and social platform. you need                 an omnichannel chatbot that will work across several custom channels.                   Step 3: Define Chatbot features At this stage, when you have selected the chabot, its type and the platform where you                 will use it, you must decide the purpose and features of your future chatbot since there                 are many options.    Your future chatbot could work as:     ● Product finder  ● Order status checker  ● Customer service provider  ● Offer notifications  ● Personal shopping assistant    Common features of an ECommerce Chatbot:    ● Collect customer data  ● Advertise and broadcast  ● Handle online transactions  ● Send notifications, reminders  ● Upsell products  ● Provide discount coupons                                  

3. Etc. ● Step 4: Start Chatbot Development There are two options that you can choose for chabot development - Build a Bot from                 Scratch and Do-it-Yourself (DIY) Platform.    Build a Bot from Scratch: ​You should hire an expert chatbot development company to                 build a custom bot solution with complex features for your ecommerce business.     DIY or Chatbot Builder Platform: If you want a simple bot solution for your online               store, you can choose a DIY platform. Popular examples include Botsify, Chafuel,               Mobile Monkey, etc.                                                       Step 5: Build an MVP and Test It Building a simple booth with a DIY platform takes several hours and minimal testing.               But when you develop an AI chatbot, you need to check whether it suits your business                 needs and works properly. You don’t want to spend hours on its development and             finding errors. So, better build a chatbot MVP and test it with pre-scripted answers to               check its functionality.                                                               Step 6: Train the Chatbot Different types of chatbots handle data in different ways. Rule-based or simple             chatbot has a limited set of functions and questions whereas an AI chatbot improves                 its understanding and knowledge over time with a growing collection of data. Hence,           training AI bots with dummy customer data is important.     For example, you need data like live-chat scripts, website FAQs, and email replies of               customers to train your customer service AI chatbot.                                                       Step 7: Launch It Once you finish the development and testing of your bot, it is time to launch it on your             e-commerce website​. Also, don’t forget to get feedback from users about what extra           features they want in your chatbot, so you can implement them with future updates.