But this isn’t the endpoint of the evolution of e-commerce. The pervasiveness of chatbots and voice assistants are making it so that ordering something is now just a matter of uttering a phrase like “Reorder toilet paper” and it’s possible to go from urgent situation to problem resolved in a short amount of time. Many companies have seen the opportunities enabled by conversational technology and are building platforms to help customers make purchasing even easier just by using their voice or text. These systems speed commerce as well as help maintain personal touch with customers before and after the purchase. The field of commerce enabled by AI that uses voice assistants and bots for e-commerce is often referred to as “Assistant-Enabled Commerce”.

Voice assistants and commerce

There are two main ways of engaging in Assistant enabled commerce: voice assistants and chatbots. Each of the interfaces provide different features, capabilities and use cases. Examples of voice assistants include Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Home Assistant and Microsoft Cortana. Voice enabled platforms are very easy to use as it involves little more than speaking to your device to provide an interactive question-answer environment. The interaction is very important as customers can carry on conversations without ever having to type or swipe. Their voice gives users the ability to get help, make purchases, and get their questions answered with relative ease. 

However voice assistants do have limitations. They can be used as long as the tasks in context don't require you to do things such as select from a long menu, view information online, or for very complicated purchases. Voice assistants have been facing issues with security as most systems do not authenticate voices before offering commerce assistance which means anyone can make an order if they have access to your device or account. Companies are working on this issue because to do anything secure, such as checking bank accounts, voice authentication is a must.

Also, voice assistants are good at pull-type commerce transactions where you have to tell the device what you’re looking for.  But they can’t really do push-type transactions where they wake up and ask you if you like the shoes you bought last year and if you might need a new pair. If these voice devices start doing that, at any hour of the day or night, we might end up telling our little chatty voice bots to shut up or potentially unplug them.

Chatbots and commerce

Chatbot are another viable option for those who might not be comfortable with voice assistants or require more secure text and voice oriented support. For the larger scope of what we want our assistants to do, text-mode chatbots are the way to go. Some of these message-oriented chat bots include Facebook Messenger, Google hangout, Skype and many others. Unlike voice assistants, chatbots are good in both push operations for follow up with users as well as pull operations in cases where users request for services. 

Text-based chatbots can serve both push and pull forms of interaction, taking one-time requests for a product, but can also get back to the user days, weeks, or even months after the fact by sending messages via the platforms above. These bots can be silenced on either a per-product basis (“Stop talking to me about my shoes”) or on a forever basis with a wide range of opt-out approaches. Chatbots can also pull off the push-pull marketing in less invasive ways.

Deeper engagement through voice assistants

Voice assistants and chatbots are particularly helpful for commerce because they allow customers to easily make buying decisions by only using their natural language — either voice or typing back and forth with a chatbot. Most websites have so many options for products that users can feel overloaded with the almost limitless options. By having a natural conversation these assistants can ask the customers a few questions to help narrow down the list of choices to just the most important preferences. These AI-enabled voice assistants and chatbot systems can help narrow down choices when options are similar. These systems are also available 24-7 for service just like websites but have the capability to process complicated transactions and orders even during “off” hours. In this way, conversational systems both augment traditional websites and mobile apps while also offloading support from call centers and human support agent.

Another reason that smart assistants are particularly helpful in commerce is that they can provide a connection between the buyers and sellers to gauge the support and satisfaction during and after a sale. The bots can also engage with customers in ways traditional websites can’t by continuing to ask for and solicit feedback and greater detail. Companies are creating apps and skills on voice assistant platforms that allow for interaction, engagement, and support with users and customers. For example, Domino’s has a skill that allows users to navigate voice-only menus and place orders through the voice assistant. If you need a ride around town, you can order an Uber or Lyft with a few simple voice commands. 

Implementing assistant-enabled commerce today is already proving to provide practice and real return to retailers looking to put these into place. Already we’re seeing widespread adoption of intelligent assistants in commerce ranging from retail to insurance to automotive, business to consumer, business to business, and more every day. 

Source : https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/11/10/assistant-enabled-commerce/?ss=ai#4380854f526b