Technology

Are you looking for a way to improve your eCommerce customer experience (EX)? Chatbots can be the key. Whether it’s providing personalized product recommendations, one-to-one shopping assistance, or real-time customer support, these automated conversation tools can greatly impact your bottom line. 

Let’s explore the impact of AI chat on the world of eCommerce.

How Are AI Chatbots Different, and What Are Their Advantages?

eCommerce chatbots are a great way for online retailers to give their customers the best experience possible. By using these tools, businesses can answer questions about products and provide sales support so that customers don’t have to wait on someone from customer service. Chatbots also offer conversational marketing opportunities, such as the ability to engage with shoppers right on website messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, or Facebook Messenger. 

AI chatbots also provide invaluable insight for eCommerce brands. Not only do they enable real-time user interaction, but their analysis can help you improve services that cater to customer demand and preferences. With the instant access to critical data that this technology offers, you can reduce operational costs, while maximizing efficiency.

Key Benefits of AI Chat for eCommerce Brands

• AI chatbots are revolutionizing the way customers interact with businesses. They provide helpful advice and guidance and facilitate a two-way conversation that builds more meaningful relationships over time–gaining valuable insights from each exchange.
• With AI chatbots, you can reach customers on their preferred channels and deliver content that speaks to them. Combining the convenience of automation with engaging messages creates a comprehensive customer experience.
• For anyone selling online, providing a fast response to customer questions is essential. Over 50% of potential customers will ditch their carts if they don’t get immediate answers. That way, customers won’t have to rely on slow email responses or phone calls anymore. Chatbots offer the perfect balance between quick and thorough support, giving customers the information they need right away, without overwhelming them with too much detail.
• Chatbots provide instant access to critical data. This allows you to save costs and maximize efficiency while still delivering excellent services tailored specifically to user needs.
• Telling a story is an art form. When you add in the power of AI chatbots, eCommerce can go beyond simply product sales. It can also engage customers with educational content like images, GIFs, videos, and audio that capture their attention. This ultimately enhances the relationship between customer and brand as the conversation moves along more efficiently.

The Trends of AI Search in 2023 

OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot has revolutionized the way people get information on the internet. Not one to be left out of the race, Google is gearing up and readying its own AI-backed tools for search engine queries. Google is revolutionizing our understanding of artificial intelligence with the debut of its innovative new chatbot, Bard. Powered by LaMDA – an impressively intelligent and creative AI model that some experts have suggested might actually be sentient – this latest development promises to make unparalleled use of existing knowledge from around the world.

Microsoft is taking proactive steps to make sure they have a spot in the AI space, Recently partnering with OpenAI, they’re now incorporating these revolutionary capabilities into Bing.

How eCommerce Brands Can Prepare Now 

Many top brands like Starbucks, Sephora, and Domino’s Pizza are taking the customer experience to new heights with their chatbot technology. But these companies aren’t necessarily eCommerce brands. Instead, they have omnichannel capabilities, making their products available online. If these companies can benefit from AI chatbots, your eCommerce business can.

Whether customers are looking for information on products or trying to find an answer quickly, these bots can provide helpful insight in no time. Plus, thanks to advances like natural language processing (NLP), conversations feel more and more human-like every day.

Tips to Prepare Your Business

• Research the top AI chatbot options for your product. AI chatbots are a great way to bolster your business, but not just any platform will do. When it comes time to decide which AI chatbot is best for you, keep an eye out for the features that matter most. This might include user-friendliness, automation grade, accuracy in understanding customer queries, targeting capabilities, integrations with other platforms, branding options, A/B testing,  reporting and analytics tools, and/or access to tech support when something goes wrong.
• Start running more personalized and targeted marketing and advertising. Investing in a marketing automation platform is the key to creating personalized, targeted campaigns that speak directly to your audience. The payoff could be huge, but only if you take the time and craft lead-scoring systems and triggers tailored to their needs.  When you run more personalized and targeted ads, you can get the insights you need to better serve your customers. Using the insights from your campaign, you can customize your chatbots to meet your customers’ needs. 
• Make sure your website, product descriptions, and images are up to date. Perform a complete website audit to ensure all information and images are accurate. That way, implementing your chatbot on your website will give your visitors the most reliable information. 
• Be sure your platforms are connected for automation. Doing so will allow you to automate processes, making them more efficient and providing an enhanced user experience.

Bottomline

With eCommerce being on the rise and personalization becoming more important, brands are smart to lean into AI chatbots. Conversational AI opens up opportunities for companies to connect with customers across many different platforms, not just on their websites. This creates valued relationships that can improve loyalty towards a brand. Plus, it helps convert these connections into loyal clients with great customer service. On top of all these benefits, utilizing an AI chatbot can help your business automate inner functions, reducing operational costs and potentially driving revenue growth.

Struggling to boost your online presence as a business? Digital Neighbor is here. Our full-service SEO agency provides customized digital marketing solutions that can help you reach more customers. Contact us today to book a call.

Did you know that a majority of shoppers are going to turn to your website and do a bit of research before they purchase your products or services? That means that your website is now responsible for your first impression the majority of the time. Will your website make a good first impression? Unfortunately, a lot of business owners don’t realize when their website is becoming outdated–or that having an outdated website could be so detrimental to their overall performance and sales. 

As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate already. Trying to learn everything there is to know about web design and function is a tall order–and that’s where I come in.

Read on to learn the top five signs that you have an outdated website and what you can do about it.

1. Your Website Isn’t Optimized for Mobile Devices

Now that we can access the web on our phones, we do a lot of our web surfing on our mobile devices, rather than a computer or tablet. In fact, Americans spend an average of about 6 hours online every day, and an average of over two of those hours are enabled by a mobile device. 

When you build a website, it is not automatically optimized for mobile devices. Mobile devices not only have a different shape (which changes the overall appearance of your website) but they also have different functionalities that users rely on. Because most businesses do take the time to make sure their website is optimized for mobile devices, consumers tend to navigate away from those that aren’t. 

2. Your Website Is Flash-Based

There was a time when tons of websites were Flash-based and it was one of the leading web building technologies. The problem is that now, Flash is outdated–to the extent that Flash-based websites are probably not showing up for a lot of internet users.

Flash-based websites are no longer compatible with any iOS devices, which includes all iPhones (which make up a huge percentage of the smartphone market). Because Flash is quickly becoming obsolete, it is also starting to get the boot by Google. If your website is Flash-based, Google will stop recommending it to users. 

3. Your Search Engine Rankings Are Declining

Staying on top of search engine algorithms isn’t always easy. As I just mentioned, they might start sifting out your website because of something like Flash. They can also give you a lower ranking because your content isn’t search engine optimized, your website is susceptible to viruses–the list goes on and on.

At the end of the day, you don’t want to lose a high search engine ranking. Organic searches account for a good portion of any website’s traffic, which means that you want people to find your website through Google, Yahoo, and other major search engines. At the end of the day, if your website isn’t ranked high enough to show up on that first page of search results, you’re not going to see a lot of traffic, since up to 92% of search traffic clicks come from the first page.  

4. You Have Decent Traffic But Low Conversions

If you spend much time on your website’s backend, you’ve probably noticed what kinds of traffic you’re getting. This is a good thing to stay on top of because you can see what kinds of content works, what kinds of email or social media promotions are driving traffic, and so on. You can also see if all of that traffic to your website is actually materializing into sales.

Remember that first statistic I gave you about how many consumers are going to your website to build a first impression? If you notice that people aren’t hopping around your website for very long or, more importantly, buying a product or service before leaving, that probably means that they’re not quite happy with what they’re seeing.

5. Your Website Doesn’t Have a Strong Aesthetic

Honesty time. Take a look at your website and then pull up a few of the websites run by your competition. How do they compare?

If your website doesn’t have the most appealing look, it may be time for a makeover. You don’t have to go overboard and create the most show-stopping website on the internet. You do, however, want to make sure that your website looks sleek, professional, well-branded, and appropriate for your niche. 

What To Do If You Have an Outdated Website

So let’s say that you’re reading through this list of signs that you have an outdated website and at least one of them fits the bill. What can you do about it? Do you need to learn web design overnight?

The good news is that there are plenty of people who already know what it takes to build a good website and I happen to be one of them! Take a look at my digital consulting services to get a feel for what I can do for your business. Together, we’ll discuss everything from design to SEO to all of the ways that you can encourage growth for your business in the digital age.

Let’s Get In Touch

Having an outdated website may not seem like a problem when you have so much else on your plate. The problem is that consumers are quick to form an impression and your website is often their first introduction to what your business has to offer. Strong web design is an integral part of any thriving business, no matter how big or small.

Not quite sure where to start with your web design update? Contact me today and let’s start talking about what we can do to make your website as strong as the rest of your business. 

Are you struggling to generate leads for your business? Well, you’re not the only one! This particular challenge is shared by up to 58% of business leaders out there.

That’s bad news.

After all, lead generation is a core component of marketing success. It’s a key first step along the road to stimulating sales! No leads mean no conversions; no conversions means no revenue.

But there’s good news too. A whole range of effective strategies can make an almighty difference. One of the best?

Directing users to a fully-optimized website landing page.

As you know, these webpages are designed, structured, and organized for the sole purpose of turning users into leads! Done well, they can skyrocket your lead generation and give your sales team more to work with. Want to discover how to do it?

Keep reading for 9 key features of high-performing website landing pages.

1. Clear Headings

The heading of your landing page is often the first thing someone sees when they click through.

That’s why it has to be clear, catchy, concise, and compelling. It’s also a useful means of showcasing your business’ value proposition (more on this later). Use the headline to sum up your offer, outline a product/service’s function, and detail the benefits it provides.

Done right, the headline will capture peoples’ attention and convince them to keep reading.

2. Quality Copy

Quality is everything on your landing pages. From the images you incorporate to the ease of navigation, it should all be sleek, professional, and shed your brand in a good light.

Pay particular attention to the copy, though.

This has to be on-point (e.g. convincing, sharp, and on-brand) if you’re going to compel people to provide their contact information! At the very least, you need to double-check it for spelling or grammatical errors that’d send all the wrong signals to prospective customers.

3. Testimonials

Social proof is a powerful marketing tool/– especially on a website landing page.

Remember, users won’t just hand out their details to anybody. They need to trust you first and feel a connection to the brand. You could have the most compelling offer in the world, but it’s never going to convert to full effect without these vital ingredients.

Including testimonials from satisfied past customers is a great way to do it. People will read their positive words and feel happier about following your call to action. More on this next.

4. Clear Call to Action (CTA)

Don’t forget to include a clear, compelling CTA on your landing page too. It’s another pivotal way to drive leads through your digital doors.

Why? Because, as people, we seem far less likely to perform a particular action unless we’re explicitly told to do it. Through some quirk of psychology, CTAs provide an all-important ‘push’ that boosts conversion rates every time.

To put it another way, the users who land on your page need some direction; a clear and compelling CTA delivers it. Want them to sign up for your newsletter, join your mailing list, enter a competition, or make a purchase? Tell them!

5. Value Proposition

Including a clear value proposition on your landing page is crucial to converting.

This is where you tell users why it’s in their interest to follow the CTA. Outline the primary advantages to your offer and detail your unique selling point(s) compared to other businesses. In other words, why should they pursue your offer over someone else’s?

In so doing, you provide people with a clear-cut reason to provide their contact details! They understand how they’ll gain from doing so, which is a natural incentive to deliver the goods.

6. Professional Video and Images

Attractive imagery of any kind captures our attention and holds our focus. After all, we’re visual creatures! We appreciate graphic content and draw meaning from it in the process.

That’s why images and videos can be so helpful on your landing pages.

They break up the page, add to the overall aesthetic appeal, and create a professional look all at once. For best effect, try using these visuals to showcase your value proposition and demonstrate your product/service in action. You should see your conversion rate spike as a result.

7. Keep Things Simple

Less is often more when it comes to high-quality design.

Including too much on your landing pages (be it copy, widgets, or graphics) can be distracting. Users won’t know where to look, how to navigate around the page, or what to do! Both your message and CTA might get lost in the mass of content.

Keep that in mind as you decide upon the landing page design. A stripped-back minimalist look, with plenty of white space, could deliver better results.

8. Above-the-Fold Focus

The ‘fold’ is the bottom edge of the screen when you first click through to a webpage.

Imagine a piece of paper that’s folded in half. To see what’s on the rest of the page you’d have to unfold it, right? Well, in digital terms, that ‘unfolding’ process is the same as scrolling down.

In other words, it takes an effort to see what’s there. That’s never good when you’re trying to make life easy for your users and boost conversions in the process.

Do yourself a big favor and put all of your most valuable content (such as the CTA, professional video/images, and value proposition) above the fold. Anything below the fold may never get seen!

9. Fast Load Times

Last but not least, make sure your landing pages load fast. There’s nothing quite like a slow site to convince users to click-back!

With attention spans worse than a goldfish, we’re no longer willing to wait around.

Only by minimizing load times can you maximize your chances of keeping people on board. They’ll load in an instant, reveal your epic above-the-fold content, showcase the value on offer, and boost conversions as a result.

Time to Create the Perfect Website Landing Page

Lead generation is crucial to business success. But that doesn’t make it easy. As we’ve seen, the majority of business owners out there struggle to get the results they want.

Thankfully, a well-designed website landing page can turn that situation around. With multiple landing pages packed with all the necessary features, you should be driving more leads your way in no time. We hope this post will help in that regard!

Do you want expert support with your digital marketing? We can help. Get in touch today to find out more.

What if every day felt like you were living on the Enterprise from Star Trek?

It may sound like this is still centuries away. However, voice assistance technology can help bring a piece of tomorrow into the here and now.

Devices and technologies such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have become more popular than ever before. And this technology is poised to completely transform how you live in 2018.

Keep reading to discover more about voice assistants and how they will help you!

What Are Voice Assistants?

Voice assistance technology is pretty self-explanatory. This is any technology that allows you to issue commands or ask questions verbally.

Many consumers now have this technology built into their phone with things like Siri on the iPhone. And others use this technology in their home with technology like Amazon’s Alexa and Dot devices.

Whichever device you choose, this technology is going to change how you spend every day in 2018. And they are also poised to change the digital marketing landscape in a big way.

Read on to discover exactly how it’s going to revolutionize everything!

Smart Lights

One of the most elegant voice assistance technologies are “smart lights.” These are lights from companies such as Amazon and Google that can be controlled in different ways.

A popular choice for many consumers are the Hue Lights by Phillips. These lights let you control things like the level of illumination and even the kind of color you want the light to emit.

These lights can be controlled via a special app. However, you can also control them with your voice using technology such as Alexa.

At the end of the day, this is one of the most practical applications for voice assistants. It’s great to be able to turn off your bedroom light without having to get up!

Smart Shower

Chances are that the shower is the last place you’d expect voice assistant technology. After all, electronics and water seem like a pretty odd combination.

However, companies like Kohler are bringing these two worlds together. They offer products such as mirrors that can accept voice commands sent through Alexa.

The device itself has waterproof speakers, making it a perfect addition for the shower. It can also control things like the PerfectFill bathtub and the DTV shower.

This technology is especially great for cold mornings. You’ll be able to warm up the bath or shower without even touching a cold faucet.

Talk to Your TV

The remote control was once considered a revolutionary device. It allowed consumers to change the channel without getting up and going directly to the television set.

Now, you don’t even have to use the remote in a traditional way. For instance, Sony is releasing TVs that have Google Assistant built into them. This lets you control apps and browse channels by voice.

LG is also releasing TVs with Google Assistant built into them. Meanwhile, Samsung already has a line of TVs that allow you to speak into the remote instead of pressing buttons!

Music On Demand

For many people, music is a major part of their lives. Individuals love to do everything from doing chores around the house to getting groceries while listening to tunes.

Streaming music has made it easier than ever to listen to your favorite music on demand. And now, various voice assistants let you request songs by voice.

Amazon’s Alexa interacts with Amazon’s music library to play many different tunes. Consumers willing to pay a monthly music subscription fee will have access to many more songs.

Alexa is also being integrated into other devices. For instance, Garmen now offers a multifunction Speak Plus Dash Cam. This lets you request music, directions, and even sports scores by voice!

Browse By Voice

Most of the early voice assistance technology focused on mobile devices. This led to the advent of things like Siri on the iPhone.

However, many consumers spend much of their day on traditional PCs rather than browsing their phones. Google is now seeking to bridge that gap by offering Smart Displays.

Smart Displays offer the functionality and convenience of tablets, letting you install apps and browse websites. However, they also let you set alarms, stream music, and even lock or unlock your doors by voice!

These displays represent a great way to enjoy voice assistance technology wherever you go.

Aiding the Disabled

Consumers traditionally focus on the mainstream appeal of the different voice assistants. However, all of this technology represents an unprecedented way to help those who are disabled.

Those with impaired vision can benefit immensely from having devices such as Alexa. This lets them stream music, inquire about the weather, and even put together shopping lists by simply using their voice.

And devices such as the PetNet SmartFeeder use Google Assistant to release pet food into a container with a command. This is a great way to feed a hungry pet for those who cannot see the pet or who would have difficulty walking to the food bowl.

Talk to the Fridge

Ever notice how often you have the refrigerator door open? Whether you’re simply browsing for contents or trying to plan your next meal, you waste a lot of your energy and your home’s energy doing this.

Samsung is trying to change all of this with a Family Hub of refrigerators powered by Bixby voice control technology. These fancy fridges keep track of the items inside and you can ask about the contents by voice.

They also feature a display on the outside and allow you to customize profiles for up to six members of your family. This allows everyone to have a custom experience when using it.

The Bottom Line

All of these voice assistants are amazing. However, having the best product in the world means nothing without good marketing.

My name is Eric Ritter, and my Digital Marketing Consultant focuses on one thing. Specifically, I’m here to take your business to the next level with the kind of digital marketing that every company dreams of having.

To see how I can make the business of your dreams the business you have today, simply reach out and contact me!

In 2018, business leadership is holding digital marketers responsible for generating revenue. Artificial intelligence (AI) is giving them a competitive advantage when engaging with customers. But is your team on track for the AI marketing revolution?

Many brands are still on the fence about AI marketing. It’s a big investment without many proven results. But recent applications are about to change that for good.

Most companies need a team to manage all digital channels and analytics. Digital marketers managed data manually. Responsiveness to customer behavior could be low or negligible.

Even newer POS and CRM technologies depend on human cognition to function. And there’s nothing like the human touch. But not in all cases.

Forbes says, “Marketers have more insights-related tools at their disposal that facilitate true data-driven decision making, but AI is needed to help integrate across tools, datasets, and platforms.”

What Is AI Marketing?

AI is a cognitive system that identifies the best possible path to a desirable outcome. Think of AI marketing as adding a new layer of decision making to the marketing mix. AI can perform much of the human cognition required to run campaigns.

This includes targeting campaigns across channels. AI will analyze customer behavior and act upon new insights without human involvement.

Leading digital marketers use AI for all customer engagement, even without prior programming. AI solutions can simulate any number of scenarios designed to meet specific objectives. They represent the next and biggest phase in the evolution of marketing technologies.

The result is a smarter marketing model. It means better, more frequent engagement with customers. It means greater responsiveness to customer needs as well.

Is AI Marketing Right for My Business?

You will hear a lot of about AI marketing in the conference loop. But AI adoption is only picking up.

The technology is not quite where it needs to be either. Data scientists are still skeptical about the results produced by AI marketing technologies.

But even as the technology improves, most marketers can’t wait. There are too many sources and data types available. It’s becoming harder to integrate them all to produce actionable insights.

Your competitors are attempting to do that now.

There are ways you can apply AI marketing techniques now to get your business on track. As the technology improves, you could already have a record of success. See how your competitors feel about that.

4 Ways AI Will Transform Your Digital Marketing Model

AI marketing won’t solve all your customer woes. But AI will deliver insights that help you make the best campaign decisions possible. And it’s already doing that for marketers.

The following are four advantages of AI that marketing teams are leveraging today. If you’re still on the fence about AI, prepare to update your digital marketing strategy.

Automation

Imagine if your team spent less time on tedium and more time on innovation? Even basic data parsing takes cognitive power. That’s where AI becomes your best new member of the team.

Think of some of the daily jobs below your teams’ skillset. Time-consuming tasks like reporting are necessary but don’t contribute to productivity.

59% of marketers believe AI will have a major or moderate impact on their productivity. They found that a team’s collective hard skills aren’t what make them successful. “Emotional intelligence, social skills, [and] level of creativity” are what add to performance.

Including AI isn’t about the machines taking over your team. It’s about maximizing your team’s potential. Help your all-stars spend more time creating value than reporting on it.

Predictive Analytics

You can apply AI to solve problems the way a human brain does. That includes analyzing data sets and producing actionable insights. Imagine your team spending more time acting on those insights than digging for them.

Predicting customer behavior and marketing trends is challenging for any team. There is room for predictive errors, and wasted time acting upon them.

AI cannot tell the future. “Predictive” is different than “prediction.” AI can discover trends and give your team what it needs to act upon them.

Your technology might produce billions of helpful data points. How many users are going to churn? Which users are the most likely to become customers?

AI gives your team what it needs to create realistic predictions. Spend less time digging through data and following false leads. Spend more time creating conversions and driving brand loyalty.

Applying Your Marketing Strategy

We’ve gone over some of the practical applications of AI. But what does AI mean for the “bigger picture”?

There are several dimensions to your marketing strategy. They include channels, targeting, and pricing, among others. AI can contribute to all of them.

You choose your marketing channels based on your audience and content. Your choices depend on the greater goals of your marketing campaign.

AI can automate marketing channel selection based on your objectives. It can look at data from previous campaigns and optimize the selection of your channels for future ones.

Your targeting involves reaching the best audience for your value propositions. You’ll zoom in on specific audiences within your marketing channels.

AI can analyze historical data and identify gaps in previous targeting. It can experiment with new forms of targeting before you launch your initiatives.

Optimizing Your Team

It might seem creepy to have AI tracking employees’ performance. But with AI doing so in real time, managers have more opportunities to nip performance issues in the bud.

Employees are often motivated by the question, “what will the boss think?” AI gives them a new motivator: “What’s the best thing to do?”

AI can spot when employees are losing sight of positive motivators. They can spot if they’re encountering skills gaps. Identifying these problems helps teams work together to prevent shortcomings in the future.

Building a Future with AI

Artificial intelligence isn’t just a business enabler. It’s a human enabler, too. Employees are already adjusting to their new “team members” in the workplace of tomorrow.

It’s time to start thinking about how AI marketing will affect your team. But you need to understand what it will do for your business before your next move.

Let’s connect. Contact me today to set up a short consultation. We’ll talk about your pain points and talk about what AI can do for you.