The everyday life of eCommerce sector entities is determined by emerging trends in process automation and implementation of systems based on artificial intelligence. To what extent machine learning is able to change the face of e-commerce?
What is machine learning in practice?
The image of robots has changed somewhat in recent years. Less and less people associate them with humanoid characters from the world of "The Jetsons". They are often just important tools and applications in terms of customer service. Their task is, for instance, to increase the user's comfort while interacting with an e-shop. Customers have at their disposal a website which is easier to use and whose improvements allow them to find the right product much faster. The owners of eCommerce portals also benefit, because they gain more information about the visitors of a sales platform, which enables them to carry out optimization in accordance with the buying habits of a group of potential buyers.
The advantage of e-commerce over its traditional form is largely due to the lack of time constraints. It is worth to follow this trend and bet on constant customer service, especially outside standard opening hours. When the employees finish their work for the day, robots take over the responsibility for contact with the browsers. The analysis of the most frequently asked questions helps in providing adequate answers and adjusting them depending on the situation described by the application algorithm. This is a classic example of a simple use of machine learning in eCommerce activities.
Automation solutions take different forms, which is influenced by the specifics of a particular task. While the development of an application for generating simple responses (chatbots) can be replaced by a commonly available tool, writing a program for e.g. detailed recognition of customer needs requires more effort and financial outlays. Nevertheless, the investment is profitable. What ways of using machine learning are worth applying?
Effective use of machine learning
The main idea of machine learning is to use knowledge acquired in a relatively short period of time from thousands of users. The sum of information allows for better decision making based on the available data. In this way, each target group selected by the implemented system can be properly taken care of. This is a clear response to the needs of the eCommerce market, based on traffic obtained from search results.
Machine learning allows to correct phrases typed by users who have incomplete knowledge about the product. Intelligent search can also include a hint option that directs you to a particular type of assortment or towards specific products. This form of assistance is similar to that offered by an employee of a stationary store, who offers guidance to the customer focused on the goods in a particular category, but not on a particular model or product of a particular brand.
The use of suggestions also has another advantage. Based on the typed words, you can determine which phrases are the most popular and should be the main focus of positioning. Or vice versa - which of them require better SEO to make the name of a category or product firmly stuck in the memory of members of the target audience of the company's marketing messages.
Towards advanced technologies
More sophisticated algorithms are also responsible for, among other things, creating recommendations based on the products selected, which helps to direct attention to a specific group of assortment. Designing a shopping path is no longer a sign of the future for the eCommerce industry, but a requirement of the present, so money invested in technologies based on machine learning should certainly not be forgotten.
