File photo: AI chatbot helped consumers buy and return products during the holiday season, boosting online sales in the US | Photo credit: Reuters
Artificial intelligence-powered chatbots will help consumers buy and return products during the 2024 holiday season, driving online sales in the U.S. up nearly 4% year over year, according to a Salesforce report It is said that he did.
Retailers are turning to smart conversational customer service (chatbots) for targeted promotions, product recommendations, loyalty programs, and more to influence customers looking for trending products and deals. did.
U.S. online sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 rose to $282 billion from $272 billion in the year-ago period, Salesforce forecast for 2% growth despite subdued discounts exceeded.
Shoppers are using AI-based chatbot services 42% more than a year ago, according to Salesforce, which analyzed data from 1.6 trillion pageviews on its platform.
According to the report, AI-influenced sales increased from $199 billion in 2023 to $229 billion in global online sales from November 1 to December 31.
However, the high rate of returns by customers at 28% compared to 20% in 2023 is a “grave concern” and could reduce overall profit margins for retailers, Salesforce said. said Kyla Schwartz, Director of Insights.
“Retailers who have deployed AI and agents are already seeing benefits, but the new year will see even more use of these tools as retailers seek to minimize revenue loss from returns and re-engage with shoppers. It’s going to be important,” Schwartz added.
According to the report, orders via smartphones peaked on Christmas Day as customers looked to make last-minute purchases, and about 79% of all orders were placed via mobile devices during the holiday season. That’s what it means.
Apart from AI, retailers are also using social media sites like TikTok Shop and Instagram to generate interest, with social media accounting for 14% of all traffic to e-commerce sites.
issued – January 7, 2025 9:34am IST
