Chat & Messaging

Introduction  In the long history of business, conversations have always been an effective way to grow sales. Consider a consumer shopping for a new vehicle. After doing her research, she steps into the car dealership. The salesperson builds rapport with her, and she ends up purchasing the car – complete with some extras that align…

Late last year, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, an AI chatbot. And the entire world quickly took notice.  Within days of launch, ChatGPT had one million users. And in January, it reached 100 million active users, making it the “fastest-growing consumer application in history.” For the sake of comparison, it took TikTok nine months to reach 100…

Oftentimes, the word “eCommerce” conjures up images of a shopper browsing a website, adding an item (or items) to their cart, and then completing the checkout process. But the reality is, there are plenty of new, innovative ways of purchasing products online – including social commerce, conversational commerce, and augmented reality – just to name…

What’s Next for Conversational Commerce Ads – and Why it’s Worth Your Attention For centuries, businesses have leveraged the power of conversations to build trust and grow sales. For example, the most successful door-to-door salespeople became proficient at making quick connections with prospects – and then closing the deal. And the best in-store sales associates…

By now, you have likely heard how beneficial online chatbots can be. They can help reduce contact center costs by addressing common inquiries and needs, and gathering information to direct messages to the right live agent when necessary. When service agents’ time is freed up from having to ask the same mundane questions over and…

Every company has both cost centers and profit centers. Cost centers are departments that are necessary to the business – but don’t directly contribute to its revenue growth. Profit centers, on the other hand, are teams that do directly generate revenue. All too often, customer service is seen as a cost center. Sure, a customer…

Consumer behavior is always evolving. But the events of the past couple years have accelerated that evolution. Of course, we’ve seen a large (and well-reported) shift in where consumers browse and buy products. According to eMarketer, retail eCommerce grew a staggering 32.4% in 2020. And by 2025, eCommerce is expected to account for nearly a…

One of the first topics covered in just about any introductory business class is the sales funnel and the stages within it. In other words, the steps a consumer goes through when making a purchase.  Though there are many variations of the sales funnel out there, a simple one (that’s relevant to B2C brands) might…

At this year’s Shoptalk, the topic of new channels was one that came up time and again. There were sessions focused on it, as well as conversations at networking events and the expo hall.  Clearly, it’s a topic that’s top of mind for brands and retailers. In fact, 75% of Shoptalk attendees said that new…