Why chatbots will play a critical role in marketing in 2020

e8

Read any set of predictions for marketing in 2020 and chatbots will be in there. They are the solution for quick answers and can help customers to act efficiently and decisively. Ultimately, they aid sales – when used well. Chatbots are direct, straightforward and fast. Gartner states that 47% of organisations will be using chatbots for customer care over the next few years. Indeed, some predictions estimate that in 2020, 85% of customer interactions will rely on bots.

From the marketer’s point of view, chatbots make sense. They are relatively effortless and the speed and efficiency holds immense allure. They allow for the magic ingredient of conversation in personalised marketing efforts. Now that the AI technology to make them reliable is up to scratch, it’s no surprise that marketers are pushing their use.

How do chatbots increase sales

The fundamental aim of marketing is to increase sales. The modern marketer aims to do this, as much as possible, through automation and streamlining. At the same time, the modern consumer expects a more personalised approach. Chatbots marry these two sides together in to one solution.

There are a few different ways in which chatbots do this:

  • Automation of personalisation

Behind each chatbot is powerful artificial intelligence. This enables analysis of a consumer’s behaviour and preferences in conjunction with other factors such as seasonality and market data. The chatbot can then recommend more relevant content. The result is to engage the consumer and lead them more individually to a sale.

  • Engaging with website users

By using a chatbot, a website user isn’t at risk of getting lost or becoming disengaged. The chatbot can direct them to the information and answers they need. Given the fickle nature of website users, this is gold dust.

  • Conducting research

Research informs and directs sales. Yet sparing the time to do accurate and comprehensive research can be near impossible for many businesses. Chatbots enable you to gather and analyse the data you need. You can quickly and easily learn more about your customers.

  • Acting as the sales funnel

A chatbot can prompt and direct the consumer through the sales funnel itself. An excellent diagrammatic explanation of a chatbot as a sales funnel can be found here.

  • Using chatbots for payment

Interestingly, some research has found that 67% of American millennials are likely to buy products or services from brands which use a chatbot. Chatbots can be used to securely and simply automate simple payments through live chat and apps. This is ideal because the customer doesn’t need to leave their current location to make a purchase and also they will benefit from the conversational nature of the bot. For the business, payments in this way can be easily scaled and it’s considerably more cost-effective than using operatives on live chat or through call centres.

Other ways that chatbots support marketing

There are multiple other ways in which chatbots will become increasingly important in marketing in 2020 and beyond.

Notably, chatbots are vital within the arena of social media. There are over 300,000 chatbots working through Facebook Messenger. With 80% average open rates, it’s easy to see their power. Your customers are on social media. And now, they expect interaction. What’s more, they expect personalised interaction. A chatbot is the only way that you can feasibly meet their expectations.

This leads on to the importance of chatbots in terms of customer experience (CX). CX is central to everything that a marketer does. It needs to be considered and thoughtful. Chatbots make it easier for businesses to interact with their customers, in turn improving the CX. Chatbots allow for an instant response and are available 24/7. Unlike call centres or live chat, if there is a high volume of contact, the response can be scaled up.

This also connects with the concept that everyone is now far more familiar with chatbots being part of their daily life. Through Siri and Alexa, it’s considered ‘normal’ and ‘safe’. We are increasingly using chatbots to streamline all sorts of aspects of our daily life from fitness to household management.

Get ready for chatbots in 2020

Given all of the above, it’s no surprise that chatbots will play a critical role in marketing in 2020. They make automation personal, and that works to fuel sales.

For help staying ahead of the curve in your digital marketing pursuits, choose Element 8, the top digital marketing agency in Dubai. We’re excited for 2020.

 

More Blogs

Apr 16, 2025

Confused About Static vs Dynamic Website Options? Here’s What Your Business Needs to Know

In today’s competitive digital marketing era, every business requires a strong online presence. An essential choice while designing a website is selecting the correct platform—a Static vs Dynamic website. This decision will greatly influence performance, scalability, maintenance, and overall business objectives. In this blog, we will discuss the distinction between static vs dynamic websites. We […]

Apr 7, 2025

Spotify Advertising: Why It Should Be in Your Marketing Strategy

How individuals consume music and podcasts has been changed with the introduction of Spotify, which has also brought in pivoting transformation to advertisements. With more than 602 million users and 236 million premium subscribers, Spotify has a lot to offer for brands and businesses and also helps to reach a diverse audience with its distinctive […]

Mar 25, 2025

Generative AI for E-commerce Industry: Transforming Digital Retail

The e-commerce industry has been undergoing a pivotal transformation in the past decade, the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) has made a massive impact in shaping customer experience and business operations. Generative AI is the revolutionary advancement that happened in AI for e-commerce. This is an advanced technology that can produce unique content, generate personalized […]

Mar 18, 2025

What is Lemon8: The Social App Making a Comeback

Lemon8 is making so much noise in the social media landscape, drawing attention to its visually aesthetic, content-driven approach. With its ease of blending Instagram’s photo-sharing features and Pinterest’s inspiration-focused curation, the app has become a favourite trend for lifestyle enthusiasts. Let us explore in detail what is Lemon8 app ?. Why is it becoming […]

Mar 6, 2025

Steganography Tools in Cybersecurity: Decoding Data Hiding Technique

Data security is an important factor in today’s digital space. And Steganography is essential in cybersecurity for protecting private data by concealing it in many media types. This process of data hiding makes it harder to identify data by hiding it in plain sight. While in encryption, the data are jumbled. This method shields private […]