More than SMS. Chatbot in a smartphone

A virtual consultant on a mobile device is a benefit for both businesses and consumers. For the former, it enables more efficient communication of offers and collection of feedback from users; for the latter, it allows them to control the purchasing process in real time, while keeping their hand on the pulse of promotions and special offers.

In the arsenal of the modern entrepreneur one can find quite a few direct marketing tools for communicating with both current and potential customers, including such popular and proven ones as telemarketing, e-mail marketing and SMS messaging. The problem is that these classic forms of communication do not always meet the needs of the modern customer, who is more demanding than in the past. Therefore, the buyer's communication with the seller is no longer just about informing about product news. Even if the assessment of the quality of service is purely subjective, the customer expects interest, prompt information, the possibility of consultation and signs of interest from the store. If these expectations are not met, buyers may become discouraged and lose interest in the offer.

In turn, the store, in order to effectively serve all customers, must have tools for automated handling of two-way communication. Therefore, in addition to classic methods of communication, more and more emphasis is being placed on marketing through social networks and mobile applications with chatbot functionality. Mobile messaging is the most intuitive and convenient way for the customer to keep in touch with the seller.

The most popular mobile messenger today is Messenger. According to data from eMarketer.com, 37 percent of users of such apps used it in 2015. In comparison, WhatsApp or Skype boast statistics of 33 and 21 percent, respectively. Every month, more than a billion people around the world use Messenger to send each other several billion messages and nearly 20 billion media files. In Poland, Messenger is used daily by an average of 49 percent of all Internet users, who spend an average of more than 13 minutes a day on it.

Given the popularity that Messenger enjoys among tablet and smartphone users, it is only natural to use it as a tool for direct customer-to-shopper communication. This is a trend that neither e-commerce product providers nor entrepreneurs serious about their online businesses can pass by indifferently. Suffice it to mention that integration with Messenger was already announced a few months ago by such an established global e-commerce brand as Shopify.

In Poland, integration with Messenger is made possible by, among others, the ready-made online stores platform Shoper. Thanks to the integration of Messenger with the Shoper software, the owner can inform customers about promotions and changes in the store's assortment in an automated manner - this is especially important in the e-commerce industry, where the efficiency of order processing matters. The customer, from the communicator on the smartphone, can make contact with the e-commerce bot and ask it a question about the offer. Based on the data obtained, he will be able to place an order directly from the app, and then track its status.

Integration of the e-commerce software with Messenger is done from the Applications tab, available in the store's administration panel. After selecting the Messenger item and installing the application, it still needs to be configured - for this you need to connect the store with your Facebook account. The chatbot function in the Messenger mobile app will become available to customers when you change the value of the Automatic chats item to Yes in the Facebook page settings.