In today’s digital age, not only has technological hardware advanced rapidly but also affected businesses in significant ways. Failing to leverage these new benefits or refusing to adapt to new business models can be fatal for a business.
Technology has Changed the Business Landscape
Before we move on to websites and AI, let’s first take a brief look at the business landscape today and how technology has changed it over time. Where eCommerce was once the domain of major players such as Amazon, the expansion of web technologies and digital payments processing has opened the playing field to all levels of businesses.
Not only massive eCommerce giants like Amazon can tap into the online retail market but the platform is ready for startups and small-sized businesses as well. And we’re not even talking about regional players like South-East Asia’s Lazada or China’s Taobao. With web hosting and the right tools, everyone can hop onto the eCommerce gravy train.
For businesses that are not in the eCommerce space, a digital presence is essential to expand lead generation beyond traditional borders. No longer do you need to be stuck within your geographical reach of potential customers. No longer does it cost a fortune to outsource web development.
Now that’s been said, let’s look at how AI can help businesses gain a competitive edge.
AI-influenced Website Builders
In the past, non-tech companies had to hire skilled staff or outsource web development projects at a significant cost. Then came the introduction of website builders, which allowed the development of websites with little or no coding skills.
Now we have AI-influenced website building tools which have not only made it even easier to build websites, but to do so intelligently. Let’s consider Wix Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) as an example. Wix is a website builder that is sold as a complete solution.
By using Wix ADI, businesses can simply answer a series of questions and have a highly relevant website built for them in seconds. Testing the ADI, I found that the question process was not overly long and to generate a basic site really took only a matter of seconds – complete with some web copy that is useable and relevant.
As an overview, here’s the process I went through to use the Wix ADI:
Sign up for a Wix Account to create a site using ADI
Answered 5 questions
Made 2 selections
Fine-tuned the site with some minor edits
The entire process can be completed in less than five minutes. Any extra time you spend on it will likely be on exploring the different parts of the site that you can edit and customize. Did someone mention they needed an instant and affordable digital presence?
Chatbots Can Power Up Your Business
Studies show that by 2020, more than 85% of customer interactions will be handled with no human interaction. In fact, these bots are highly affordable and very intuitive, all you need to work out a bit of logic and you can supercharge your business.
Chatbots are scripts which can be configured to behave exactly as you want them to. In the context of a website, you can use them as sales tools or even in some support functions. The best thing is that these chatbots can be constantly active on your website.
No longer will your customers have to wait until your business is open to get responses from you. Your automated scripts will be able to answer anything you design them to. And these bots don’t only have to work on websites, but there are many kinds, even for social media platforms.
One great use case of a chatbot is Lego’s Ralph. Ralph is a chatbot designed to help Lego shoppers choose the right set to purchase. This means that it can help potential customers around the clock, even in the middle of the night!
There are many ways in which you might decide to use a chatbot. Some ideas include for automated customer communications, boosting sales and marketing, offering first-line technical support or even simply to lower your manpower costs.
Automate Your eCommerce
If you’re running an eCommerce site or are intending to head in that direction, did you know you can also automate your retail process with AI? The entire process can be streamlined and addresses multiple issues found in normal eCommerce businesses. There are platforms designed specifically for this purpose, such as Vue.
Intelligent Retail Automation can help lower overall costs and minimize the likelihood of errors. Automation in the process can help cut out dependencies in your process pipeline resulting in benefits to both your business as well as customers.
Imagine an eCommerce experience that goes beyond – search, select, purchase. Imagine if your intelligent retail system can make recommendations to customers based on their purchasing history, time since last purchase or a multitude of other factors.
Automated Product Descriptions
If your business is growing and you find your product lines rapidly increasing, AI can help you out there on your website as well. Did you know that AI is now able to help you write product descriptions? This isn’t as simple as merely parroting the copy from a manufacturer’s site.
Content-based AI software such as Ginnie is now capable of not just searching for base descriptions, but also searching the web for relevant matches and combining them to form the most cohesive version possible. They can also do this at stupendous speed, churning out thousands of descriptions at a time.
Advanced AI can also analyze the results it gets from those products and tweak the descriptions as necessary.
Supercharge your Site Search
If you’ve ever been trying to use the search box on a site and finding junk, then you’ll be glad to know you can avoid that on your own site by using AI-driven search. Unlike ‘dumb’ searches which simply check with a database, AI-driven search can learn and adapt to your site visitor needs.
For example, by knowing their history on your site, AI search can carry out analysis on their habits and combine this with current trends to make intelligent suggestions. The end result is a more intuitive experience that not only gives customers what they need but helps anticipate other requirements.
Since AI can use deep learning, it learns from its interaction with the customer. These search results not only reflect what a customer asked for but other things they might need.
With AI-search you can offer customers better search results, carry out customer profiling, and possibly even increase retention rates.
Increase Website Security
The explosion of digital technology has brought with it both the good and the bad. In a large part, the bad includes a much larger number of cybercriminals who seek to exploit businesses digitally. AI can help you increase the security of your website as well.
Although your main defenses will remain standard, such as encryption, firewalls, and antivirus solutions, AI can make your website safer. For example, machine learning algorithms can be used to analyze large amounts of data in real-time and adapt to the latest security threats. AI can also quickly identify and respond to potential security threats, improving the overall security posture of your website.
Predictive Analytics for Better Decision Making
Predictive analytics is a powerful AI tool that can help you make more informed decisions for your business. By analyzing historical data and identifying patterns, predictive analytics can forecast future trends and behaviors. This can help you optimize your marketing strategies, inventory management, and overall business operations.
For example, you can use predictive analytics to anticipate customer demand and adjust your inventory levels accordingly. This can help you avoid stockouts and overstock situations, ultimately improving your bottom line.
Enhanced User Experience
AI can also help you create a more personalized and engaging user experience on your website. By analyzing user behavior and preferences, AI can deliver personalized content, product recommendations, and targeted marketing messages. This can help you build stronger relationships with your customers and increase their satisfaction and loyalty.
Conclusion
As AI continues to evolve, its impact on businesses will only grow. By leveraging AI-powered tools and technologies, you can enhance your website’s functionality, improve customer experiences, and drive business growth. Embracing AI can give you a competitive edge and help you stay ahead in the ever-changing digital landscape.
For more information on how AI can transform your website and business, visit Buraq IT Station.
