How to Modernize Your Customer’s Search Experience with AI

Legacy Search Balances Breadth and Precision

For years, the search bar has been a cornerstone of e-commerce, serving as a reliable tool for customers who know exactly what they’re looking for. It’s fast, convenient, and familiar. However, this traditional approach has its limitations, especially when customers enter vague or exploratory queries.

Legacy search engines often return long paginated lists of results, leaving customers to sift through numerous options to find the right product. This places the burden of decision-making entirely on the customer, creating frictions and potentially leading to abandoned carts.

Why does this happen? Let's face it: traditional search engines struggle to fully understand customer intent. To compensate, they cast a wide net, generating lists that may or may not be relevant. It’s akin to a salesperson in a store bringing a cartload of items in hopes that one matches what the customer wants. While this strategy ensures breadth, it’s far from efficient.

How AI Can Enhance Your Customer Search Experience... Beyond Chatbots

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new possibilities for e-commerce. However, when it comes to enhancing the shopping experience, much of the focus has been placed on chatbots. The capabilities of AI to understand the nuances of customer queries, compare and contrast product attributes, and provide explanations are essential features of a chatbot shopping assistant. However, there is no reason these capabilities should be limited to chatbots. They can also be leveraged in subtle, less disruptive ways that do not necessitate the customer to engage in a conversation. In fact, at WiseCues, we believe that harnessing AI is about more than just adding a chatbot or automating responses. It’s about instilling intelligent guidance at every step of the customer journey.

Augmenting Search Results with AI Generated Selling Points

One powerful way AI enhances search is through the use of AI-generated key selling points. 

Key selling points are the most important features or attributes of a product that make it stand out and appeal to potential customers. Traditionally, selling points are listed on product description pages and remain static, offering general information about the product regardless of the specific customer context. 

On the contrary, AI-generated selling points are dynamic and tailored explanations that highlight a product’s relevance to a customer’s specific query. Unlike static selling points, they adapt to the context of the customer’s search and bridge the gap between search results and decision-making by offering clear, concise guidance aligned with the customer’s intent, transforming search from a passive experience into an interactive, intuitive journey.

For example:

• Searching for a "tv for movie nights"? An AI generated selling point might say: “Experience stunning visuals with 4K UHD resolution and Dolby Vision HDR for an immersive movie night”.
• Looking for a "vegan leather handbag"? The selling point might highlight: “Crafted from 100% cruelty-free materials with a sleek, minimalist design”.

These targeted insights eliminate ambiguity, reduce decision fatigue, and allow customers to focus on the options that best suit their needs. Selling points provide several key benefits:

1. Improved Clarity: By explaining product relevance, customers can instantly understand why a product appears in their search results.
2. Faster Decision-Making: Concise, targeted information reduces the time spent comparing and contrasting options.
3. Higher Conversion Rates: Guiding customers effectively through search builds trust and confidence, encouraging purchases.
4. Personalized Experiences: Tailored selling points make customers feel understood, adding a layer of personalization to the shopping journey.
   

Conclusion

AI for e-commerce is not just about chatbots. It’s about using advanced capabilities to enhance the shopping experience at every stage. By integrating tools like AI-generated key selling points, you can transform traditional search into a more intuitive and efficient process. These selling points bridge the gap between broad search results and precise customer needs, offering clarity, reducing decision fatigue, and personalizing the journey. Explore how WiseCues can help you elevate your e-commerce platform and meet modern customer expectations.