Your search for the latest craze in the tech world is over! #ConvComm is the next big development in digital marketing and we know it’ll blow your mind (like it did ours).
So what’s this #ConvComm all about? It stands for ‘Conversational Commerce’, which simply means fulfilling your customers’ needs through meaningful interactions with them by taking advantage of the conversations they’re already having via instant messaging/chat platforms. Consumers expect to be able to interact with their favourite brands like they do with their family and friends on these platforms. The exciting trend has come about because active users on messaging apps have surpassed social networking sites. With 42% of Australians using instant messaging apps (IM) – why wouldn’t you embrace it?
Take a look at your common messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Slack - they will likely be really powerful mediums for connecting with your customers in a meaningful and timely manner. And here’s how it works.
You and your mates are having a conversation about pizza through Facebook’s messenger app. Lo and behold, a pizza shop’s bot (either human, AI, or a mixture of both) enters the conversation allowing you and your mate to order tonight’s dinner directly through the messenger app.
Pretty awesome, right? It gets better…
#ConvComm also includes trends like bots, personal assistants and advanced notifications. This type of artificial intelligence (AI) will be making decisions for consumers such as what taxi service to choose, what restaurant to try for dinner or which flowers to purchase for your aunt, and it doesn’t stop there!
Companies have also been experimenting with payments through chat mediums - Facebook Messenger have partnered with Uber so users can order and pay for their rides within the conversation. And Snapchat has introduced ‘Snapcash’ where users can transfer money to each other.
With all good discoveries, comes caution…
Marketers and business owners must consider:
- Whether the product/service applies to this type of technology?
- Will consumers hesitate to share payments in this new way?
- If consumers are bombarded with sales experiences, will they reject this platform?
- Would you create your own messenger app, or partner with current apps?
One thing’s for sure, #ConvComm has shaken up the conventional e-commerce world because it opens up the idea of communication-based sales. It entails ‘conversing’ with customers as if they had come in-store. It rehumanises e-commerce transactions, providing greater value to a customer’s experience and overall brand loyalty.
Only time will tell whether this new era of AI will either be perceived as spam or an advanced way to service customers. However, what we’ve learnt is that brands will be able to radically change their relationships with customers by being at their fingertips – literally!
So keep an eye out on #ConvComm in the coming year – it may just be the best thing since sliced bread.