B2B E-commerce sales

[Jess_shopmate]

Hi I want to validate a business idea - a ChatGPT-4 powered tool that can help E-commerce to reduce customer drop-off, increase upsell, and drive sales conversion.

Anyone has thoughts how to reach out to business owners to validate the idea?

Best,
Jess

 

[Shopclicks]

a ChatGPT-4 powered tool that can help E-commerce to reduce customer drop-off, increase upsell, and drive sales conversion.

A solution to a problem that already has a solution. Search, Sort, Filter, Navigation, Categorisation, Chatbots have been doing this for years. Conversations work in the real world, not in eCommerce.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

The first thing to do is describe what it does in English and how potential clients can benefit from it,

 

[Jess_shopmate]

A solution to a problem that already has a solution. Search, Sort, Filter, Navigation, Categorisation, Chatbots have been doing this for years. Conversations work in the real world, not in eCommerce.

Thank you for your reply! Traditional chatbots use preset conversations. However, the benefit of ChatGPT is that through natural language processing, it can understand a user's needs.

For instance, in my own experience, when I wanted to buy a quiet AC, available in London on the same day and for less than £300, I found that hardly any existing search bars or filters could provide a satisfactory product recommendation.

 

[Jess_shopmate]

The first thing to do is describe what it does in English and how potential clients can benefit from it,

Thanks for your suggestion and here we go:

I have developed an MVP—a tool that can embed a ChatGPT powered chatbot into any e-commerce store with full product catalogue integration, in just one click.

My hypothesis is that through ChatGPT's natural language processing, we can create an intelligent shopping assistant similar to those in physical stores. We believe that through more conversational shopping experiences and intelligent product recommendations, this tool can reduce customer drop-off, increase upsell, and drive sales conversion.

While the MVP version is structured as a chatbot, the long-term vision is to make online shopping more interactive, conversational, and hyper-personalised through AI-powered search and chat.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

HOw much research have you done to see if purchasers want the assistance you will offer?

 

[Jess_shopmate]

HOw much research have you done to see if purchasers want the assistance you will offer?

Thanks Paul! That's what I'm currently doing in parallel with validating the needs of business owners. If you have any suggestions on how to validate the purchasers, it would be highly appreciated!

 

[Shopclicks]

However, the benefit of ChatGPT is that through natural language processing, it can understand a user's needs.

A decent search function would pick up 'quiet' from a product description. If it's not there, what would your Bot do differently?

 

[Jess_shopmate]

A decent search function would pick up 'quiet' from a product description. If it's not there, what would your Bot do differently?

The main difference lies in whether the search tool or bot can process 'natural language' and isn't confined to information provided in the product description or product tags. Here's another example: A customer wants to purchase an outfit for a trip to Greece. With traditional search, if the product isn't tagged with 'Greece' or doesn't have a description mentioning 'Greece', it won't show up. However, through language processing, an AI-powered search or chat tool could interpret that a trip to Greece suggests summer weather and possibly white clothing, providing a more intelligent recommendation without needing the preset rule that 'white equals Greece'. There are more complicated examples that we could consider as well.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

validate the purchasers

What does this mean?

Jess, as mentioned, you need to start speaking in plain English. If your target is a bunch of techies/developers and maybe investors, the tech speak might be OK, but to most 'operators' they just need to know what results can be delivered with a few examples of how it works.

 

[Jess_shopmate]

What does this mean?

Jess, as mentioned, you need to start speaking in plain English. If your target is a bunch of techies/developers and maybe investors, the tech speak might be OK, but to most 'operators' they just need to know what results can be delivered with a few examples of how it works.

Hi Paul, thanks for your input. When I mentioned "validate with," I was referring to end users, which are the consumers (the same group you referred to as "purchasers" in your previous comment). I completely agree with your suggestion that validating whether these purchasers will use the tool is crucial. If you have any recommendations on how to validate this, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[fisicx]

Decent search functions on an e-commerce can already do what your tool does.

Can’t really see any need for a ChatGPT powered anything.

I buy loads of stuff online and never had a problem finding the right product. Consider also that many will begin their search using other channels making your tool redundant.

As to cost (the question you asked), if it’s as good as you suggest and easy to install on something like woocommerce then £10 might be a reasonable fee.

 

[fisicx]

You test and validate by giving it away for free or paying for business owners to evaluate the tool.

 

[Shopclicks]

Here's another example: A customer wants to purchase an outfit for a trip to Greece. With traditional search, if the product isn't tagged with 'Greece' or doesn't have a description mentioning 'Greece', it won't show up. However, through language processing, an AI-powered search or chat tool could interpret that a trip to Greece suggests summer weather and possibly white clothing, providing a more intelligent recommendation without needing the preset rule that 'white equals Greece'. There are more complicated examples that we could consider as well.

Sorry, but that's a really bad example. Nobody is going to search 'I need a dress for a trip to Greece'. They just use the search function for 'white dress' or 'summer dress' or browse a category and filter.

This is creating something that doesn't need to be created for the sake of using the AI buzzword.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Jess,

what research have you done to support the need for this product?

 

[japancool]

Why is this b2b?

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[Jess_shopmate]

Decent search functions on an e-commerce can already do what your tool does.

Can’t really see any need for a ChatGPT powered anything.

I buy loads of stuff online and never had a problem finding the right product. Consider also that many will begin their search using other channels making your tool redundant.

As to cost (the question you asked), if it’s as good as you suggest and easy to install on something like woocommerce then £10 might be a reasonable fee.

Thank you very much for your comment, as well as the one below!

I am currently exploring the precise areas where a ChatGPT shop assistant might be most beneficial. It's possible it might not be useful at all, or perhaps its utility may not lie in product recommendation/discovery but instead in customer service, among other things.

I have a few follow-up questions:

1. Regarding product recommendation, my hypothesis is that it could be more effective for less frequently shopped categories such as consumer electronics or furniture. In these cases, the assistant could provide hyper-personalized recommendations. I'm curious to know if this perspective might alter your view on product discovery.
2. I perceive another potential benefit of conversational shopping with the emergence of new devices, such as Apple Vision Pro. This could allow for a more immersive online shopping experience from the comfort of your home, where you just need to converse with an AI-powered shopping assistant. What are your thoughts on this?
3. What size of business would the £10 per month price be appropriate for?

 

[japancool]

Personally, the only reason I ever speak to shop assistants is to find out where something is, never for help in buying something.

 

[Jess_shopmate]

Sorry, but that's a really bad example. Nobody is going to search 'I need a dress for a trip to Greece'. They just use the search function for 'white dress' or 'summer dress' or browse a category and filter.

This is creating something that doesn't need to be created for the sake of using the AI buzzword.

I don't disagree if you think that's not a great example.

The main idea is to reduce the friction caused by "tag"-based search and limited filters.

Here's another example: Suppose I visit the Selfridges online store today, and I want to buy a pair of shoes that are "Gucci, size 40, black sneakers, and are on sale for at least 30% off." I can't do that directly. I need to perform at least 1 search and apply 3 additional filters to get the result I want.

Instead, if you have a search & chat feature, you can just type your needs as they are, and it will "understand" what you're looking for."

 

[fisicx]

@Jess_shopmate - none of the above. If you need to use a chatbot something has gone wrong with your site. That being said, you need to demonstrate how your tool can help on a live site. Find someone with a popular and busy site and use it for testing.

My payment preference is £10. Not £10/month.

Do you have a live demo we can view?

 

[Jess_shopmate]

Personally, the only reason I ever speak to shop assistants is to find out where something is, never for help in buying something.

Thanks for commenting.

Regarding your previous question about 'Why B2B?' - I'm still in the process of validation. However, one advantage of B2B is that the value proposition for e-commerce store owners is a one-click integration of a tool that is already integrated with ChatGPT, its product catalogue, and store-specific information (such as FAQs and on-site reviews). This means the 'assistant' is more tailored to the specific shop. B2C could be interesting too, like an aggregator, and smarter search - however, Microsoft's New Bing is already doing that.

Regarding 'Personally, the only reason I ever speak to shop assistants is to find out where something is, never for help in buying something.'

Exactly! Offline, you ask a shop assistant where the product you're looking for is. Online, you use search and filter. However, wouldn't it be easier if an intelligent virtual assistant could tell you exactly where the product is, instead of having to type, search, filter, and browse?

 

[Jess_shopmate]

Jess,

what research have you done to support the need for this product?

Paul,

There are three pillars that I'm trying to validate: consumer, merchant, and investor. I'm still at the beginning of this journey, and this is exactly what I'm doing now. I'm finding this thread to be really helpful!

 

[Shopclicks]

I am currently exploring the precise areas where a ChatGPT shop assistant might be most beneficial. It's possible it might not be useful at all, or perhaps its utility may not lie in product recommendation/discovery but instead in customer service, among other things.

If you can add voice control and audio response, I'll sell it to all of my clients all day long. That would be the game-changer.

 

[Jess_shopmate]

@Jess_shopmate - none of the above. If you need to use a chatbot something has gone wrong with your site. That being said, you need to demonstrate how your tool can help on a live site. Find someone with a popular and busy site and use it for testing.

My payment preference is £10. Not £10/month.

Do you have a live demo we can view?

Hi @fisicx thanks!

I have a live demo on a store that you can try, but I don't think I can post a link here?

 

[Jess_shopmate]

If you can add voice control and audio response, I'll sell it to all of my clients all day long. That would be the game-changer.

Interesting! Voice control and audio responses are both feasible. I'm curious, why do you think they would be game-changers?

 

[Shopclicks]

Interesting! Voice control and audio responses are both feasible. I'm curious, why do you think they would be game-changers?

You said you wanted to give people that personal shopper, in-store experience. Anything less is just another search function.

I like using voice control for Google search.

 

[Jess_shopmate]

You said you wanted to give people that personal shopper, in-store experience. Anything less is just another search function.

I like using voice control for Google search.

Makes sense! Online shopping needs innovation and should be more frictionless, voice control and audio response could be interesting. Appreciated!

 

[Shopclicks]

Makes sense! Online shopping needs innovation and should be more frictionless, voice control and audio response could be interesting. Appreciated!

Let me know when it's ready and I'll sell it for you

I wouldn't limit it to eCommerce either.

 

[Jess_shopmate]

Let me know when it's ready and I'll sell it for you

I wouldn't limit it to eCommerce either.

Thank you so much! I don't think the voice/audio feature will be included in the MVP version, but I'd love for you to try the product and give me some feedback!

The reason we're focusing on e-commerce for step one is that we've developed a tool that automatically syncs with the product catalogues of WooCommerce, Shopify, and Magento stores. This means there will be no integration effort required from the store owners, and the tool can be up and running in literally 3 minutes.

However, it's interesting that you mentioned we shouldn't limit ourselves to e-commerce. Do you have any other ideas that might be interesting?

 

[Shopclicks]

However, it's interesting that you mentioned we shouldn't limit ourselves to e-commerce. Do you have any other ideas that might be interesting?

ChatGPT doesn't reach into sites (unless it's public knowledge) in the same way Google search doesn't. If you have something that works within any site, that I can talk to rather than search or navigate and get a verbal response, you have my attention. Any site looking for leads or conversions is a candidate.

That would be worth a bit more than £10

 

[fisicx]

Hi @fisicx thanks!

I have a live demo on a store that you can try, but I don't think I can post a link here?

Upgrade your membership and post in the website reviews forum. And asa business member you can add a signature link to your product.

That being said, you seem to have built a product before fully researching online buying behaviours.

 

[Jess_shopmate]

ChatGPT doesn't reach into sites (unless it's public knowledge) in the same way Google search doesn't. If you have something that works within any site, that I can talk to rather than search or navigate and get a verbal response, you have my attention. Any site looking for leads or conversions is a candidate.

That would be worth a bit more than £10

Agree, that's the long-term vision of the product.

 

[Jess_shopmate]

Upgrade your membership and post in the website reviews forum. And asa business member you can add a signature link to your product.

That being said, you seem to have built a product before fully researching online buying behaviours.

Thanks, @fisicx , fair point! I will indeed conduct more research in that regard.

However, bear in mind that technology is advancing and shifting so rapidly, it's dramatically altering our behaviours. Six months ago, very few people had extensive knowledge about ChatGPT. Now, it's transforming the way we work, think, and write. Change happens at an astonishing speed, and we're likely to see new behaviours in shopping as well.

 

[fisicx]

After the excitement of ChatGPT launch and everyone having a play usage is already dropping as many have discovered is not as good as expected. Use of the AI technology that drives ChatGPT is increasing but that’s not what you are offering.

As an aside, do you recall everyone saying how voice search was going to transform everything. It never happened.

Send me a link to your site in a PM and I will have a play.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Unlike the above, and as a non-techy, I think that this will become reality, and that some e-retailers will embed ChatGPT in their platforms.

Time will tell whether it rolls out or is just a flash in the pan.

Critically, most of the platforms who do it will buy it from savvy sales organisations who present direct benefits in plain (if not necessarily honest) English.

It's all about the outcome, not the tech.

 

[Shopclicks]

As an aside, do you recall everyone saying how voice search was going to transform everything. It never happened.

From what I've read, voice search is on the increase. Maybe not at your place

 

[johndon68]

From what I've read, voice search is on the increase. Maybe not at your place

My place as well - I have Siri on my phone, Google Assistant and Alexa in the house. Alexa is used extensively to control my 'smart' home and yet I've not once used any of them to perform a search for anything...

 

[Shopclicks]

My place as well - I have Siri on my phone, Google Assistant and Alexa in the house. Alexa is used extensively to control my 'smart' home and yet I've not once used any of them to perform a search for anything...

Why is that? Prefer typing?

 

[Shopclicks]

@Jess_shopmate You should also look at selling this from an Accessibility angle. The council sites I've built use the ReciteMe plugin. It's extremely good at what it does.
If you were to add voice control and audio response, could you add a prompt like 'read description' for the visually impaired?

 

[johndon68]

Why is that? Prefer typing?

Honestly, it has never crossed my mind to do so. I'm not really one for using mobile devices for web browsing so if I'm searching for something, it is generally in front of a PC...