Category: Chat

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Which is the right app for my Shopify store? This question has probably been on the top of your head if you’re a Shopify Merchant, thanks to the hundreds of apps available on the Shopify store.

Shopify has been delighting its user’s thanks to its sleek, modern interface, a very robust support team, and of course, the Shopify store that is 7000 apps strong and counting.

So how do you know which is the best app for your business? You leave that hard part to us, dear reader. In this blog post, we look at seven Shopify apps that are leaving their peers in the dust when it comes to delivering value. The categories of these apps range from dropshipping to marketing to customer loyalty so that you are covered on all the important grounds.

Kommunicate — Live Chat + Chatbot

The customers on your Shopify eCommerce store will have questions, and they need answers 24 X 7. How does your brand stay on top of the customer service game and be always on? The simple answer is chatbots. Chatbots help automate customer support, generate more sales, help in lead generation, and to have in is a must-have if your eCommerce store. Enter Kommunicate, a chatbot platform perfect for small eCommerce store owners. Based on natural language conversations for Human-Computer interaction. You don’t need any coding skills to master Kompose. It has a simple, intuitive, and easy-to-use interface so that building your bot is the last thing you need to worry about in your eCommerce store. Some of the key features of Kommunicate include

• Chat widget customization
• Visitor monitoring and notification
• Bot templates specially built for eCommerce
• Kompose — GUI chatbot builder.
• WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram and Line integration

With a Bot template built specifically for eCommerce stores, set up the chatbot in no time. Code-less integration is available with external bot platforms like Dialogflow ES & CX Amazon Lex and IBM Watson. For escalated issues, there is a smooth chatbot to human handoff, and Kommunicate is available in multiple languages to support a global audience.

Pricing: Kommunicate starts with a free trial, followed by a plan of $40/month.

Why your business needs it: Chatbots are not just a fancy add-on to your website or eCommerce store anymore. When you integrate a chatbot onto your eCommerce store, you are opening up a sea of possibilities — including providing 24/7 customer support, collecting leads, scheduling meetings, and all in all, providing a superior customer experience.

Suggested Read: How to Add a Chatbot to Your Shopify Store

PageFly : Design Landing pages

While Shopify lets you customize your online store in many ways, it doesn’t let you build landing pages according to custom page designs. Considering the fact that the landing page is the most important aspect of your Shopify page, you need to pay special attention to this part of your Shopify store. This is where PageFly comes in.

PageFly lets you build responsive Shopify pages that will help boost your engagement levels and increase sales. With close to 70+ templates and an easy drag and drop web page builder, PageFly has become the app of choice if you want to build stylish pages for your Shopify store. PageFly lets you build Regular pages, Home pages, Collection pages, Product pages, Blog Post pages, About us pages and Contact Us pages.

PageFly has Sections and Layout Elements that provide you with everything you need to build, design and customize your Shopify page. The app has been installed on 90,000+ stores and is going from strength to strength, thanks to the amazing flexibility that it offers.

Pricing: PageFly offers a free plan that lets you create 1 page for all page types. Other than that, there are 3 other plans, which are:

• Silver Plan: $19/month for up to 20 regular pages and 2 pages of other types.
• Gold Plan: $39/month, 30 regular pages and 30 product, collection and blog post pages
• Platinum Plan: $99/month, for unlimited pages of all types.

Why your business needs it: You can have the best of goods to sell on your eCommerce store, have the best pricing and the best supply chain in place, but, without a good landing page, all that hard work is going to be futile. Building a landing page on the Shopify app store is a challenge, since it doesn’t allow you to build custom pages. With PageFly, you can build a page that looks, feels, and works like a charm.

Suggested Read: Top Shopify Bots & Sneaker Bots for Your Store [2022]

Shopify POS: Offline sales

Imagine if you want to sell your products in person from your eCommerce store, whom do you turn to? It was to answer this question that Shopify turned to Shopify POS. Business owners could now sell their products, in person, from almost anywhere. Create a shopping cart, accept payments, and produce receipts, using your smartphone or your iPad.

The Shopify platform acts as the dashboard on which you can access the Shopify POS, and there is no limit to the number of products you can create. Shopify POS can be used in conjunction with hardware such as Cash drawers, iPad stands, and other devices since Shopify POS works with multiple devices. There is, however, a limit to the number of locations you can sell your product at.

Pricing: Shopify POS pricing plans are part of the Shopify pricing, which include:

• Shopify Lite: $9/month, but no online store included.
• Basic Shopify plan: $29/month — includes one digital store
• Shopify plan: $79/month — five staff accounts and abandoned cart recovery
• Advanced Shopify plan: $299/month — 15 staff accounts and advanced report builder

The Shopify Plus plan and the Shopify POS Pro plan come at additional rates. With the Shopify plus plan rates vary from customer to customer.

Why your business needs it: Selling your wares through an eCommerce store is fine, but when you want to reach the customers at the ground level, you need a solution that works without the need for your customers to be tech-savvy. Managing customers, tracking orders, and keeping stock of the inventory are all critical to your business. And if you have a one-stop solution to these challenges, then there could be nothing better. Shopify POS is that solution, and your eCommerce business will go nicely hand-in-hand with your offline business.

Sumo : Email marketing

A big part of growing your business is Sales and Marketing, especially sales to cold leads who don’t know about your product. Email marketing is a big part of this cold outreach, and Sumo is a kick-ass shopify app that helps you grow your email subscribers list from scratch. If your eCommerce store has abandoned cart issues, which happens in most cases, Sumo helps beat it with attractive incentives to customers.

Sumo has a dedicated customer support team, so you are never left in the dark when it comes to using some of the app’s advanced features. You can see all the customer data through a robust customer dashboard, which will help you make informed decisions. Sumo is also GDPR compliant and follows SEO best practices so that your eCommerce site easily ranks on Google.

Pricing: Sumo charges based on the number of emails sent, and the pricing plans are:

• Free plan — 10,000 emails/month
• Pro plan — $49/month for unlimited emails, or $39 billed annually

Why your business needs it: For a business growing rapidly, you need all the leads you can get, and an app that lets you grow your email subscriber list is crucial to this activity. Sumo not only helps you do this, it helps build customer engagement, boost conversions with targeted campaigns, and also know when a customer is about to abandon their cart. If an app provides you with all these features, and that too for up to 10,000 free emails per month, then not installing Sumo is probably not the best thing you can do for your business.

Suggested Read: Shopify Pricing in 2022: You can’t miss this Guide

Referral Candy : Referral marketing program

As the owner of a small eCommerce store, you need all the business you can get, and this business can come from all sources. Referrals are an important source of getting new leads, and Referral Candy is a Shopify app that lets you create personalised referral programs for your store. Word-of-mouth recommendations act as a powerful sales tool, and Referral Candy helps us monetize these referrals.

Customers who enjoyed the shopping experience you provide on your online store are most likely to tell their friends about it, and Referral candy helps you target this audience. Not only does this help build social proof, but it also helps retain older customers. Cash rewards, coupon codes or gifts, choose the referral rewards that work best for your audience, and Referral Candy will do the rest.

Pricing: Referral candy starts off with a free trial, and, if you wish to extend, the monthly cost is $49.

Why your business needs it: When you want to scale your business, you need all the help you can get, which means reaching out to new customers without spending a bomb in marketing costs. Referrals are a great way to achieve this feat because your customers are already sold to the idea that your product will solve their problems. Referral candy helps not only in retaining these loyal customers but also help build social proof — something that a modern-day eCommerce business cannot live without.

Smile : Rewards and Loyalty

The modern lead generation campaigns, especially for eCommerce stores, are flawed. The people behind Smile know it better than anyone on the Shopify App Store. Smile helps Shopify App stores generate business from existing customers through referral programs and bonus programs. Existing customers are made to feel special with the help of gifts, vouchers, coupon codes and more. Customers get points when they complete certain actions, like for instance, creating an account or making an order.

Smile comes with an in-store, rewards button that is highly engaging and makes collecting email ids and sign-ups easy. The rewards program can be designed, configured and launched within the span of a day. There is also a VIP program for returning customers who are loyal to your Shopify store. and the app allows you to offer perks to increase retention levels.

Pricing: Smile comes with a free plan and a paid plan that starts at $49/month.

Why your business needs it: When you are running an eCommerce store, generating new leads is an aspect of your business that will probably take up more resources than most. Smile takes an entirely different approach to lead generation, treating your existing customers as powerful tools who can bring in more business. Smile comes with an easy-to-build loyalty program that makes it super simple to dole out rewards to returning customers. Modern-day customers expect to be pampered with gifts, coupons and discounts. And Smile helps you build reward programs that will make your customers happy. Happy customers = increased sales = more business!!

Spocket: Dropshipping

Dropshipping — the practice of purchasing directly from the manufacturer and shipping items to the consumer with minimum inventory has been quite the rage in the eCommerce industry. If you are a supplier based out of the United States, UK, or the EU, you should definitely consider the Spocket App for your dropshipping needs.

Spocket has a huge marketplace that you can explore, and by huge, we mean massive!! There are hundreds of suppliers on Spocket who will sell you their products at very competitive rates (some of them offer discounts as high as 60% on the retail price). This variety of suppliers means you can select different products based on the varied needs of your customers and are not tied down to a single supplier.

Pricing:

Spocket has four different pricing plans that you can choose from, starting from a free plan that lets you explore Spocket’s catalog of products to a Starter plan that will set you back by $24 / month and lets you import up to 25 unique Spocket products into your e-commerce store.

There is also the “Pro” plan at $49/month, which allows you to import as much as 250 products, and the “Empire” plan at $99/month, which lets you import an unlimited number of products.

Why your business needs it: As mentioned, Spocket has an enormous marketplace with a large base of suppliers from the US, UK, and the EU. The app is used by more than 50,000 entrepreneurs, making it one of the most popular dropshipping apps on the Shopify app store. With a supplier base this large, you can offer a wide variety of products to your customers, that too at discounted rates. Add to all this the speed at which delivery is possible (thanks to the supplier’s location), and Spocket is a must-have dropshipping app.

And there you have it. Seven of the best Shopify apps in the marketplace today. Find an app that you missed? We keep updating this list, so do watch this space for more.

This blog was originally posted on kommunicate.io

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7 Must-Have Shopify App Plugins + Why You Actually Need Them was originally published in Chatbots Life on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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In 2024, chatbots are the top investment priority for support teams. 44% of C-level executives are shifting focus from traditional tech to intelligent conversational solutions. But what makes AI bots so effective at engaging clients that companies keep pouring resources into them?

The answer lies in Natural Language Processing (NLP). You can think of it as the brain of an interactive agent, allowing it to understand, interpret, and generate human language in a way that is both meaningful and valuable. Imagine the possibilities:

• A customer contacts you with a technical problem. An NLP chatbot quickly guides them through troubleshooting steps and escalates to a manager if necessary, ensuring a seamless resolution.
• Your enterprise expands its market and starts receiving consumer inquiries in various languages. AI assistants equipped with multilingual capabilities accurately respond to these queries in the client’s native language, improving satisfaction and breaking down communication barriers.
• A shopper browses your company’s website and gets stuck comparing products. An NLP bot proactively initiates a conversation, addressing potential concerns before the buyer abandons their interaction, ultimately increasing conversion rates.

Do these scenarios sound familiar? If so, an NLP-based chatbot might be the right solution for you. Let’s explore what these tools offer businesses across different sectors, how to determine if you need one, and how much it will cost to integrate it into operations. Here we go.

What is a Natural Language Processing Chatbot?

Basically, an NLP chatbot is a sophisticated software program that relies on artificial intelligence, specifically natural language processing (NLP), to comprehend and respond to our inquiries. Traditional rule-based bots rely on pre-defined scripts and keywords. NLP ones, on the other hand, employ machine learning algorithms to understand the subtleties of human communication, including intent, context, and sentiment.

The inner workings of such an interactive agent involve several key components. First, the chatbot receives a user’s input, which can be text or speech. The message is then processed through a natural language understanding (NLU) module. The component analyzes the linguistic structure and meaning of the entry. NLU identifies entities, intents, and other relevant information. The goal is to transform unstructured text into a structured format that the system can interpret.

Next, the chatbot’s dialogue management determines the appropriate answer as per the NLU output and the knowledge base. The reply is then generated through a natural language generation (NLG) module. This element converts the structured response into human-readable text or speech. The entire process is iterative, with the bot constantly learning and improving its responses based on user interactions and feedback.

With the help of chatbots using NLP businesses can:

• Reduce customer support costs by up to 30%.
• Cut response times by an average of 30%.
• Manage 80% of routine inquiries, increasing the manager’s efficiency by 33%.
• Boost client satisfaction, with 99% of business leaders reporting an upsurge.
• Decrease average human agent handle time by 12%.
• Increase consumer engagement by 40%.
• Lessen overall wait times to 33 seconds or less.

Read more about how customer service chatbot impacts other support metrics

Which Chatbot is Right for You?

Now that we’ve explored the inner workings of NLP bots, let’s dive deeper into the characteristics that differentiate them from other chatbot types: rule-based and Gen AI-powered. Understanding these distinctions will empower you to choose the ideal solution for your exact needs.

Rule-Based Bot

• Response generation. Provides predefined responses established on specific keywords or triggers.
• Flexibility. Restricted to scripted replies, struggles with variations in language and unexpected inquiries.
• Complexity of queries. Best suited for simple, straightforward questions with clear answers.
• Scalability. Limited capacity for scaling due to reliance on specified guidelines.
• Use cases. Perfect for FAQs, order tracking, basic troubleshooting, and appointment scheduling.

NLP Chatbot

• Response generation. Generates contextually relevant and human-like responses based on the mechanism described above.
• Flexibility. Adapts to diverse conversational styles and handles unexpected questions with ease.
• Complexity of queries. Excels at understanding complex, sophisticated requests and maintaining context throughout extended interactions.
• Scalability. Easily scales to accommodate high traffic volumes and intricate conversations effortlessly.
• Use cases. Well-suited for customer service, healthcare (appointment scheduling, medical Q&A), eCommerce (product recommendations, purchase assistance), financial services (account information, transactions), education (tutoring, personalized learning), travel (booking, destination suggestions), etc.

Generative AI-Powered Virtual Agent

• Response generation. Provides creative, contextually relevant responses based on patterns learned from vast datasets.
• Flexibility. Highly adaptable and capable of engaging in diverse and open-ended conversations.
• Complexity of queries. Handles both simple and complex input effectively, including creative or analytical answers.
• Scalability. Extensively scalable and can adapt to growing user demands and evolving conversational practices.
• Generative AI chatbot use cases include but are not limited to the following: retail (offering personalized shopping recommendations and client support), hospitality (simplifying reservations and answering guest queries), insurance (processing claims and policy inquiries), banking (assisting with account management and fraud detection), telecom (managing client service load and troubleshooting), etc.

Selecting the right system hinges on understanding your particular business necessities. NLP chatbots have unparalleled conversational capabilities, making them ideal for complex interactions. Rule-based bots provide a cost-effective solution for simple tasks and FAQs. Gen AI-powered assistants elevate the experience by offering creative and advanced functionalities, opening up new possibilities for content generation, analysis, and research.

Consider your budget, desired level of interaction complexity, and specific use cases when making your decision. By thoroughly assessing these factors, you can select the tool that will address your pain points and protect your bottom line.

Do You Need a Natural Language Processing Chatbot?

With a clearer understanding of the different bot types and their capabilities, you might be wondering, “Is an NLP chatbot indeed the right fit for my brand?” To help you answer this question, consider the following scenarios. If any of these strike a chord with you, it might be time to take advantage of Conversational AI and elevate your client journey:

Do you want to provide 24/7 support without increasing your workforce?

Deploy a virtual assistant to handle inquiries round-the-clock, ensuring instant assistance and higher consumer satisfaction. NLP models enable natural conversations, comprehending intent and context for accurate responses. This guarantees your company never misses a beat, catering to clients in various time zones and raising overall responsiveness.

Are your support agents overwhelmed by repetitive questions?

Automate answers to common requests, freeing up managers for issue escalations or strategic activities. This not only boosts productivity and reduces operational costs but also ensures consistent and valid information delivery, enhancing the buyer experience. Moreover, NLP algorithms excel at understanding intricate language, providing relevant answers to even the most complex queries.

Are you looking to boost sales?

Implement a chatbot for personalized product recommendations based on user behavior and preferences. NLP algorithms analyze vast amounts of data to suggest suitable items, expanding cross-selling and upselling opportunities. Increased engagement and tailored suggestions will lead to higher conversion rates and revenue growth.

Do you want to streamline customer service tasks?

Simplify order tracking, appointment scheduling, and other routine duties through a conversational interface. This not only improves efficiency but also enhances the user experience through self-service options. Clients will access information and complete transactions at their convenience, leading to increased satisfaction and loyalty.

Is there a need to optimize the process of gathering and analyzing consumer feedback?

Collect valuable reviews through surveys and conversations, leveraging intelligent algorithms for sentiment analysis and identifying trends. Your brand gains actionable insights to enhance products and services. AI NLP chatbot categorizes and interprets feedback in real time, allowing you to address issues promptly and make data-driven decisions.

Do you struggle with high volumes of user inquiries?

Interactive agents handle numerous requests simultaneously, reducing wait times and ensuring prompt responses. This reduces workload, optimizes resource allocation, and lowers operational costs. Natural language processing enables chatbots for businesses to understand and oversee a wide range of queries, improving first-contact resolution rates.

Do you aim to create a more engaging brand experience?

You can introduce interactive experiences like quizzes and individualized offers. NLP chatbot facilitates dynamic dialogues, making interactions enjoyable and memorable, thereby strengthening brand perception. It also acts as a virtual ambassador, creating a unique and lasting impression on your clients.

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, an AI chatbot is a strategic investment. It optimizes organizational processes, improves customer journeys, and drives business growth through intelligent automation and personalized communication.

Custom NLP Chatbot Development vs. Ready Platform-Based Solutions

Choosing the right conversational solution is crucial for maximizing its impact on your organization. Equally critical is determining the development approach that best suits your conditions. While platforms suggest a seemingly quick and budget-friendly option, tailor-made chatbots emerge as the strategic choice for forward-thinking leaders seeking long-term success.

To make an informed decision, it’s essential to weigh several key considerations:

• Scalability and future evolution. A bespoke NLP chatbot grows effortlessly with your business, adapting to its evolving needs. In contrast, ready-made platforms might struggle to keep pace with your growth trajectory.
• Integration and customization. Tailored solutions seamlessly integrate with your existing systems and data sources, ensuring a smooth flow of information. Off-the-shelf options often lack this capability, potentially hindering data utilization.
• Unique value proposition and brand identity. If you invest in a tailor-made assistant, you can easily embed your company’s distinctive voice and personality into it. Conversation design enables crafting a truly personalized user experience. Platforms, on the other hand, typically allow for limited customization, resulting in a generic interaction that may not captivate your audience.
• Initial investment. While custom development requires larger upfront costs compared to pre-made alternatives, it’s important to consider the long-term benefits.
• Maintenance. Bespoke chatbots may incur ongoing upkeep expenses. Whereas, the subscription fees for ready-made platforms usually cover maintenance.
• Long-term cost-effectiveness. The scalability and customization offered by a tailor-made chatbot translates to greater ROI over time. As your organization expands and your goals shift, a tailored solution avoids the escalating costs often associated with out-of-the-box options that require frequent upgrades or add-ons.

Understanding the financial implications is a crucial step in determining the right conversational system for your brand. The cost of creating a bot varies widely, depending on its complexity, characteristics, and the development approach you choose. Simple rule-based ones start as low as $10,000, while sophisticated AI-powered chatbots with custom integrations may reach upwards of $75,000–100,000 or more.

When considering available approaches, an in-house team typically costs around $10,000 per month, while third-party agencies range from $1,000 to $5,000. Ready-to-integrate solutions demonstrate varying pricing models, from free alternatives with limited features to enterprise plans of $600-$5,000 monthly.

To gain a deeper understanding of the topic, we encourage you to read our recent article on chatbot costs and potential hidden expenses. This guide will help you determine which approach best aligns with your needs and capabilities.

Remember, choosing the right conversational system involves a careful balance between complexity, user expectations, development speed, budget, and desired level of control and scalability. Custom systems offer greater flexibility and long-term cost-effectiveness for complex requirements and unique branding. On the other hand, CaaS platforms provide a quicker and more affordable solution for simpler applications.

Investing in a bot is an investment in enhancing customer experience, optimizing operations, and ultimately driving business growth. Choose what best aligns with your long-range targets and vision.

However, if you’re still unsure about the ideal type or development approach, we recommend exploring our chatbot consulting service. Our experts will guide you through the myriad of options and help you develop a strategy that perfectly addresses your concerns. To showcase our expertise, we’d be happy to share examples of NLP chatbots we’ve developed for our clients.

Success Stories Across Industries

Capitalizing on Conversational Commerce

Our Apple Messages for Business bot, integrated with Shopify, transformed the customer journey for a leading electronics retailer. This virtual shopping assistant engages users in real time, suggesting personalized recommendations based on their preferences. It also optimizes purchases by guiding them through the checkout process and answering a wide array of product-related questions.

Key achievements:

• 80% client satisfaction score;
• 84% engaged session rate;
• ~$300 average order value.

Driving Charitable Impact and Community Engagement

We partnered with a Catholic non-profit organization to develop a bilingual chatbot for their crowdfunding platform. This tool connected sponsors with charity projects, offered a detailed project catalog, and facilitated donations. It also included features like monthly challenges, collaborative prayer, daily wisdom, a knowledge quiz, and holiday-themed events.

Key results:

• 174K+ users engaged with the bot;
• 6,968 masses were requested;
• $84,500 in donations processed;
• 26 campaigns launched via the bot’s holiday-specific functionality.

Interactive Marketing for Brand Promotion

Messenger chatbot built by our team for Dr. Oetker’s Giuseppe brand promoted their new Easy Pizzi pizza and drove participation in a sweepstakes contest. The bot guided users through competition registration and encouraged PIN entries for instant prizes. It also facilitated interaction with an AR filter on Instagram, resulting in a significant boost in user engagement and product awareness.

Wrapping Up

All in all, NLP chatbots are more than just a trend; they are a strategic asset for companies seeking to thrive in the digital age. Whether you’re a small business aiming to improve customer service efficiency or a large enterprise focused on boosting client engagement, an AI bot can be customized to meet your unique needs and goals.

Don’t let this opportunity slip through your fingers — discover the limitless possibilities that Conversational AI has to offer.

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Don’t Settle for Less: Give Your Customers What They Deserve with a Custom NLP Chatbot was originally published in Chatbots Life on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.