The increasing digitalization of society has an impact on everyday life. The demands and needs of customers are growing due to constant and real-time connectivity with the Internet. E-commerce has developed along with the expansion of the Internet. Especially, the customer service has changed greatly in recent years.
To meet customer demands, companies have established further contact channels so that a comprehensive range of services can be ensured. Service is becoming an increasingly important success factor for companies. The goal of this book is to determine and evaluate the use of chatbots in customer service and online marketing.
It answers the following questions: Where can chatbots be used in customer management and online marketing? How does using chatbots in customer service and marketing affect a specific customer journey? What are the benefits of using chatbots for both customers and the company? And what methods and requirements should be considered when using chatbots?
In this book:
- customer relationship management;
- marketing communications;
- Facebook Messenger;
- user behavior;
- communication channel
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Status Quo and Motivation
1.2 Research Questions and Goals
1.3 Structure
2 Theoretical Framework
2.1 Marketing Communications
2.1.1 Direct Marketing
2.1.2 Online Marketing
2.1.3 Social Media Marketing
2.2 Customer Relationship Management
2.2.1 Customer Experience
2.2.2 Customer Journey
2.3 Chatbots
2.3.1 Definition
2.3.2 Conceptual Architecture
2.3.3 Conversational Interfaces
3 Chatbots in E-Commerce
3.1 Implementation throughout the Customer Journey
3.1.1 Information and Product Research
3.1.2 Consideration and Purchase
3.1.3 Retention and Loyalty in After-sale Phase
3.2 Opportunities
3.2.1 Customer Experience
3.2.2 Gaining Customer Knowledge
3.2.3 Cross Selling
3.2.4 Cost Efficiency
4 Practical Use Case Analysis and Implementation
4.1 Collection and Selection of Use Cases
4.2 Requirements
4.2.1 System Selection
4.3 Implementation
4.4 Evaluation
5 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This work evaluates the practical application and strategic benefits of chatbots within the B2C e-commerce sector, specifically aiming to enhance customer experience, optimize the customer journey, and achieve cost efficiencies in customer service.
- The integration of chatbots into the various phases of the customer journey (pre-service, service, and post-service).
- Technical and strategic requirements for implementing effective chatbots in e-commerce.
- Comparison of chatbot development platforms (Chatfuel vs. FlowXO) for non-technical users.
- Impact of conversational AI on customer loyalty, service costs, and data acquisition.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Implementation throughout the Customer Journey
To conduct a systematic investigation of individual purchasing decision behaviour, decision processes can be observed over time. Phase models allow for consumers’ purchasing decisions to be viewed as a process with various stages, which are gradually progressed through. A widespread standard model consists of five steps: problem identification, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and subsequent purchase behaviour.
For cognitively controlled purchases in online environments, Patwardhan and Ramaprasad have proposed a reduced but, in principle, comparable process model. The model comprises the phases of pre-emption search/evaluation, purchase/use and post-acquisition interaction. Hoffmann and Nowak agree with the aforementioned authors that habitual models of decision-making behaviour can also be applied to consumers’ purchasing decision behaviour on the Internet.
Peterson, Balasurbramanian and Bronenberg have emphasized in particular the influence of the Internet on purchasing decision behaviour. With expanded access to information, consumers can better adapt their information acquisition to different starting points. This basic structure, which is explicitly extended by the Internet in the information phase and by personality traits in the evaluation phase, can also be found in the work of Smith and Rupp.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Defines the scope of the study, the research goals regarding B2C chatbots in e-commerce, and outlines the structure of the thesis.
2 Theoretical Framework: Provides a foundation in marketing communications, direct marketing, CRM, and the technical definition and architecture of chatbots.
3 Chatbots in E-Commerce: Analyzes the implementation of chatbots across the customer journey and examines the economic and strategic opportunities for companies.
4 Practical Use Case Analysis and Implementation: Demonstrates a hands-on implementation approach, including requirements analysis and a comparative evaluation of Chatfuel and FlowXO.
5 Conclusion: Summarizes findings on the efficiency and impact of chatbots, while identifying future research potentials.
Keywords
Chatbots, E-Commerce, Customer Journey, Customer Relationship Management, Customer Experience, Artificial Intelligence, Conversational Interfaces, Marketing Communications, Direct Marketing, Online Marketing, Cost Efficiency, Chatfuel, FlowXO, Digitalization, Automation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The work focuses on the application and opportunities of chatbots within the B2C e-commerce sector, specifically how they can serve as digital consultants to assist customers and streamline service processes.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The core themes include marketing communications, customer relationship management (CRM), the customer journey in e-commerce, and the practical implementation of rule-based and intelligent chatbots.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine and evaluate the effectiveness of using chatbots in customer service and online marketing, particularly in terms of their impact on customer satisfaction and corporate efficiency.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The study utilizes a literature-based theoretical analysis combined with a practical implementation study of chatbot platforms to evaluate their real-world applicability.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers the definition and architecture of chatbots, their deployment across the customer journey, their role in gaining customer insights, and a comparative evaluation of specific development tools like Chatfuel and FlowXO.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Chatbots, Customer Experience, E-Commerce, CRM, Conversational Interfaces, and Automation.
How do chatbots impact the customer journey?
Chatbots provide 24/7 support, reduce complexity for users, and can actively assist in the purchase and after-sale phases by providing real-time information and personalized recommendations.
Are there significant differences between chatbot development platforms?
Yes, while both Chatfuel and FlowXO allow code-free development, they differ in their interface, documentation quality, and ease of integrating external data sources, which impacts the effort required for implementation.
Why is the "human-like" design of a chatbot considered important?
A human-like conversational style reduces barriers to interaction, improves customer perception, and contributes to a positive company image compared to rigid, purely command-based interfaces.
What is the main challenge identified in the practical implementation?
The main challenge is the need for a high-quality, well-maintained knowledge database and the effort required to continuously update and manage the chatbot's dialogue logic to ensure high accuracy.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2019, Chatbots in Customer Experience. Application and Opportunities in E-Commerce, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/465937
