AI-powered sales tools have the power to enhance the online buying journey for retail customers by delivering context-aware communications, tailored recommendations and relevant follow-ups. But the key to creating exceptional online shopping experiences is based on knowing when and how to provide assistance.
For example, the best salespeople in physical retail stores understand the art of timing – using their knowhow and expertise to decipher exactly when to approach customers and when not to, which ensures customers still feel in control of the buying process but know they have the right support on hand when they most need it.
The same principle must apply to digital channels and virtual sales assistants. Online shoppers don’t want AI to dictate their decisions or feel forced through a sales funnel. If the experience feels impersonal or pressured, frustration will inevitably build, leading customers to abandon their purchase. To effectively build trust and drive conversations, AI-driven interactions need to feel natural and personalised, just like those with an in-store assistant.
Support decision-making, don’t override it
Removing a sense of control from customers in one the fastest ways to lose their trust. A study by Electronic Commerce Research highlights how recommendation agents play a central role in reducing choice fatigue and streamlining the purchase decision, however, when they go too far, they risk making customers feel like they are no longer in charge. Assistance is valuable, but it shouldn’t force customers to surrender all of their decision-making power.
One interaction from an overbearing AI assistant and consumers can quickly perceive it to be pushing an agenda, leading them to feel they are being directed instead of supported – and the experience suffers. In fact, research by15gifts found that one in five (20%) of consumers completely bypass chatbots online because they don’t trust them.
This erosion of trust is being driven by several factors, including confusion about whether customers are speaking with a human or AI (32%), concerns over unethical use of the technology (28%) and the potential for bias (19%). And once trust is gone, so is the customer.
To avoid this, retailers must adopt AI that’s not just data-smart, but people-smart – with the capability to replicate the intuition, timing and techniques of top-performing human salespeople.
Using AI to guide the sale
In-store salespeople adopt a guided selling process that supports customers in arriving to a purchase that meets their most important needs or desires. When they do engage, they actively listen to customer needs, provide tailored recommendations and handle any objections to prevent a lost sale. They also spot upselling opportunities based on the primary product or service being purchased, further empowering customers through the buying journey.
This is the level of sales psychology and expertise that should inform an AI-powered virtual agent, trained to monitor the behaviour of a customer in real-time and find the right moment to engage. Central to this timing is understanding individual emotional cues. For example, a buyer with a primarily logical mindset might know exactly what product or service they want to purchase, and they only need some supporting facts which requires minimal conversation. In this scenario, AI should probably take a step back and monitor for when it needs to intervene.
In contrast, a customer with a more emotional mindset might need more guidance and reassurance to build confidence and point them in the right direction. To help avoid the risk of a lost sale, AI likely needs to step in earlier, ready to replicate the human-like experience that resonates so strongly with customers, subtly and non-intrusively guiding them towards a product or service that meets their needs.
The role of personalisation
Personalisation also plays a role in ensuring customers continue to have jurisdiction over the conversation. Highly innovative AI-driven tools are able to identify different types of consumers by mapping their unique characteristics and traits across a number of dimensions, such as logic, emotion and impulsivity. With this information, online retailers can form unique, hyper-personalised profiles to ensure that recommendations are tailored to each individual customer, building trust and a sense of understanding that the platform is listening, rather than dictating the conversation.
With a potent mix of AI-led data and sales psychology driving that much-needed feeling of autonomy and control among customers, businesses can continue to ensure that audience needs are met by gathering feedback. For example, saved transcripts of historical conversations can be reviewed to uncover performance improvements. Real customer feedback can drive communication that meets individual styles and preferences, making customers feel that the brand genuinely cares about them.
Respecting the customer’s role in the process
AI can significantly elevate the online experience for shoppers, but only when it respects the customer’s role in the buying journey. The most effective tools act less like decision-makers and more like skilled assistants, understanding when to help and when to step back. By learning from the instincts of great salespeople and stying attuned to emotional and behavioural cues, AI can support a seamless, confident purchase journey without overstepping the mark. Retailers who get this balance right will reduce friction in the buying process while building lasting trust, loyalty and satisfaction at the same time.
