How often do you shop online, and a message from your favourite brand pops up on the screen as you browse through?

More and more eCommerce businesses are taking advantage of conversational commerce—the ability for your favourite brands to talk to you through text messaging or voice recognition—to make the online shopping experience more personalised and enjoyable. 

But how do they do it? Through conversational commerce. 

While traditional websites and apps have long dominated eCommerce, conversational commerce is changing things up by putting the power of interaction into your customers’ hands—and it’s working.

In this article, we’ll explore how 20 leading online retailers use conversational commerce to win their customers’ hearts, minds, and wallets.

Why is conversational commerce the future of eCommerce?

Conversational commerce is the next frontier in the digital shopping experience.

It is the future of eCommerce because it allows you to engage with your customers in a way that’s more personal, more customised, and more relevant than ever before – over channels they’re already accustomed to making use of; think – live chat, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs or the good old live chat. 

Conversational commerce offers several benefits over traditional eCommerce:

It’s personalised: each interaction is tailored specifically for your customer.

It’s convenient: your customer can get help from anywhere at any time using voice commands or text messages.

It’s efficient: customers don’t have to wait for assistance from an expert, as they would in an FAQ section of your website or app.

But most importantly: conversational commerce will make shopping easier for your customers. They’ll be able to get answers quickly and easily, without having to navigate through pages of content or search through hundreds of products on your site structure – but more importantly, without you having to stay online to answer questions 24/7. 

Read more about the benefits of conversational commerce here. 

20 conversational commerce examples from leading brands 

While conversational commerce is still an unexplored territory for most, there are several leading brands that have started to leverage it to scale positive customer experiences. Here’s taking a look at some of them. 

1. Anchor & Crew

Anchor & Crew, an online retailer selling bracelets and accessories, uses live chat to build a rapport with its customers and help them in their purchase journey. Moreover, the retailer leverages live chat to inform customers about ongoing promotions or purchasing options.

The company believes that its chatbot serves as a helpful guide for customers who are looking to make their first purchase or those who want to learn more about the products they’re interested in buying.

2. Man Matters

Man Matters, a Digital Health Clinic for Men, implemented Limechat’s human-level sales chatbot to guide impulse shoppers coming on WhatsApp and instantly respond to their queries.

Its chatbot also automated customer support by automatically handling post-purchase support tickets. Since 30% of all consumer requests were order tracking, Limechat’s bot helped the brand extract a shopper’s order details and use them to provide personalised responses. This reduced information overload and built confidence.

Man Matters uses this technology to create an engaging experience for its customers by providing instant support and guidance as well as solving common issues with ease.

3. Kettlebell Kings 

Customer service is one of the most important aspects of any business, especially for a company that sells kettlebells. Kettlebell Kings streamlines customer service with a chatbot available on their website and Facebook Fanpage. The chatbot generates leads by prompting visitors to sign up for their workout service to improve their training skills.

The chatbot is available 24/7 and can answer any questions a visitor may have about kettlebells or Kettlebell Kings. When a visitor asks a question, the chatbot sends them an email containing an answer and links to relevant information on Kettlebell Kings’ website. This gives visitors more time to focus on what they came to do: workout!

4. The Man Company

The Man company, an online brand for men’s grooming products, implemented Limechat’s pre-sales and post-sales chatbot to automate query responses and deliver a hyper-personalised shopping experience. 

The Man wanted to increase sales by improving customer experience and increasing conversions. They had a website where customers could browse the products and place orders. However, they faced issues like long wait times for customer queries and difficulty handling multiple queries at once.

The Man also tripled their monthly revenue within six months of implementation without any other changes made to their website or marketing campaigns because Limechat was able to improve conversion rates by 3X compared to before they integrated Limechat into their website.

5. Natori 

Natori, an online merchant that offers elegant apparel, home accessories, home decor, and lingerie, is very active on Facebook messenger.  The real-time responses Natori offers on Facebook Messenger are a great example of using this social platform to deliver a great customer experience. 

By offering up-to-the-second answers to customer inquiries and concerns, the brand can provide fast, helpful service and help customers find the products they want.

6. American Leather 

In today’s world, customers want to be able to access information and services on their own terms. Not only do they want quick and easy access to the products or services they need, but they also want to be able to get all of their questions answered in one place.

American Leather, a company selling customised leather furniture, uses a chatbot on its eCommerce site to assist its customers regarding popular products. However, it doesn’t just stop there.

The company utilises the chatbot to deliver a conversational experience after completing the purchase. The bot assists the customers in checking their order status, accessing order receipts and invoices, or going through warranty terms. This makes it very convenient for the customer and allows them to obtain important information all in one place.

This is an excellent example of how businesses can use chatbots to extend their core services beyond just providing information and assisting customers during their shopping experience.

7. The Human Solution

When shopping online, it’s essential to have all the information you need in one place. The Human Solution is an eCommerce store that sells ergonomic office furniture.

The brand uses live chat for website visitors, so you can reach out anytime with questions about products or shipping times. Their customer support team offers all the necessary information at checkout to ensure customers have everything they need to make an informed purchase.

8. Nike

For Nike, live chat is not just a way to help visitors find the right products but also to build trust. Nike uses live chat agents to make product recommendations based on their personal experiences and preferences. They can advise on everything from sizing to product defects, and they’re always available via phone or email.

The result is that Nike customers feel more connected with the brand and are more likely to make purchases.

9. Etsy

Etsy’s live chat feature gives users a direct line to their sellers and is a great way to provide more control over the customer journey. It offers customers the option to contact sellers directly, so they can get answers to their questions and concerns in real-time and get answers to their questions and concerns quicker than ever before. 

This is especially helpful when it comes to complicated or specific purchases. It’s also a great way to make first-time buyers feel comfortable during the buying process and help them feel more confident in their purchase decision. Also, this gives consumers more control over what happens next and an opportunity to feel valued by a company that cares about them.

10. Dulux

Dulux understands that choosing a paint colour from the thousands of shades and finishes on offer is daunting, and not everyone navigates the process similarly. Dulux anticipates this by offering a range of ways to come to a decision.

Dulux’s website is an example of how chatbots can be used to give customers a more personalised experience. The company provides an interactive quiz and a chat box function, which leads you through the paint selection process just like one would converse with an in-store sales advisor. This is perfect for the more cautious of shoppers—who might not know where to start or require extra support—as well as those who just want some help along the way.

11. Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger has been at the top of the fashion industry for decades. But it’s not just their clothing that sets them apart—it’s also their use of chatbots to help customers find what they’re looking for and get an answer to any questions they have about a product.

Tommy Hilfiger offers customers a chatbot that guides them through the entire purchase process, from finding what they want to know where and when it will be delivered. The chatbot is available 24/7 on all major platforms, including Facebook Messenger and Twitter.

This type of engagement helps people get excited about shopping on the site because it feels more personal than just browsing through products without any interaction. It also allows users to ask questions about specific products or issues they may have with an item they purchased in the past to get better service from the company when making future purchases.

12. Urban Gabru

Urban Gabru, an online retailer for men’s grooming products, leveraged Limechat’s AI shopping assistant to provide a human-level buying experience. This allowed the brand to share personalised recommendations through its AI-guided conversation and automate customer support queries to reduce wait time, resulting in a 3x increase in their customer base and a doubling of product sales from their online store.

13. Sweetwater

Sweetwater knows that social customer care is an important part of the business. They make a point to personalise responses to customers with actionable advice and a totally human tone.

Sweetwater uses social listening as part of its social customer care efforts. When they notice an issue or question on Twitter or Facebook, they’re quick to respond with a helpful response that’s personalised to the user in question.

The company understands that customers may have questions about how to use its products or how to install them, so it recommends specific products to each customer rather than providing generic advice (“visit our store”). Another way Sweetwater uses social listening is to resolve issues before they become a problem for the customer, such as coupon failure or shipping issues. It also engages with mentions for the sake of retention and brand loyalty—for example, by thanking a customer for their purchase or giving shout-outs to loyal customers.

14. Nordstrom

Nordstrom is a retail giant well-known for their customer service, and they’re continuing to innovate in ways that make shopping easier. They’ve introduced chatbots to help shoppers find the best clothes for their body type, and they’re using artificial intelligence to help them understand what customers need.

It can also recommend other products or categories based on the shopper’s preferences and make recommendations based on what other people have bought in the past. The chatbot is also able to take orders from customers who are shopping online and then connect them with a representative in the store who will be able to help them find their products more quickly.

15. H&M

H&M uses a chatbot on its messaging app Kik to introduce a unique level of personalization in conversational commerce and help shoppers find their perfect look. The chatbot is available to interact with customers 24×7. H&M focuses on delivering an experience similar to the in-store experience by offering stylist recommendations based on customer preferences and previous choices.

The chatbot enables ample customer engagement and allows the business to collect customer data that they can use in subsequent interactions to customise recommendations. The chatbot is designed to be user-friendly and allows customers to interact in a very casual language, thus giving them a human-like experience. 

16. Clove

Clove’s unique approach to engaging customers through text messaging is a great example of how to build brand loyalty and drive sales. 

The footwear brand uses quizzes as part of their welcome flow, which are sent via text message and asks customers to reply with their favourite coffee drink. Based on these responses, Clove records subscribers’ preferences to be used in future campaigns. 

While the coffee questions don’t directly relate to a footwear brand, it’s a fun and novel way to engage customers from the get-go and build excitement through SMS conversations.

17. Zales

Zales knows that holiday shopping can be stressful. That’s why they’ve created an SMS program to make it easier for their subscribers to find the perfect gift.

The brand makes personalised recommendations based on the subscriber’s previous purchases, which emulate a store associate but provide product discovery and make it easy for subscribers to find the right gift.

Zales’ SMS program drives up sales by ensuring people don’t struggle through holiday shopping alone—and it’s an excellent way for Zales to get customers who aren’t regular store shoppers into their stores!

18. REN Clean Skincare

Cart abandonment is a huge issue for e-commerce stores. In fact, it can be so damaging that it can cost you up to 40% in revenue.

REN Clean Skincare realised this and took a creative approach to solve it by sending an abandoned cart campaign using text messaging to re-engage its would-be customer via conversational commerce. 

The brand was able to reach out to their shoppers creatively who’ve ditched their shopping cart and get them back on the right track with their purchases.

19. Alpha Lion

Supplements brand Alpha Lion uses text messaging to upsell customers who’ve made a recent purchase. The brand realises that while chatbots and instant messaging are great ways to deal with customer queries and resolve complaints, they’re also highly effective at driving sales.

This strategy is impressive because Alpha Lion first reaches out to customers when they’re already in the mood to make a purchase, which means there’s a good chance of persuading them to buy something else.

Moreover, the text suggests that if the customer doesn’t buy this additional product, they will miss out on seeing the best results.

And finally, it creates a time-limited discount to make it a highly compelling offer: buy in the next 20 minutes, and you’ll get $8 off. 

20. Crew Clothing

Crew Clothing, an online fashion retailer, wanted to promote itself as the ideal choice for Christmas gifting. The brand ran a Facebook Ad campaign for customers aged 20-35 and directed users toward an automated messenger conversation. 

When customers clicked on the ad, they struck up a conversation with the brand and discovered a ton of gifting options after going through a series of questions. This provided a great customer experience and a smooth and intuitive user journey.  Thanks to this, almost half of the messenger conversations ended up in purchases, thus delivering 5X return on ad spend.

Ready to create a conversational commerce strategy for your eCommerce brand?

Did these brand’s success stories inspire you to start thinking about your conversational commerce strategy? 

If you have a B2C brand, the only thing that stands between you and a killer conversational commerce strategy is getting started. 

You can start by determining how you want your customers to experience your brand when they interact with you through text messaging. Once you’ve figured out what that looks like, you can start mapping out an implementation plan that will get you there.

And don’t worry about going overboard with the tech—you don’t need to be a programmer or data scientist in order to set up an effective conversational commerce strategy for your eCommerce business! 

If you’re ready to create a conversational commerce strategy for your eCommerce brand, Limechat can help. With our robust set of AI-powered features, we can help you design and deploy a chatbot that will take your business to the next level.

Eager to explore? Book a free demo today