Alejandro Arce — home Thinking in Public
No. 22 · Commerce

The online shopping assistant is coming

I foresee an online shopping assistant — a person, right there on the page, who says: hi, what are you looking for?

A friendly blonde shopping assistant in an ecommerce store asking: hi, what are you looking for?

Then it takes you by the hand through the site. It invites you to upload a photo so you can see yourself wearing the item, or see it sitting in your actual living room. It jumps up and down the page showing you exactly where to click and what to do next.

The assistant dressing a shopper virtually, outfits appearing on them in a mirror view

I think this is guaranteed to increase conversions. People abandon a cart because the site made them work too hard to get there. A guide that removes the work removes the friction.

The chatbox era

A box in the corner

  • Tucked bottom-right, easy to close, easy to ignore
  • You still hunt through menus and filters on your own
  • Answers questions, doesn't guide the trip
Support, mostly. Rarely a guide.
The assistant era

A person on the page

  • Greets you, asks what you're looking for
  • Walks you through the site, points to where to click
  • Shows you wearing it, or shows it in your home
A guide, standing next to you the whole trip.

The shift — from a box you close to a guide you follow

We just need AI to get a little better at holding a real conversation. That's the only reason it's still stuck in a chatbox. Soon it becomes a live agent on the page itself, making sure you're happy with what you found — and, sure, making sure you spend a little more while you're at it.

Soon the store walks with you.

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