Conversational commerce
{{short description|E-commerce done via various means of conversation}}
Conversational commerce is e-commerce done via various means of conversation (live support on e-commerce Web sites, online chat using messaging apps,{{cite web|url=https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/topics/omnichannel-cross-channel-strategies/retail-s-big-opportunity-87-of-u-s-consumers-grasp-the-power-of-conversational-commerce|title=Retail's Big Opportunity: 87% Of U.S. Consumers Grasp The Power Of Conversational Commerce - Retail TouchPoints|first=Glenn|last=Taylor|website=www.retailtouchpoints.com|date=5 March 2018}} chatbots on messaging apps or websites, voice assistants{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2018/03/06/how-to-prepare-your-products-and-brand-for-conversational-commerce/|title=How to prepare your products and brand for conversational commerce|date=6 March 2018|publisher=}}) and using technology such as: speech recognition, speaker recognition (voice biometrics), natural language processing and artificial intelligence.{{Cite web|url=https://opusresearch.net/wordpress/2013/12/13/10-trends-to-watch-conversational-commerce-2014/|title=10 Trends to Watch: Conversational Commerce 2014 {{!}}|last=Miller|first=Dan|date=2013-12-13|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-01}}{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/chris-messina/conversational-commerce-92e0bccfc3ff|title=Conversational commerce|last=Messina|first=Chris|date=2016-01-19|website=Medium|language=en|access-date=2019-08-01}}
Development
=WeChat in China=
During this time, in China, e-commerce via WeChat – at its core a messaging app, but also letting merchants display their goods in mobile Web pages and via social feeds – grew strongly. By 2013 e-commerce in China had overtaken that of the U.S.{{cite web|url=https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/how-savvy-social-shoppers-are-transforming-chinese-e-commerce|title=How savvy, social shoppers are transforming Chinese e-commerce - McKinsey|website=www.mckinsey.com}}
=Facebook Messenger=
In 2016, Facebook announced its Facebook Messenger chatbot platform, heralding the arrival of conversational commerce via the most widely used messaging app in the world outside China. More than 34,000 businesses had opened shop on Messenger by August 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.cio.com/article/3211490/success-secrets-for-conversational-commerce.html|title=Success secrets for conversational commerce|first=Howard|last=Tiersky|date=1 August 2017|website=CIO}}
Early cited examples of conversational commerce chatbots on Facebook Messenger include 1-800-FLOWERS with an IBM Watson artificial intelligence-powered chatbot/assistant,{{cite web|url=https://digiday.com/uk/1-800-flowers-learned-watson-powered-concierge/|title=What 1-800 Flowers has learned from its Watson-powered concierge|first=Grace|last=Caffyn|date=20 February 2017|publisher=}}{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-800-flowers-com-ceo-explains-consumers-will-interact-brands-fifth-wave-retail-152522874.html|title=1-800-FLOWERS.COM CEO: A 'fifth wave' of retail is emerging|website=finance.yahoo.com}} and Mexican airline Aeroméxico, whose chat platform running on Yalochat lets customers search, book, track, or check in for flights; ask any question, using A.I. and NLP to provide answers;{{cite web|url=https://www.traveldailynews.com/post/aeromexico-taps-yalochatcom-and-ivai-to-build-first-advanced-ai-customer-service-chatbot|title=Aeromexico taps Yalochat.com and IV.AI to build first advanced AI Customer Service Chatbot|website=Traveldailynews.com|accessdate=4 August 2017|archive-date=4 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804214255/https://www.traveldailynews.com/post/aeromexico-taps-yalochatcom-and-ivai-to-build-first-advanced-ai-customer-service-chatbot|url-status=dead}}{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aeromexico-comienza-a-utilizar-aerobot-el-primer-chatbot-de-una-aerolinea-en-el-continente-605038016.html|title=Aeroméxico comienza a utilizar Aerobot, el primer chatbot de una aerolínea en el continente |trans-title=Aeroméxico begins to use Aerobot, the first airline chatbot in the continent |language=Spanish |website=prnewswire.com |publisher=Aeroméxico |accessdate=5 January 2017}} or pull the chatbot into a group chat.
= Apple Business Chat =
In June 2017, Apple announced its Apple Business Chat{{Cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/ios/business-chat/|title=iOS - Business Chat|website=Apple|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-01}} product, allowing consumers and businesses to message each other via the Messages app.
=WhatsApp =
In September 2017 WhatsApp announced the pilot of its new Enterprise solution, the first time large companies would be able to attend to large groups of customers in an approved WhatsApp solution, after WhatsApp banned earlier unofficial solutions. Companies who piloted the solution included airlines Aeromexico, KLM,{{cite web|url=https://blog.whatsapp.com/10000633/Building-for-People-and-Now-Businesses|title=Building for People, and Now Businesses|website=WhatsApp.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6311153917581418496|title=AM Lab 7 on LinkedIn: "Yesterday, WhatsApp announced WhatsApp for…|publisher=}}{{cite web|url=https://tecreview.tec.mx/pronto-gracias-a-yalo-podras-chatear-aeromexico-via-whatsapp/|title=Ahora, gracias a Yalo, podrás chatear con Aeroméxico vía Whatsapp|first=Andrea|last=López|date=30 October 2017|publisher=}}{{cite web|url=https://expansion.mx/tecnologia/2017/10/30/yalo-la-tecnologia-mexicana-que-lleva-whatsapp-a-aeromexico|title=Yalo, la tecnología mexicana que lleva Whatsapp a Aeroméxico|date=30 October 2017|website=Expansión}} Latin American online travel agency Despegar{{cite web|url=https://www.20minutos.com.mx/noticia/327572/0/despegar-comienza-a-brindar-servicios-por-whatsapp/|title=Despegar comienza a brindar servicios por WhatsApp|last=20Minutos|date=2 February 2018|website=20minutos.com.mx - Últimas Noticias}} and online retailer Linio.{{cite web|url=https://blog.linio.com.mx/linio-primer-retailer-en-implementar-whatsapp-enterprise/|title=Linio primer retailer en implementar WhatsApp Enterprise|first=Paulina|last=Maza|date=26 January 2018|website=Linio Blog MX}}
Enterprise solutions for WhatsApp have been available since 2015 from a variety of third-party vendors, and though unofficial, they have been used by major companies and governments including the Governments of Colombia and Costa Rica.
=Podium =
In March 2020, Podium announced a contactless payment solution{{Cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/podium-expands-interaction-management-platform-to-now-include-payments-301014185.html|title=Podium Expands Interaction Management Platform to Now Include Payments}} allowing local businesses to accept payments through two-way SMS text message conversations with customers. Outside of traditional instore card-present transactions, there existed only a few options for businesses to accept payments, most of which were not secure, PCI compliant, or convenient. Through Podium Payments, businesses can engage with customers and securely close sales all within the same convenient channel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.podium.com/payments/|title = Payments Product Page 2021}}
=Telegram =
In May 2017 Telegram supported basic payments in chats using bots and in April 2021, the payment 2.0 that supports payment in more than 200 countries via integration with 9 different payment providers.{{Cite web|url=https://core.telegram.org/bots/payments# |title=Telegram Payment API |last=Hanna|first=M|access-date=2021-05-26}}
=Alexa and Google Assistant =
Both Amazon and Google are providing APIs to enable payment via voice chat using stored payment credentials in Google Pay or Amazon Pay.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=20975392011 |title=Amazon Alexa Pay my gas |last=Hanna|first=M|website=Amazon |access-date=2021-05-26}}
=Web chat=
Although, they do not have any functionalities to facilitate actual transactions within the conversation, companies like LiveChat Software, [https://www.cm.com/en-us/ CM.com], and LivePerson have powered live conversations between customers and live agents as far back as the 2000s,{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/10/24/livechat-founders-buy-out-investor-naspers-regain-60-stake/|title=LiveChat Founders Buy Out Investor Naspers, Regain 60% Stake|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-01|archive-date=2020-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728145452/https://techcrunch.com/2011/10/24/livechat-founders-buy-out-investor-naspers-regain-60-stake/|url-status=live}} before retail businesses used messaging apps to communicate with customers.