“AI blurs the lines between customer service and marketing”

Soon “agentic” AI will not only answer customer questions but also predict buying behavior: that’s going to help retailers exceed customer expectations, says CM.com’s Yasin Hadnan.

The playing field is changing

More and more retailers are seeing potential in applying artificial intelligence. The possibilities in that area are evolving rapidly: indeed, the recent emergence of so-called “agentic AI” in particular is changing the playing field, says account executive Yasin Hadnan of CM.com, the Benelux market leader in “AI-driven conversational software.” AI agents can take steps and perform actions without constant human intervention.

An example? “You can ask ChatGPT: I’m going to Barcelona, give me three tips. That’s generative AI. Agentic AI is: ChatGPT, book me my hotel and my plane tickets. So that technology is going to perform actions for us. We believe we can apply that within marketing and customer service as well: executing business processes with the intelligence of a language model.”

Mistakes lead to dissatisfaction

Retailers often see the same customer questions coming back, such as: “where is my package?” That information can be retrieved and returned by agentic AI. But there is also potential along the marketing side: this consumer has bought this from us in the past – predict what the next purchase will be based on this purchase behavior. “Then you can proactively send a communication to those customers about a product that might interest them. The lines between customer service and marketing are blurring.”

Customer expectations in their communications with companies have skyrocketed. “What we do at CM.com is to meet and even exceed the customer experience. With the right communication to the right people at the right time through the right channel.” Everything hinges on the quality of your data. Only with good and structured data can you set up personalized campaigns. If not, you run the risk of bombarding customers with irrelevant communications. “I am an avid runner, but I sometimes get offers for women’s running shoes from a retailer where I have already bought two pairs of shoes. You can’t. Mistakes lead to customer dissatisfaction.”

“Experiment with it”

How new is this for retailers? “ChatGPT entered the market at the end of 2022. Certainly since the end of last year, more and more applications are being built on that language model, even at smaller companies. For some retailers, it remains a distant prospect. I think the important thing now is to get your first experience with it. Take the opportunity to test, fail and learn. Experiment with it.”

CM.com customers such as Kruidvat, ICI Paris XL, XXL Nutrition and Basic-Fit are using the technology to take simple questions and help customers quickly. “I still see chatbots that are only available between 9 and 5. Technology today really does allow us to build an intelligent solution that is always there and can answer 80% of customer questions.”

At RetailDetail’s Retail Marketing Day, on 25 September in Antwerp, Yasin Hadnan will share tips and points of interest on dealing with AI in a retail environment. Also on stage that day: speakers from Action, Primark, TakkoFashion, Carrefour and Addretail. Tickets can be reserved via the link below.