Hype is a concept applied by marketing teams to refer to intense promotional actions for a product or service over a short period, focused on highly discussed topics at a given moment. The use of digital technologies proves indispensable, but recent innovations, such as artificial intelligence, allow companies to plan practices that go far beyond hype.
In this sense, personalization in customer relationships is the major leap. ‘When we talk about digital transformation and the future of retail, today we must turn our attention to artificial intelligence. Will it replace people in some activities? Will we have stores without salespeople? Beyond these questions, we must understand how AI can contribute to the customer journey,’ evaluates César Baleco, CEO of Grupo Irrah.
The organization specializes in technological products and solutions focused on retail. It includes e-commerce tools, store management, and automation of contact channels between retailers and customers—including AI-powered chatbots. It has been in the market for nearly 20 years, a period during which it has witnessed intense and accelerated technological innovation. ‘Now, we see AI arriving to revolutionize retail,’ he notes.
An example of personalization in customer service, enabled by artificial intelligence, is what can reconfigure the concept of a store. Whether physical or virtual, standardized service will give way to personalized relationships, made possible by algorithms and increasingly deep and fast data analysis, ‘practically in real time,’ as the expert points out.
‘Purchase history, social media interactions, the words used by the consumer both in speech and searches, how this consumer behaves in the store—all of this provides information for technology to return responses that align with the customer’s specific personal preferences, thereby satisfying their desires and needs,’ illustrates the CEO.
In this way, retail will not only be able to meet customer demands but also anticipate those requests and needs. The collection, storage, and analysis of data through artificial intelligence expand exponentially; the generative capacity of the technology enables segmented, personalized responses, ‘tailor-made,’ in Baleco’s words.
The expert explains that retail stores will become as personalized as user profiles on streaming or music platforms today, for example, which already offer consumers menus of movies and music that not only meet preferences but also keep users engaged and loyal. ‘Presentations of new releases, discounts, and promotions can be tailor-made for each customer,’ he predicts.
Customer behavior at any given moment can also be understood. That is, despite search, purchase, and viewing history, artificial intelligence tracks any changes in taste or even the consumer’s sentiment at the moment of interaction. ‘An AI-powered chatbot can detect mood variations, such as frustration when a need isn’t met, for example.’
Investment in technology providers offering an ecosystem of solutions (management, customer service, sales) thus becomes essential for retailers to fully incorporate digital transformation. After all, as the CEO of Grupo Irrah observes, segmented and personalized actions are useless if, when the customer needs to continue their journey, the system isn’t structurally prepared to handle demands and workflows.
