What do you want to achieve with AI tools in e-commerce?
This question should be asked at the outset and answered as soon as possible. Tools based on artificial intelligence algorithms can do a lot for your business, but it is important to specify your expectations.
- Maybe you want to create graphics for social media posts?
- Need better looking product images for your store page?
- Interested in being able to generate dozens of product descriptions in a short period of time?
- Want to improve customer relations?
In each of these areas, artificial intelligence can help your business. Here are our tool suggestions!
Produce graphics for your online store
Something that was unthinkable just a few years ago has become the norm today. Artificial intelligence can generate graphics as we dream of them. The trick in this case is to create the right prompt, that is, the instructions passed to the tool. A detailed description will allow machine learning algorithms to create an illustration depicting what we describe, in the style we indicate and even in the appropriate color scheme.
However, it is worth being attentive and keeping a regular eye on what is happening in terms of regulations intended to touch the use of AI in the future. It is possible that it will soon be necessary to properly label graphics generated by artificial intelligence – so as not to mislead users.
Midjourney AI
It’s one of the most popular tools with huge capabilities, relatively easy to use and fast… but only if we decide to use one of the higher price plans (Pro or Mega). In other cases, we have to set ourselves up for limitations in the number of simultaneously generated graphics and long waiting times. Prices in 2024 are at:
- $96 for a one-year Basic plan,
- $288 for the annual Standard plan,
- $576 for a one-year Pro plan,
- $1152 for a one-year Mega plan.
It’s also worth mentioning that an account on the Discord social platform is required to use Midjourney – it’s there, on the Midjourney server, that prompts are typed in order to then use the ready-made graphics. This aspect may initially be a deterrent, but setting up an account on Discord should not pose many difficulties. It is also worth remembering that users of paid MIdjourney plans can “converse” with the bot in private messages – the rest generate graphics on the public channel, where all other users of the platform also do so. This is not a convenient solution, because often before the bot generates a graphic, there will be a dozen other requests, and we will be left scrolling upwards in search of the requested graphic.
Bing AI
Fortunately, Midjourney is not the only option available on the market. Microsoft’s completely free offering is also worth noting. Bing AI allows you to generate graphics just as efficiently, while having a much simpler UX – just visit https://bing.com/create and enter the prompt.
The disadvantages? First: a limitation of 15 queries executed at an accelerated rate. Once this pool is used up, the waiting time for the next set of graphics increases dramatically. Another disadvantage is the lack of iterability. Once generated, the graphic is closed – we have no possibility to change the selected element or adjust the received result in any way. The only thing left to do is to enter a modified prompt, thus reducing the available pool by another point.
Edit photos and increase sales
Already have a finished photo, but want to enhance it using artificial intelligence? You can choose from AI tools that differ in functionality, but also in price.
Adobe Photoshop
Everyone is at least familiar with the Adobe suite. It’s a set of professional, advanced tools for editing photographs, graphics and video. Wanting to keep up with the changing reality, Adobe has introduced a number of features powered by artificial intelligence. They allow you to get rid of the background from a photo with a single click, change it to something completely different, expand the image in any direction, and even – with a selection – add elements to a photo. In this way, you can quickly transform a boring, standard product photo into an attractive visualization that will increase interest in your product.
The biggest advantage of the AI solution from Photoshop is the simplicity of use. The disadvantage – the high price. Adobe offers monthly packages for 77.49 euros for all applications of the Creative Cloud service. The bundle includes, among others:
- Adobe Acrobat Pro,
- Adobe Photoshop,
- Adobe Premiere Pro,
- Adobe Illustrator,
- Adobe InDesign,
- Adobe Lightroom,
- Adobe After Effects,
- Adobe XD.
The alternative is to purchase a license for a single application – in this case prices vary, but the most advanced applications, including Adobe Photoshop, cost €33.49 per month.
All prices quoted are net prices and apply to the package’s corporate capabilities – personal accounts are correspondingly cheaper.
Pixlr
Analogous to the previous chapter, we also have a proposal for a cheaper solution. Pixlr is a web-based application, meaning it can be accessed from a web browser, without the need to install software. In the context of photo editing with the help of AI, Pixlr offers similar functionality to Adobe Photoshop, although less advanced. Nevertheless, it is still easy to “extend” a photo, change the background or add the desired element.
The tool’s lesser capabilities can be compensated for by a much lower price – for the highest Pilxr package we will pay $9.91 per month, and as part of the subscription we will receive 1,000 credits to use for editing and generating content with the help of artificial intelligence, as well as five profiles that we can assign to our team members.
Use artificial intelligence to create content
Whether it’s product descriptions, or content for social media, or even emails – all this content, which we later use in marketing campaigns or on the store’s website, can be written by ourselves, generated with the help of artificial intelligence, or – and this is still the best option – assisted by AI in creation, and then bring the content to its final state, revising it and making necessary changes. Popular text generation tools can easily cope with simple tasks, but also with diversifying already written content or making corrections (for example, stylistic).
ChatGPT
The real trend for artificial intelligence has just begun with the work of OpenAI. ChatGPT is a solution that surprises every now and then with its scale and new capabilities. Today we can use the third version of the GPT engine for free – severely limited and often making mistakes, but still potentially helpful. However, with a corporate budget, we can take advantage of a subscription to the latest version – GPT-4 in Plus, Team or Enterprise plans.
Prices start at $20 per month, but it is extremely important to note that only the Enterprise plan guarantees that OpenAI will not use the content we enter to train its algorithms. Regardless of the plan you choose, it’s a good idea to choose the content you use as a prompt very carefully, and absolutely avoid sharing company-relevant information, such as customers’ personal data, employee logins, sales results or conversion statistics.
Surfer AI
Another option is to generate entire articles with the help of the Surfer AI tool. For the price of $19, you can order the “writing” of an article on a given key phrase. Surfer will analyze the phrase and generate text, which you can then use on your website. However, remember to verify the result of such an order each time. Artificial intelligence tools can be an invaluable help, but they cannot replace all the work – at least for now. Surfer is also a tool that allows you to optimize the written content for SEO.
Better customer service through AI
Chatbots are nothing new, but today their functionality is much greater than just a few years ago. A livechat implemented on an e-commerce site will not only answer a question about product availability or opening hours, but will also suggest a product that the customer might like based on purchase history, and even enable purchase from the conversation.
LiveChat
This solution includes much more than just a chatbot that you can embed on your e-commerce website. It is an advanced customer service automation tool, easily integrable with your e-commerce platform, offering a ticketing system, data encryption or tracking user activity in your store.
LiveChat’s prices start at $20 and go up to $59 per month (with an annual subscription). There is also an Enterprise plan, designed for the largest companies – but in this case the price is set individually.
It’s worth mentioning that you can test LiveChat for 14 days at no charge – a good way to make sure the tool lives up to your hopes.
Tawk.to
Chatbot for free without hooks? Unlikely, but both Tawk.to’s developers and the tool’s users argue that it’s possible. While this is obviously part of the marketing, the fact is that the solution sustains itself through the ability to purchase add-ons. Among them we can find the option to remove branding from the chatbot, AI Assist, or… “hiring” a person to serve online store customers for $1 per hour.
Wanting to take advantage of the considerable potential inherent in Tawk.to, especially in the context of artificial intelligence, it will be necessary to purchase AI Assist, a feature that will allow the chatbot to provide customers with precise answers to their questions, based on analysis of the data it finds in the repositories provided. AI Assist also includes the ability to create macros and shortcuts to make communication with the chatbot even more like a conversation with a real consultant and personalize the customer experience.
Tawk.to’s strength is certainly the possibility of free and unlimited use of most of the tool’s features. It will be a good idea to take the time to test the application. Who knows? Maybe it will even replace the expensive chatbot you currently use?
Summary
These are all the suggestions for today. Of course, there is more – there is a not inconsiderable rash of applications operating on the basis of artificial intelligence algorithms on the market today. However, many of them are twinned – they differ in nuance, recognition and price. One thing remains unchanged: if you have the opportunity and the time, check out each tool before deciding on a paid, long-term subscription.
