Advantages of using a chatbot in your online store

Business / Date: 05-21-2025

Saving time, optimizing customer service, improving customer satisfaction and being able to focus on strategic areas: there are many advantages to adopting a chatbot – or conversational robot – in your online store.

It’s no wonder that it’s a tool that more and more companies of all sizes are adopting. And it doesn’t matter if your business is still in its early stages: right from the start, you can ask technology for help to provide automated services to your customers.

In the following text, we will talk a little more about what a chatbot is, how it works and what it is for. We will also talk a little about the main advantages of adopting a chatbot and explain how you can use them, including on your social networks. Let's go?

What is the purpose of a chatbot?

Chatbot is an English term that means “conversational robot” in plain Portuguese. If this sounds like science fiction to you, don’t worry: it’s nothing more than software that has the predefined objective of simulating a human conversation.

There are chatbots of all types, but one of the most common features of these services is to establish interactions with the customer, automating repetitive and bureaucratic tasks, leaving humans free to take care of complex problems.

Certainly, within your activity as an online store or small business, there are several tasks that can be automated and placed in the hands of a chatbot. Today, some companies use these services for activities such as sales, payment inquiries or frequently asked questions, but there are several other activities in which chatbots can also be used.

How does a chatbot work?

Unlike humans, who need downtime and rest, chatbots can respond and interact with users 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is a very useful service for companies that cannot have resources or staff to serve the public all the time – such as small businesses.

Chatbots that use artificial intelligence are all the rage these days, but not all chatbots necessarily use this new technology. Depending on the technology employed, chatbots can be classified into three categories:

Rules-based:

only accept pre-determined responses, normally operating in menus and flowcharts;

With natural language processing:

uses AI to understand user responses in texts and processes the responses to learn from them;

Hybrids:

blend the flexibility of artificial intelligence with the strictness of regulations.

In a simplified way, the operation of this program involves the following steps.

1. 1. Receiving the user's message: it all starts when a user sends a message to the chatbot, which receives and processes it.
  2. Message analysis: in the case of rule-based chatbots, they follow the flowchart based on the message sent; those that use AI consider algorithms to understand the user's intention and the language used;
  3. Response to the user: based on the analysis or the pre-established flowchart, the query is identified and an appropriate response to the user's request is given, which can end the service or continue with the request.
Advantages of using a chatbot

It is clear that not all service is simple: people often have complex problems that are beyond the understanding of a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence, or that were not anticipated by a flowchart.

But in most cases, there are many customer service tasks that can be automated in the day-to-day running of an online store – and with automation, some advantages arise. Among them, we can mention:

process optimization;
the shift of humans from repetitive tasks to creative or complex tasks;
increased customer satisfaction (if the strategy is well adopted!);
increased scalability of service, given that a bot can serve thousands of people simultaneously;
cost reduction;
high availability of service at any time;
the emergence of an alternative sales channel;

What are the most common uses for chatbots in online stores and small businesses?

If you paid attention at the beginning of this text, you already understand that chatbots are conversational robots – so they can be applied to practically any activity that involves conversation.

Naturally, customer service is the first function that comes to mind for many people in this case, but that's not all. Among the most popular applications, we may list:

Customer service and support: Answering frequently asked questions, resolving simple problems and providing information about products and services helps to speed up service for many people, reducing waiting times and relieving the burden on the human service team.
Sales: can assist in the purchasing process, recommending products and finalizing transactions; they can also provide guidance on closing the order;
Appointments: for those who work with scheduled services, chatbots can be a great help for those who need to schedule, change or cancel appointments, in addition to sending alerts to confirm services, freeing up professionals from all sectors to focus on executing services.
Education: For complex services, chatbots can help customers understand the concept of products by answering questions and conducting tests/questionnaires, helping to sell the product.

This list, however, is just a small demonstration of the capacity of chatbots to perform services. It is also worth remembering that with the advancement of technology and your creativity in creating and configuring them, they will be able to achieve more and more new activities.

Moreover, adopting a chatbot in your online store can significantly enhance your brand’s image by providing quick and consistent responses to customers. This instant availability builds trust and portrays your business as modern and customer-centric, which can lead to higher retention rates and positive word-of-mouth. As chatbots continue to evolve with AI, their ability to personalize interactions will also improve, creating a more engaging and satisfying shopping experience that adapts to individual customer needs.

Finally, integrating chatbots across multiple platforms—such as your website, social media, and messaging apps—ensures your customers can reach you wherever they are most comfortable. This omnichannel presence not only increases the convenience for your buyers but also provides valuable data insights about customer behavior and preferences. With these insights, you can further optimize your marketing strategies and product offerings, making chatbots a powerful tool not just for service, but for overall business growth.