Conversational commerce is the sweet spot where messaging and shopping meet. But we’re not talking about text marketing blasts or lackluster conversations with impersonal chatbots. Conversational commerce harnesses the magic of two-way conversations to power the customer buying experience—from product discovery and payments to customer support and recommendations–all via text.

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The status quo

We live on mobile. The average American spends over five hours a day on their phone, but the mobile shopping experience is inherently bad—lost passwords, painful checkouts, and fumbling for a credit card before your cart expires. But imagine going from ciao to checkout without leaving your texts. Sounds like magic, right? 

Text messaging is powerful and brands know it. Adults under the age of 45 send and receive more than 85 texts a day, and 95% are read within three minutes of being sent. Although traditionally reserved for sending emojis and instant updates to friends and loved ones, brands understand the value of meeting consumers where they spend their time. Text enables brands to connect in the natural rhythm of consumers’ daily lives.

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Conversational commerce and meaningful connections

“The one dimensional and transactional nature of online shopping is losing its shine,” says Wizard CTO Aca Gacic. “There was a time when having the world at the tap of a keyboard was exciting—that’s changing because consumers want to be heard and feel understood by the brands they trust.” 

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“
...Consumers want to be heard and feel understood by the brands they trust.
_{- Aca Gacic, Wizard CTO}

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Conversational commerce delivers the personal, valuable experience consumers crave. It combines the energy and authentic hospitality of in-store shopping with the convenience and utility of technology. It lets consumers shop and make purchases from wherever they are with two-way, real-time conversations that deliver assistance at every point in the journey.  

“Conversational commerce is about delivering convenience, personalization, and decision support while people are on the go, with only partial attention to spare.”

-Chris Messina

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Choice overload

“If you type ‘toaster oven’ into a search engine, you have to weed through 10,000 results. I imagine a future where you basically just say, ‘I’m looking for a toy for a five-year-old that’s into sports that costs $35’ and get back one or two perfect recommendations.”

-Wizard Chairman and co-founder Marc Lore

Let’s face it, the search result hellscape that online shopping has become is lonely and overwhelming. There’s even a behavioral principle called Choice Overload to prove it. According to Psychology Today, research shows that too much choice will overwhelm customers and leave them less satisfied with their decision than if they’d had fewer options from the start. Getting to know what a customer wants and delivering tailored options is the silver bullet.

There’s no denying the shift towards conversational commerce. Both brands and consumers want to make shopping easier and more enjoyable. Text combines the emotional in-store exchange with technology that takes the friction out of shopping on mobile.