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AI has, in recent months, become the topic on the tip of the entire world’s tongues.
In every industry discussions about the sudden rise of AI technology and its implications have become all but inescapable.
It has become very easy amid this fervor for misinformation and panic to run rampant, and for people’s imaginations to get the better of them without having the facts quite straight.
For instance: what does AI have anything to do with shipping and eCommerce? More than you might expect!
That’s why we’re looking at what AI really is, and AI-powered tools that you can use to help run your eCommerce business more efficiently.
What, Exactly, is AI?
AI is short for the term Artificial Intelligence.
Most often, the term conjures images pulled straight from a sci-fi novel or movie; robots or other technological creations that can think with the same sentience as a human being, often with less-than-desirable results.
While the concept of artificial intelligence has a long, fascinating history, the reality of what we now talk about as AI is much simpler, and much less ominous.
In truth, modern AI can be better understood as Machine Learning, and isn’t so much robots critically thinking like humans as it is your phone’s autocorrect feature insisting that you really meant to type “duck”.
To better explain this, we went straight to the source and asked ChatGPT, one of the most popular AI content generators available, to explain in its own words how it works:
“Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a field of computer science that focuses on creating machines that can perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as recognizing patterns, making decisions, and learning from experience.
The foundation of AI is a combination of algorithms and data. An algorithm is a set of instructions that a computer can follow to solve a problem or complete a task. It's like a recipe for the computer to follow.
Data is the raw material that feeds the algorithm. It's the information that the computer can use to learn and make predictions. The more data that is available, the more accurate the predictions will be.
To create AI, developers train algorithms using large amounts of data. The computer will make mistakes as it learns, but it will learn from its errors and continually improve its performance over time.
The end goal of AI is to create machines that can perform tasks as well or better than humans, and even exceed human capabilities in some areas. This has many potential benefits, such as improving efficiency, reducing errors, and unlocking new insights and discoveries.”
In short, AI technology pulls from pools of data, and using preprogrammed algorithms it can form results based on that data.
It is the basis for everything from Google searches to targeted content on social media and is already being used in tools that eCommerce professionals use every day.
Source: Wikipedia
Can AI Replace Human Labour?
This question is easily the most hotly contested when discussing AI across any industry, and one that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.
While, as it stands, AI is an effective tool to aid with a variety of tasks, it is important to remember that the technology is, fundamentally, built on human input.
All AI algorithms are written by human programmers and are fed information based on human creations.
The example used above with ChatGPT’s explanation of how AI works is the result of the software analyzing countless pieces of content written by humans about the topic, and formulating a response modeled after them.
If, hypothetically, AI were exclusively used without human intervention or creation of new content by humans, these algorithms would eventually simply start to generate results based on the same recycled information, and any sort of “learning” would cease.
In short, AI as it stands right now is an effective tool that can help to streamline many processes, but without human labour to help refine the results and continue to produce new data it is not a viable long-term solution.
AI-Powered eCommerce Tools
With a better understanding of how AI works, it’s now easier to see how the technology can be used in a multitude of ways, including tools that you can use for your eCommerce business.
Below are a few of the leading and upcoming machine learning powered tools that can help save you time and money as your business continues to grow.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft recently announced big plans to toss their hat into the AI ring, and they appear to be spearheading this initiative with their newly released Copilot project.
Their flagship Copilot project, Microsoft 365 Copilot, utilizes AI algorithms that combine large language models (LLMs) and individual user data for applications throughout the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, such as a first-draft generation tool in Word, and automated data analysis in Excel.
According to a survey from developers using Copilot via GitHub, as many as 88% of those surveyed reported increased productivity in their day-to-day work.
Copilot is currently only available for select early access users, and while there’s no official date for public release yet, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before it becomes as much of a business staple as the 365 suite itself.
ChatGPT 4
As we showcased earlier in the blog, ChatGPT is an incredibly intuitive text generation tool that uses user prompts to create any number of pieces of written content. What we showcased, however, was simply the version of the software that is free and available for anyone to use.
Those who choose to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus not only have priority access to the tool during high demand high traffic periods, but they also have exclusive access to developer OpenAI’s latest iteration of the software, ChatGPT 4.
ChatGPT 4 boasts advanced reasoning capabilities in comparison to its free-to-use counterpart, as well as more robust abilities, such as image recognition tools that allow it to use visual inputs as reference points, and a character limit of over 25,000 words, allowing for the development of longer-form content.
For those looking to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI offers it for a $20USD/month subscription.
Tidio
As we discussed in our Top 10 eCommerce Platform Apps, an effective chatbot app can offer real-time customer support that is often lacking from the eCommerce shopping experience.
As we also discussed in that blog, Tidio is among the best chatbots available right now.
Tidio uses advanced machine learning not only to offer basic customer support, but even to offer recommended products to customers in real-time.
Further, Tidio is available on most leading eCommerce platforms as an easy-to-integrate app, making it ideal for eCommerce businesses of all sizes.
Rytr
Even for professional content writers, it can be difficult to consistently write high-quality copy for every aspect of a business.
While there are more AI writing tools showing up on the market daily, Rytr.me stands out for a number of reasons.
Like most AI writing tools, Rytr will generate copy based on parameters that you set. The breadth of these parameters, however, is incredibly robust.
Rytr advertises the ability to generate content for over forty different use-cases, in over 20 different tones, and over 30 different languages.
It also has a built-in plagiarism checker and SEO optimization, making it ideal for helping your eCommerce site rank higher in Google search results.
Albert AI
Marketing campaigns can often feel like an exercise in repeated trial and error, constantly tweaking and readjusting your strategy over the course of weeks, if not months, before finally seeing worthwhile results.
Albert.ai is designed to eliminate the guesswork from this process and provide real results faster.
By analyzing your creative content and target market, Albert generates full marketing campaigns designed to better focus on your business’ target market, plugging directly into your email, social media, and other marketing platforms.
Albert even goes as far as to run trial campaigns on smaller groups of customers, conducting automated A/B testing, and refining the overall campaign before launching it on a larger scale.
ClickShip
That’s right, even ClickShip utilizes machine learning to help your eCommerce business thrive!
Features such as our Smart Packaging technology, OneSKU Multi-Box, and even real-time rates at checkout all use machine learning algorithms to automate tasks that would otherwise take time away from other aspects of your business and help to provide your customers with a better shipping experience.
20 More AI Tools to Help with Your eCommerce Business
Don't quite see what you need for your eCommerce business? Here's a rapid-fire of 20 other notable AI tools to help you with multiple facets of your day-to-day workload.
1. Dynamic Yield - Personalizes online shopping experiences with real-time product recommendations and tailored content.
2. Algolia - Improves site search with AI-powered autocomplete and relevancy algorithms, helping customers find what they need faster.
3. Chatfuel - Creates automated chatbots for customer support, order tracking, and product recommendations.
4. Attentive - Sends personalized SMS messages to customers based on their browsing and purchase history.
5. ReFUEL4 - Uses AI to predict which product images and videos will perform best in online ads.
6. Apptus - Optimizes eCommerce search results with AI-powered merchandising and personalization features.
7. Okendo - Generates user-generated content and reviews to boost sales and improve SEO.
8. DynamicAction - Helps eCommerce businesses make data-driven decisions by providing real-time analytics and recommendations.
9. MarketMuse - Uses AI to improve content SEO and optimize content strategy based on competitor analysis and keyword research.
10. Lily AI - Improves product recommendations by using AI to understand customer preferences and behaviors.
11. Octane AI - Creates Facebook Messenger chatbots to boost engagement, sales, and customer support.
12. Amplience - Automates product image and video creation and optimization for better visual content marketing.
13. Findify - Uses AI to improve eCommerce site search and personalize product recommendations.
14. Hive9 - Predicts future sales and marketing performance based on historical data and real-time trends.
15. BrightInfo - Improves website engagement by using AI to recommend relevant content based on visitor behavior.
16. Quill - Automates the creation of product descriptions, category pages, and landing pages using natural language generation.
17. Dynamic Creative - Creates and optimizes dynamic Facebook ads based on real-time customer data and behavior.
18. Persado - Generates personalized email and ad copy based on customer preferences and language patterns.
19. Nosto - Creates personalized product recommendations and pop-ups using AI and machine learning.
20. Zenreach - Predicts customer behavior and sends targeted email and SMS campaigns to improve customer loyalty and retention.
ClickShip is the Intelligent Choice for Your eCommerce Shipping
While AI can be a very useful tool in helping draw customers to your eCommerce store, no algorithms, no matter how advanced, will convince those customers to pay too much for shipping.
ClickShip can help you with that, and much more.
We integrate with the leading eCommerce platforms and online marketplaces to help you offer better rates on pallet and parcel shipping to your customers in real time, from the leading carriers in North America.
Our easy-to-use platform also provides you with a suite of fulfillment tools to enhance your customer experience, and all for zero startup or monthly fees!
Contact one of our shipping experts today and start offering your customers a more intelligent shipping experience.
Written by Brandon Draga
Brandon Draga is a full-time content writer at Freightcom, the leading shipping solution for businesses in Canada. When Brandon is not writing content to help businesses with their shipping needs, he can be found at local skate parks or writing fantasy novels.
