How AI can improve customer service in online shopping

According to Shep Hyken’s 2025 research, 66% of customers said a convenient experience (simple and hassle-free) matters more than having a friendly staff.

Sounds a bit harsh, but it’s true. Customers today don’t care if you’re “enthusiastic” if every question takes 15 minutes, gets bounced across three departments, or is left on read without a reply. They want fast, accurate, and smooth help – the fewer steps, the better.

And that’s exactly where AI steps in beautifully. Not to replace your team, but to speed things up, reduce friction, and create the feeling of “being helped at the right time.” 

That’s why in this blog, I will walk you through how AI improves customer service in online shopping, together with:

• How real brands are using it
• Whether you should implement it now
• And how to do it effectively if you do

Challenges in providing excellent customer service

Customer service is facing challenges in delaying responses, problems piling up, and the workflow being inefficient. Without strong data or personalized support, customers feel overlooked and are more likely to leave for a brand that meets their needs faster.

I get it, customer service these days is both high-pressure and risky, and if you don’t improve it, you could disappear fast. In this era, customers are no longer “patient out of sympathy.” They’re firm because they have a lot of options. And if you don’t serve them well, they’ll quietly leave with no warnings, no complaints in your inbox. According to Zendesk, 2025:

• Over 50% of customers will walk away after just one bad experience. 
• 73% will switch to a competitor if poor service happens more than once. 
• 56% won’t even bother complaining; they’ll simply leave. (Coveo, 2023)

And the scariest part: an average of two disappointing experiences is enough for a customer to say goodbye. 

What does that mean? It means there’s no second chance. Every slow reply, every delayed order update, every off-topic auto-reply could be the last moment that a customer visits your store.

The situation could get even worse when customer service teams themselves are burning out (can not blame them…). There are up to over 50% of agents say they feel tired and stressed when handling support. (Zendesk, 2025). They can’t access customer data, and a lack of data is the top reason behind bad service experiences.

And when customers can’t solve issues on their own (like tracking orders or making returns), 4 out of 10 agents say those customers become noticeably more irritated.

So let’s be real: customer service today is not just about feelings anymore; it becomes a battle of data, speed, and context-aware responses.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a breakthrough solution

AI is a breakthrough solution for customer support. It speeds up response time without losing quality, personalizes every interaction, keeps your brand voice consistent, and helps streamline the entire support process for better results.

In a world where customers are increasingly impatient, and support teams are overloaded and lacking tools, AI is not just a solution – AI is the leverage to take your entire customer service system to the next level.

#1. AI delivers speed without sacrificing quality. From chatbots answering basic questions to AI summarizing, it all happens in seconds. This means no more waiting for customers, and human agents don’t get overwhelmed with tasks that can be automated.

#2. AI personalizes every conversation. AI can recognize who this customer is, what they asked before, and where they are in the shopping journey. This makes the replies more relevant, contextual, and tailored – giving customers the sense of being heard.

#3. AI helps you maintain brand consistency. 72% of CX leaders believe AI can reflect their tone of voice, style, and brand values – even when handling thousands of conversations a day (Zendesk). This is especially important to keep their identity strong.

And most importantly, AI doesn’t replace humans; it amplifies human strength. Customer service staff can focus on complex cases, while AI handles the rest with less stress, better service.

• 70% of CX leaders say GenAI helps make every interaction more effective and personalized.
• 67% believe AI can create emotional connections with customers.
• 80% of employees say AI helps them clearly improve their work quality. (Source: Zendesk)

AI in retail ecommerce is a “must-have” today. In the next part, I’ll break down the exact customer touchpoints where you can apply AI, so you can take action immediately without guessing.

As you explore ways to improve customer service in online shopping with AI, remember this: the smartest AI tools can only work best if your store is ready to support them. Shopify makes it simple with AI-powered customer support apps like chatbots and helpdesks that help you assist customers quickly and effectively.

How AI helps improve customer service in online shopping

AI can significantly improve customer service in online shopping by acting as the first line of support, sorting urgent cases, helping agents learn faster, analyzing patterns, and guiding customers through every stage of their decision-making journey.

1. AI chatbots: The first line of support

In every online store, “response time” is what determines whether a customer checks out or clicks away. The longer you keep them waiting, the closer they are to the X button. And this is where the AI Chatbot shines.

What can modern AI chatbots do?

• Reduce 60-80% of workload for the support team by automatically handling common questions: order tracking, return policies, availability, shipping costs...
• Respond with context, not just scripted answers. For example, if a customer is on the checkout page, the bot knows they need help with payment methods – not product recommendations.
• Collect customer info before handing off to a human, so staff can understand the situation from the start without having to ask repetitive questions.

If you're using Shopify or WooCommerce, there are many AI chatbot plugins like Tidio, Chatty AI, and Gorgias AI. Just a few minutes to install, and you're good to go. OR If you have a custom website, you can connect chatbots like Dialogflow or Botpress through a simple API or use a no-code platform like Landbot. 

*Most importantly: remember to train your bot with your real data (frequently asked questions, order feedback, post-purchase opinions) so it can respond accurately and learn faster over time.

2. Smart ticket routing and prioritization

If you've ever worked in customer support, you know: not everything that “comes in first” should be handled first.

• A customer says, “Can you ship it early? I’m flying tomorrow!” This needed to be handled immediately.
• A customer asks, “Do you have pastel pink?” and can wait a little without problem. 

But your inbox... shows everything sitting there like they’re all the same. This is where AI steps in to save the day.

AI helps not only by collecting all tickets but also by understanding who’s in a rush, who’s angry, who needs a gentle tone, then routing it to the right person, at the right time, on the right channel. More specifically:

• Long-time customer > high priority.
• High-value order > pushed to the top.
• Messages with "urgent", "frustrated", "cancel order" > flagged for attention.
• Technical issues > sent straight to the dev team, no more back-and-forth.

So instead of “first-come, first-served”, AI lets you respond based on actual importance. This improves efficiency while reducing the threat of losing valuable customers just because they “waited too long”.

3. Personalized support recommendations

(Source: AI agent of Akira AI)

Many people still think customer service is something that comes after the sale. Wait until the customer has a problem, wait until they send an email, wait until they message your fan page, and then handle it. That… is a bit outdated.

With AI, you can know what customers are about to ask or need and give them the answer right when they need it.

Example: A customer just viewed the return policy, then went back to check the product page, and finally opened the cart > most likely, they’re worried about buying but afraid returns will be complicated. AI can suggest a pop-up chat box: “You can return items for free within 7 days. Need more help?”

That’s Personalized Support, AI understanding what the customer needs based on their behavior, and helping at the right moment, in the right context.

The great thing is, every customer group needs different support.

• First-time visitors may need product explanations.
• Returning visitors may want to check shipping progress.
• VIP customers, who’ve bought 3 times or more, may want a private hotline or an automatic discount code.

You can’t assign the same chatbot to everyone and expect them all to be happy. But don’t worry, you don’t need to manually set up hundreds of scripts. AI today is smart enough to learn from past customer interactions and personalize replies in real time.

4. AI for live agent assistance

Today’s customers expect reply speeds like texting their crush, just hit send and get an answer right away. But that’s not always possible for support teams handling hundreds of chats at once.

This is when AI steps in as a powerful “assistant behind the scenes.” AI is gonna help support agents respond smarter, faster, and more accurately:

• AI starts analyzing the situation, checking purchase history, and past interactions.
• AI then suggests the most relevant, personalized responses.
• If any policy has recently been updated, AI automatically highlights it to avoid wrong answers.

The result: faster replies, more accurate info, fewer mistakes, and customers feel like they’re being helped by someone who reads minds.

I’ll call it the “human hands, machine brain” combo: agents still talk directly with customers, but always have AI backing them up like a personal assistant who knows everything about the customer, the system, and all the policies, never tired, never forgetful.

5. Sentiment analysis and customer insights

(Source: Lumoa AI analyzes customer feedback)

The truth is: most unhappy customers will... quietly leave with no complaints and then no repeat purchases. And you will never know why, and that’s an extremely dangerous illusion.

This is where AI helps you read the emotions hidden behind every message, every comment, every email. Are customers angry, confused, disappointed, or ready to churn? AI can analyze it and let you know.

For example:

• A customer messages, “I thought this product came with a warranty?” with a skeptical tone > AI labels it as “mildly negative,” flags it for immediate handling before it escalates into a big case.
• A long email review, 50% suggestion, and 50% praise > AI still identifies the points of dissatisfaction so you can improve your product or process.
• On social media, there are dozens of comments like “ordered 3 days ago and still waiting.” > AI groups them into an insight showing a logistics issue.

And here’s the part many haven’t taken full advantage of: AI can help you analyze customer service data super fast. If you ask the right questions, you can provide a clean data input with a chat file, ticket log, or email history.

6. AI-powered voice support (optional upgrade)

This part is not mandatory, but if you're looking to upgrade your customer service to a new level, then AI Voice Support is a seriously worthwhile option to consider.

Basically, the benefits are quite similar to an AI chatbot; however, the main difference lies in “conversation”, instead of reading and typing, some customers might need direct calls or voice messages for the convenience and feel of talking to real people.

So what exactly can voice AI help you with? 

1. Available 24/7 speaker: AI voice is especially helpful if you're selling internationally or running flash sales or late-night livestreams.

2. Super fast response: AI can handle hundreds of calls at once, without getting overwhelmed like real humans. Even if a question is asked 100 times a day, it gives a clear, consistent answer every time. 

3. Scale without hiring more people: Whether you have 10 or 100 customers calling at the same time, the AI voice still works smoothly, and saves a lot.

In short, if you want your customers to get someone on the line instantly and get their questions answered without needing a bigger team, then AI Voice might be a solution. 

But you should also consider the feasibility of it, AI voice might still easily to be easily detected and bring back the dissatisfied feelings for customers. If you want to give it a try, I would recommend finding the best tool.

7. AI helps with multilingual support

Running an online cross-border business these days is no longer just something for the “big players.” Even a small shop, if you know how to run TikTok Ads or do international dropshipping, can get customers from Singapore, the Philippines, or even Europe.

The problem is… what language are the customers speaking, and can your support team speak it too? If not, say hello to copy-pasting into Google Translate, translating line by line, then replying with your high school English. It’s not the best solution today in 2025.

Now with AI, everything turns a new page; AI becomes your 24/7 live translator.

• Customer messages in French? AI will handle the translation both ways.
• AI even understands context, tone, and the culture behind each language.
• And the best part: AI can translate instantly right inside the chat box, no tab switching, no waiting.

Of course, remember that for AI to really master a language, you still need to train it with internal data, brand tone of voice, and industry-specific terms.

8. AI helps train support teams

In today’s customer service environment, everything changes quickly: new policies, new products, new sales seasons, even... customer behavior is constantly shifting. To help your support team keep up and respond flexibly, you can’t just rely on occasional training sessions.

This is where AI can become a quiet yet constant guide, helping the whole team grow consistently without interrupting their work.

• AI can suggest micro-learning: small bits of knowledge, delivered at the right time, in the right context, while the agent is working.
• When content is updated, AI automatically distributes it to the right team members, no need for full-team meetings or new slide decks.
• Based on customer service data collected, AI can suggest the skills, scenarios, or products the team should practice more to stay in sync with new trends.

This learning method is light, practical, and makes everyone feel supported. In short, AI can not replace your trainer, but it becomes a teammate that helps your support team stay sharp.

9. AI support after the sale

Yes, I know; there are a million things to do to attract new customers, and following up with the old ones often slips through the cracks. 

But think about it: instead of spending thousands on ads, what if you just put a little extra effort into setting up AI automation to take care of your past customers? That small step could turn them into loyal fans who come back and even spread the word for you. It’s a loop for the sustainable growth of your brand:

• When a customer needs a follow-up > AI automatically suggests you send a thank-you note, a product review request, or a usage guide.
• If the product needs maintenance or periodic refills > AI reminds at the perfect time, not too early, not too late.
• If a customer had a complaint before > AI suggests you handle it before they even bring it up again.

More importantly, AI watches post-purchase behavior to detect if the customer is truly satisfied. If they don’t come back, don’t open emails, or bounce off your site quickly, AI will send an alert; that’s your cue to act then.

And you know what? The post-purchase experience is the biggest factor in turning first-time buyers into brand advocates. If you have that moment of support that goes beyond expectations over other brands, they will surely be back with you with a lot more purchases.

Others also read

• Full guide to using AI to improve your online shopping experience
• 9 Best AI for Shopping To Save Time And Money
• How AI is actively shaping the future of personalized shopping 

Examples of brands using AI for support

AI is already enhancing support across leading brands such as IKEA with a personalized design assistant, Sephora using AI in beauty chatbot, Nike launched a 24/7 virtual helper, and JPMorgan built Coach AI for advisors. Each use case improves customer experience in a unique way.

1. IKEA personalized design AI assistant for customers

IKEA uses an AI Design Assistant named Billie, built on ChatGPT, to support customers during the decision-making stage. Integrated with IKEA Kreativ, it helps shoppers visualize furniture in their actual space, suggest layouts, and answer design questions. The result: faster, more confident decisions and a smoother, more personal shopping experience.

Some early results include:

• Recommendation AI increased AOV by 2% worldwide (Digital Initiative, 2022)
• Billie chatbot successfully handled 47% of customer service queries (74Digital, 2023)
• IKEA Kreativ attracted over 1 million beta testers during early launch (TechCrunch, 2022)

Find the AI Billie chatbot of IKEA by clicking on the link.

2. Sephora integrated AI in chatbot beauty assistant

Sephora uses AI to support shoppers with faster, smarter, and more personalized help, whether they are browsing online or visiting a flagship store. At the center is the AI-powered Beauty Assistant chatbot, trained in natural language processing and machine learning to understand beauty needs. It recommends lipstick shades, skincare routines, ingredient details, and even product swaps based on skin type and age.

According to Digital Defynd (2025), Sephora has successfully leveraged AI to improve customer service:

• Response time drops below 10 seconds
• Customer support costs cut by 20%
• Customer satisfaction goes up, and cart abandonment drops by 18%

Find the Sephora AI chatbot by clicking on the link.

3. Nike rolled out a 24/7 AI virtual assistant

As early as 2018, Nike started its journey to upgrade the entire customer experience by acquiring a series of AI startups. One standout is Nike’s 24/7 AI Virtual Assistant, designed to answer common questions instantly, such as Order tracking, sizing inquiries, and product recommendations based on personal needs (running, gym, lifestyle…).

The result was incredible, according to Virtasant (2024):

• Customer retention rose by 40 percent through AI-powered predictive analysis
• Direct-to-consumer sales increased by 10 percent in 2020 alone

Find the Nike app with AI chatbot by clicking on the link.

4. JPMorgan created Coach AI for its advisors

Coach AI helps JPMorgan advisors respond fast during market stress. It gives real-time, data-backed answers to client concerns and suggests what to say. By analyzing account history and market signals, it also offers early warnings and talking points, helping advisors build trust and stay confident in high-pressure situations.

The result of this strategy?

• Revenue from advisory services increased by 20% just one year after deployment.
• Advisory quality became more consistent, and customer trust improved
• Customer retention rates clearly rose, especially during times of market volatility

Click here to see how JP Morgan built an AI agent for Investment research.

Should you implement AI now?

AI can be a smart move in customer support if you have many customers, past chat data, a ready budget, and a support team handling too many repeated questions. But without good data or clear planning, AI may not deliver results.

1. You should implement AI into customer service when…

You have a large customer base, historical chat data, a budget allow, and a customer support team overwhelmed every day by repetitive questions like “Is this product still available?”, “How long is the delivery?”, “Can I return it?”…

In that case, AI is the tool that helps you cut operational costs while still maintaining fast response times. You can use AI to:

• Automate answers to FAQs 24/7
• Classify conversations to filter out cases that need a human agent
• Integrate with chatbots in your online stores
• Suggest smart replies for staff to speed up response time
• Store full conversation history and learn from feedback to improve response quality

Automation can tell you what is happening… but it doesn’t tell you why customers come back, or why they drop off halfway. A deeper level happens when you can compare customer service data with sales data before vs after using AI, you gonna have insights. From there, you can see the effectiveness of using AI to adjust appropriately to best fit your business.

At that point, AI will surely help you respond faster, and it can also help you understand your customers better. And that is a major competitive advantage.

2. You should NOT implement AI into customer service when…

This is where many people fall into the “illusion of power.” If you’re in any of the following situations, I sincerely advise: hold off on applying AI to customer service for now if

• You don’t have any clear customer data (no chat history, no idea who bought what)
• Your product is complex, requires highly personalized consultation, empathy, and flexible interaction (for example: financial products, insurance, high-end products)
• You think AI will completely “replace” your customer service team and plan to cut staff right after installing a chatbot.

Don’t be mad because I will tell you why this is risky:

• Chatbot might give wrong answers (AI improves so fast, but not totally exact 100%) > Customer will get frustrated and leave > You lose the order, and your reputation.
• AI might misunderstand context > It will create a “soulless” experience, the customer feels no connection to the brand.
• If there is no human supervision > AI can not learn > Quality can not improve, then it will become a “blocker” to conversions.

It’s a warning before you get into the trap of seeing others using chatbots and just copying them, but after setup, they leave them there without any optimization, deep dive, or tracking. The result: it doesn’t help and even makes customers more annoyed.

3. In short

If you use AI properly, it helps you grow; if misused, it can cause damage. So… to apply AI in customer service effectively, you need a strong foundation. Without it, don’t rush into AI. Build your groundwork first before adding automation.

Tips to best utilize AI for online customer service

To get the most from AI in customer service, automate simple tasks, combine AI with human help, track performance often, keep communication clear, and store data safely for better learning.

You’re excited about AI in support? Good. So are we. AI is your assistant, not your replacement. If you want it to shine in customer service, truly, it needs the right setup and boundaries. Here are the tips to make AI work for you in online customer support:

1. Automate routine tasks with scalable AI chatbots: Let AI handle the FAQs, order lookups, and basic support flows. It frees up your human team for more complex issues and scales effortlessly during sales or peak hours.

2. Seamlessly blend AI and human support: Don't make customers feel like they’re talking to a wall. Let AI take the first round, but make handovers to a real human smooth and easy. Use smart triggers like “customer frustration detected” or “complex request” to escalate.

3. Continuously monitor and optimize AI performance: Set KPIs, track them. Did the bot solve the issue? How fast? How many drop-offs? AI needs human supervision to grow smarter and stay helpful.

4. Prioritize bias mitigation and transparency: Teach your AI well. Keep an eye on whether it’s offering fair, inclusive support. And be upfront with users when they’re chatting with a bot. Trust comes from honesty.

5. Store data properly to support personalized customer interactions: AI thrives on data, but make sure it’s clean, secure, and permission-based. It’s personalization with responsibility.

Bottom line: AI should support your team and elevate your customer experience. Used right, it’s a service upgrade customers will actually feel.

Final thoughts

AI is the best tool ever to support your customer service to the next level. When used right, AI helps you respond faster, personalize better, and scale smarter. But it only works if you stay in control, keep learning from your customers, and use the tech with care. The real difference still comes from how much you care to serve.

FAQs

1. Do customers like AI support for online shopping?

Yes, as long as AI replies are fast, accurate, and smooth. Customers don’t care “if it’s a real person”, they just want support right when they’re about to buy. But if AI gives vague answers, doesn’t understand, or won’t let them talk to a human, they’ll hate it immediately.

2. Do I need coding skills to set up AI chatbots or support tools?

No. Many AI platforms today (like Manychat, Chatfuel, Gorgias, Kiki...) let you drag and drop, setting, enter content, and that’s it. However, if you want deep integration with your system or to build advanced logic, that’s when you might need some technical knowledge. But to get started, you don’t need it.

3. How do I train AI to understand my products and policies?

You just need to feed it the right documents; the more detailed, the better. Some platforms let you upload documents or enter sample Q&A. AI will learn from that. If you want to go deeper, you can also train it by reviewing chat history, labeling right/wrong answers so AI can gradually adjust to real-world interactions.