Conversational commerce platforms are software solutions that enable businesses to facilitate sales and transactions directly within messaging applications, chat interfaces, and voice assistants. These platforms integrate with multiple instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, iMessage, live chat software, AI chatbots software, etc. to create seamless, interactive shopping journeys that replicate the experience of in-store assistance in a digital environment.
By leveraging conversational interfaces, businesses can guide users through product recommendations, answer questions, process payments, and even handle post-purchase support, all within a single messaging thread. These solutions often integrate with e-commerce platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and payment gateways to streamline workflows and enhance customer engagement.
Conversational commerce platforms should not be confused with conversational marketing platforms as the latter primarily focuses on lead generation, brand awareness, and customer engagement through conversation. Conversational commerce platforms extend beyond marketing to facilitate the entire customer journey, from product discovery and inquiry to purchase completion and post-purchase support. These platforms are widely used by e-commerce brands, direct-to-customer (DTC) retailers, customer service teams, and sales organizations.
To qualify for inclusion in the Conversational Commerce category, a product must:
Enable customer interactions via AI chatbots leveraging natural language processing (NLP) and AI
Allow customers to browse products, place orders, or make payments within the chat interface or over voice interaction
Integrate across multiple messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and website chat
Integrate with e-commerce platforms, CRM systems, and payment platforms
Offer features to track conversational performance, sales conversions, and other relevant metrics