How to build a world-class AI customer service team
Templates and guidance on building a customer service team that uses both AI and human agents to their fullest potential.
Learn MoreBack in the early days of ecommerce, having a decent product was enough to attract customers and drive sales. Clearly, that isn't the case anymore. In fact, roughly 90% of customers today say that a company's experience is just as important as its product or service.
This means your ecommerce store needs to be firing on all cylinders, from marketing and customer service to shipping and reviews. If you have a store on Shopify, then things are much easier, thanks to thousands of apps on the Shopify app store .
But with so many options, choosing which apps can quickly get overwhelming. That's why we've handpicked the top 7 Shopify apps for ecommerce to help you skip the guesswork. Let’s get into it.
Customers today expect an extraordinary online shopping experience, and your competitors are doing everything in their power to deliver it.
Shopify apps work as force multipliers for your ecommerce store. They help you optimize different parts of your operation to give your customers the best possible experience when shopping with you.
With the right apps, you can automate routine tasks, boost your marketing efforts, and keep your customers wanting more. Let’s take a closer look at why your Shopify store needs apps:
All these go to show that apps aren’t a ‘nice-to-have’ but a necessity in today's marketplace.
A decent Shopify setup alone won't guarantee sales. It’s like getting a new sports car before entering a race — you need the right add-ons to stand any real chance of winning.
Let’s go over the top 7 Shopify apps for ecommerce to help you survive and thrive in Shopify's competitive marketplace.
Not to knock on Shopify’s default landing pages, but it can only take you so far. If you want to create a first impression that turns visitors into buyers, Shogun is the landing page builder to make it happen.
This user-friendly app makes it easy for anyone (tech-savvy or not) to design all sorts of Shopify pages — from product and landing pages to blog posts and beyond.
With drag-and-drop editing, pre-designed templates, and stellar support, Shogun has everything you need to make your Shopify pages shine. Plus, it lets you test different designs to see which converts best.
Shogun is especially helpful to small businesses seeking a cost-effective Shopify page builder without having to hire a developer.
Nothing gives shoppers more confidence in your products than seeing glowing product reviews and social proof. Case in point, 93% of consumers say online reviews influence their purchase decisions.
Our top pick for Shopify app for product reviews is Judge.me . This app lets you send automatic emails to ask customers for their thoughts after purchases.
You can then display their testimonials and star ratings throughout your store. In other words, you turn satisfied customers into brand ambassadors. Judge.me also supports user-generated photos and videos to give customers visual proof of product reviews.
When it comes to reaching your audience, few marketing channels pack as much punch as email and SMS.
After looking far and wide on Shopify, we recommend the marketing powerhouse Klaviyo for your email and SMS marketing needs. And we're not alone. In the words of a satisfied user:
"If you use Shopify, this is the best email marketing platform you can use. The editor and segment creator are easy to use and include advanced features… you also get unlimited support and a dedicated success manager. Klaviyo should be on every marketer's shortlist when considering a new ESP."
But why Klaviyo you ask? Take your pick:
One feature you’ll find particularly useful as a Shopify seller is the abandoned carts campaigns. With ecommerce stores having an average abandonment rate of 70.19% , the need for an app like Klaviyo is all too glaring.
Shipping is a vital part of any ecommerce store and a headache for many brands. To optimize your shipping, we recommend integrating Shipeasy .
Shipeasy is a one-stop shop for all your shipping needs. This app is best known (and loved) for its shipping calculator, which uses 30+ parameters to calculate accurate shipping rates for every order.
A satisfied user said this about Shipeasy:
“I highly recommend Shipeasy to anyone as this is hands down the most versatile shipping app I have come across! The scenario setup determines the various rule sets available that can be tweaked to meet one's criteria. The History Detail provides a great snapshot of the transaction and matching scenarios. What is even more exceptional is the brilliant tech support behind the app.”
Long story short, Shipeasy does the heavy lifting for your shipping calculations to keep your customers happy with fast, efficient shipping.
Successful ecommerce stores all do one thing well: Keep up with the latest social trends.
Instafeed is a powerful social commerce app that lets you integrate your Instagram feed directly into your store. It's a great way to use your social media presence to drive traffic to your store — and vice versa.
As an added bonus, Instafeed is lightweight and won't slow down your website. Users also praise this app for its exceptional customer support team — available even on weekends.
Say goodbye to manually printing orders and invoices thanks to apps like Order Printer Pro . This app optimizes your order fulfillment process by automatically printing orders, packing slips, receipts, invoices, return forms, and so on.It also handles split payments and multi-currency with ease, making it perfect for B2C and B2B brands alike. Users praise this app for its user-friendliness and top-notch customer support. According to one such user:
“I really like Order Printer Pro because it gives me full control over how my invoices, receipts, packing slips, quotes, etc. look and operate. I was even able to make a pick list where the products were sorted by their SKU codes to make it easier for Order Fulfillment to fill orders. When I had questions or needed assistance, there was always someone able to give clear, concise help.”
Happy customers are repeat customers. And repeat customers are the backbone of successful businesses. So, how can you keep your customers happy? One tried-and-true method is a loyalty program to reward customers for choosing your brand.
Smile.io is a Shopify app that helps you launch a loyalty program in minutes — no coding necessary. It offers various reward options, including points, referrals, and VIPs. This way, you can design a program that perfectly fits your brand and customer base.
In the words of one happy user:
“We have used this awesome app for several years now and have been extremely happy with it – and the results. HIGHLY recommend!”
What’s more, Smile.io integrates with other Shopify apps, making it a breeze to manage your loyalty program alongside other operations.
If you’re using a scripted ecommerce chatbot to handle customer interactions, you risk falling behind with the rise of AI. While it’s okay for smaller ecommerce stores to use them, bigger brands should seriously consider an AI agent.
Since scripted bots rely on pre-programmed responses and decision trees, they often struggle to understand complex questions or nuanced language. Fortunately, that's where AI agents excel.
AI agents are designed to intelligently reason through problems , learn from interactions, and make decisions. They can act autonomously, apply learned knowledge to accomplish tasks, and solve problems in real-time. But knowing the difference between chatbots and AI agents is just the start. The real differentiator is choosing an AI agent that delivers exceptional results.
We’re talking about an AI agent that uses a powerful reasoning engine to truly understand customer intent and context before providing integration. This way, you can offer your shoppers speedy, personalized customer service at scale.
Looking to better understand the difference between chatbots and AI Agents? Download this guide to become an expert on the topic, and discover the success criteria you should be testing to get the most ROI.
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