Are you searching for a shopping assistant for your Shopify store? Ecommerce is a leading adopter of artificial intelligence (AI) today. Research shows that businesses adopting AI business strategies record a 10-20% increase in revenues.
What are AI agents
AI agents are a category of artificial intelligence. Unlike other AI systems, agents operate in real-world environments autonomously. Unlike basic chatbots with scripted responses, AI agents leverage large language models (LLMs) or advanced algorithms to understand natural language, interpret context, and provide tailored solutions.
All language models (LLMs) are limited by the data they are trained on, which impacts what they know and the tasks they can solve. However, the magic behind it unfolds when you take the model and build systems around it, integrating it into your systems. Agentic AI is simply large language models (LLMs) managing complex systems. For most simple problems, a programmatic approach is more efficient, whereas agentic AI excels at handling complex tasks, like resolving multiple customer queries at once.
Read more: How BBQ Quebéc Achieved 58x ROI with lookfor's AI Agents
Core capabilities of AI Agents
Ability to reason: The model is at the core of how problems are being solved, and it is then prompted to come up with a plan and reason on each step of the process.
Act (Use of tools): External program pieces such as search tools, calculators, LLMs, APIs, and others, where the model can decide when and how to call them to execute solutions to a query.
Access memory: Model thinking through a program like you think out loud. Those inner logs can be stored and retrieved. They can also be the history of conversations, the same way you interact with a human, making them more personalized.
Horizontal vs Vertical AI
Horizontal AI, such as general LLMs like ChatGPT, serve broad use cases across industries but lacks the depth and precision required for industry-specific challenges due to their generalized training and broad focus.
Vertical AI, by contrast, is tailored to specific domains, such as e-commerce for Shopify merchants. Vertical AI agents are specialized AI systems tailored to specific industries or workflows, such as ecommerce, where they automate and optimize tasks by leveraging domain-specific data and processes.
Let us contrast Horizontal AI vs Vertical AI
Feature | Horizontal AI | Vertical AI |
|---|---|---|
Definition | General-purpose AI (e.g., LLMs like ChatGPT) is designed for broad, cross-industry use cases. | Specialized AI tailored for specific industries or domains (e.g., e-commerce, Shopify). |
Use Cases | Content generation, translations, answering general questions, and summarizing documents. | Industry-specific, for instance, sales enhancement, automated customer support, or personalization. |
Strengths | Highly flexible, supports diverse tasks across industries, easy to apply broadly. | Deep domain expertise that combines industry workflows and context. |
Limitations | Lacks depth for specialized tasks, less effective for complex industry challenges. | Limited to specific domains, less versatile for general or cross-industry applications. |
Application | ChatGPT drafting emails or answering miscellaneous queries. | Lookfor ’s sales assistant engages Shopify customers, recommending products, and reducing support tickets. |
Adaptability | Generalizes well across varied contexts but may miss nuanced industry needs. | Excels in dynamic, industry-specific scenarios with tailored logic and contextual understanding. |
Computational Approach | Broad, generalized training, often less efficient for niche tasks. | Optimized for specific tasks, may leverage agentic AI for autonomous, complex operations. |
Functions of eCommerce AI agents
Unlike basic chatbots with scripted responses, AI agents leverage large language models (LLMs) or advanced algorithms to understand natural language, interpret context, and provide tailored solutions. Such a solution can manage multiple conversations at a time, which is ideal for shopping during high-traffic periods.
Read more: BBQ Quebéc Changes The Way People Shop Grills with 58X ROI
Meet lookfor : AI sales agent
lookfor is an AI customer support for the Shopify platform, engaging customers in real-time, while answering shipping questions on product details and shipping. lookfor ’s AI chatbot is capable of handling customer inquiries, resolving issues, and automating service tasks, which collectively reduce the human agent workload.
Support features
Feature | Description |
|---|---|
Update Order Address | Allows customers to change their shipping address directly via chat. The request is noted by the support agent and updated in the system without human handling. |
Process Order Changes | Enables customers to modify the quantity or swap items in their order before shipping. |
Generates Refund Requests | Initiates returns and issues refunds for damaged or unsatisfactory products. |
FAQ Automation | Automatically resolves repetitive customer questions using real-time answers from your product catalog or knowledge base. |
Sales features:
lookfor’s AI agent operates as a virtual shopping assistant that guides customer behavior, browsing history, and other preferences when suggesting relevant products. When a customer views a pair of sunglasses, they can be recommended related eyewear accessories.
Feature | Description |
|---|---|
Personalized Recommendations | Analyzes browsing history and preferences to suggest the most relevant products (e.g., recommends related eyewear accessories when viewing sunglasses). |
Upselling & Cross-selling | Suggests high-value or complementary products to increase average order value. |
Proactive Engagement | Uses scheduled pop-ups (via quizzes and magic features) to engage users and boost conversion. |
Cart Abandonment Recovery | Detects when customers leave items in their cart and sends timely reminders or incentives. |
Conversational AI | Answers product questions, compares items, and provides tailored advice to help close sales. |
AI-Powered Shopping Assistant | Guides customer behavior by learning from preferences and browsing patterns to enhance the overall shopping experience. |
Read more: Want to implement an AI product finder that boosts revenue? Discover more here.
Benefits of AI agents for eCommerce
Category | Feature | Description |
|---|---|---|
Automation | Streamlining Operations | Handles multiple customer inquiries, manages inventory costs, and processes orders without human input. |
Reduced Support Load | Automates answers to common queries, reducing the need for large support teams. | |
Scalability | Efficiently manages high interaction volumes during peak times (e.g., holiday sales) without delays. | |
Availability | 24/7 Instant Support | AI agents provide always-on support across time zones with instant responses, eliminating human availability constraints. |
User Experience | Personalized Interaction | Understands user behavior to recommend products they are more likely to love, enhancing the overall shopping experience. |
Security | Fraud Detection | Identifies suspicious patterns, such as fake accounts, and automates preventive actions to protect customer data and store integrity. |
Read more: The Benefits of Hypercare Support for Small Businesses
Final Thoughts
lookfor provides for the retail needs of merchants on Shopify platforms. By focusing on e-commerce outcomes—boosting sales, enhancing engagement, and cutting support overhead—lookfor exemplifies vertical AI for merchants. Explore lookfor ’s AI solutions here and start driving sales today/.
