Artificial intelligence in marketing continues to gain ground

The use of artificial intelligence is also advancing in the marketing environment. This is demonstrated, for example, by the Chatbot Study 2021 for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which was conducted by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in cooperation with the technology company swiss moonshot AG (aiaibot) was published. As part of the study, around 1,000 people were surveyed about chatbot use, as well as their experiences with and expectations of digital assistants.

The study shows: Experience with chatbots has increased significantly. Three years ago, according to the survey, only 40 percent of respondents had interacted with a chatbot at least once. In the current study, the figure is now 63 percent. These are clear indications that artificial intelligence is finding ever broader application in marketing. In addition, 44 percent of those survey participants who have never had contact with a digital touchpoint could well imagine interacting with a chatbot in the future.

Practical chatbots 

In theory, the use of chatbots has undisputed advantages. They simplify the lives of customers and customer service representatives alike: The latter no longer have to answer recurring questions manually, and the former benefit from immediate service. But what does the practice look like? Are chatbots actually accepted by customers? The aforementioned study provides various findings in this regard. A first one: customers appreciate the speed and all-round availability of bots. They want a quick solution. The "how" plays a subordinate role, says the study. Chatbots are clearly preferred to voicebots - writing seems to be closer to them than speaking. Reachability, neutrality and fast help are the top three advantages cited by customers. Bots are usually used in the evening or at weekends from home and mostly on websites, according to another result of the survey. The respondents see numerous use cases for the use of a chatbot: Obtaining information, making appointments, checking delivery status, address changes, support in the purchasing process and many more.

Data as currency

Another finding is that customers are willing to trade data for better service. Around 60 percent of those surveyed in the study also trust that their data is secure when interacting with the bot. 75 percent are willing to authenticate themselves in dialog with a bot. More than half of the respondents are positive about the possibility of a chatbot knowing the users personally and being able to access their customer history accordingly.

In the interpretation section of the aforementioned study, the findings were also examined with the help of an in-depth analysis focusing on the intention to use. This revealed that the probability of using a chatbot repeatedly in the future is highest when the chatbot optimally combines the functional and emotional benefits. This knowledge is particularly important in the realization of a chatbot in order to consider both benefit components equally.

Artificial intelligence in marketing: not just chatbots

In addition to chatbots, another example of artificial intelligence in marketing is Google Ads. There, for example, predicting the conversion rate of an ad is standard - that's basically AI in its simplest form. And Facebook shows users more frequent messages that they are most likely to respond to. In short, marketers are already using AI applications on a regular basis without even realizing it. Automated collection of customer data, making data-driven decisions: Here, too, it is now hard to imagine marketing without artificial intelligence.

Using artificial intelligence correctly in marketing

Despite all the euphoria and optimistic study results, the use of AI must be critically monitored. The digital service provider Macaw recommends the following approaches that companies can use to successfully adopt AI-powered marketing.
1. strive for balance: Generally speaking, if companies automate all processes, the human factor is eliminated, but if they don't automate anything, the company becomes inefficient and ineffective. So it's about finding the right balance between people and technology. For example, AI can generate the content for search engine optimization or create regular marketing reports. This gives employees more time to set up innovative marketing campaigns. The example of chatbots shows that the use of AI is not a one-way street. In some cases, customers would rather talk to a real human being - that is, someone who really listens and personally tells them what to do. The motto for the use of AI-supported processes in marketing is therefore: "Digitize where possible, but human interaction where desired".
2. define purpose of use of data: For successful AI-supported collection and analysis of usage and customer data, companies need a data strategy. What insights should be drawn from the data? Do you want to find out at which point in the customer journey the customer drops out? Or is it of interest how customers arrive at the website? What data is needed to extract this information? A data strategy ensures that companies can draw meaningful conclusions from data with the aim of offering customers a personalized experience: no more generic content push, but addressing the customer with exactly the right content, at the right time and via the right channel.
3. AI and marketing - simply implement: As mentioned, marketers already use artificial intelligence on a daily basis - in many cases without being aware of it. Not to mention all the AI applications that are used - sometimes unconsciously - in the private sphere: the series and movie suggestions from Netflix or the Discover Weekly playlist from Spotify. All these offers are compiled on the basis of user behavior to refine the user profile and thus enable a personalized customer experience. Many marketing tools and applications now offer powerful AI capabilities: an ideal way to get started with AI in an easily accessible way.