Shoppers are especially cautious when purchasing products that directly impact their health, making the health and wellness sector unique in the e-commerce and retail industries. This inherent sensitivity demands that brands go above and beyond to build trust and confidence with their audience to succeed in this vertical.
One of the key drivers of trust is expertise. Shoppers only feel confident when they believe they are interacting with someone who is an expert in the field and genuinely understands their concerns. This is why brands in the health and wellness space can significantly boost customer confidence and conversion rates by offering personalized guidance through health and wellness coaches.
The Role of Health and Wellness Coaches
These coaches play a pivotal role in engaging with customers, understanding their unique needs, identifying their hesitations, and guiding them to the right product. By addressing individual concerns, they don’t just sell a product; they provide a service that resonates with the customer’s underlying needs.
For instance, brands like Hims and Hers have built successful public companies by adopting this model. They provide comprehensive health and coaching services that ultimately guide customers to the right product. It's important to remember that customers aren't just buying a product; they are seeking solutions to their needs. This personalized, one-on-one approach exemplifies how brands can move beyond simply selling products to genuinely addressing shoppers' concerns.
However, offering such personalized service at scale has traditionally been cost-prohibitive for online stores due to the large volume of traffic they receive.
AI-Powered Coaches: Redefining E-Commerce Through Service-First Sales
This is where AI-powered health and wellness coaches come in. For the first time, e-commerce brands can leverage AI to engage with every single shopper landing on their online store without any limitations. These AI models act as expert consultants, providing not just product recommendations but an entire experience centered around fulfilling customer needs.
Most shoppers are not merely buying a product; they are seeking a solution to a problem or fulfilling a specific need. AI-powered coaches address these needs and create an engaging experience that ultimately leads to a product purchase—and potentially builds long-term customer relationships beyond the initial transaction.
Training AI coaches for Health and Wellness
Most foundational AI large language models are trained on a vast array of health and wellness materials available on the internet, giving them extensive general knowledge. However, they often lack the nuanced understanding of individual brand products and the tailored behaviors required to effectively convert customers.
To be able to build a reliable AI coach for brands, there are three key requirements that needs be addressed:
- Product Portfolio Expertise: AI coaches must have in-depth knowledge of the brand's product portfolio to identify relevant solutions and provide accurate recommendations tailored to customer needs.
- Customer-Specific Interaction Behavior: AI coaches must adapt to each customer's unique needs and familiarity with the product category. For example, a shopper new to the category requires a different approach than one who already has prior knowledge and experience with the products.
- Business and Compliance Expertise: In health and wellness, compliance is critical. AI agents should adhere to strict guidelines, avoiding non-compliant recommendations while maintaining a brand-aligned tone and voice.
Solutions like App0 can harness the power of AI and build AI coaches that are tailored for each specific brand. These AI coaches can closely follow the desired behavior that brands hope for while staying faithful to the brand identity and compliances that are necessary in this vertical.
Want to see how you can add an AI health and wellness coach to your store? Schedule a demo today.
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