In a new installment of its 2021 training cycle, the Chamber of the Digital Economy of Uruguay (CEDU) presented a videoconference on new topics related to digital commerce. Verónica Mello, Business Development Manager at Wittybots, gave a talk on c-Commerce; and Joaquín Colella, e-Commerce analysis teacher at Senpai Academy, shared his knowledge on blockchain.
"c-Commerce (or conversational commerce) is the intersection between messaging platforms and the world of shopping," said Mello, drawing on a definition shared by Chris Messina, head of development at Uber, concluding that it is the conversational systems used by e-commerce companies to interact with their customers.
"Users need information quickly," said Mello as the fundamental premise for response. According to data shared in the presentation, on average customers expect a response speed of between four seconds to 20 minutes. "If you don't respond in that time, they will buy elsewhere," he said.
As in different areas, new technologies have been introduced in this world and chatbots are increasingly present to respond to customers, as this allows optimising times through automatic responses. To do this, and according to the possibilities of each company, it is important to centralise relevant information such as stock of goods, delivery times, discounts, etc.
Data presented at the conference indicate that 90% of users prefer chat as a means of communication, avoiding the phone call, "because they want to communicate as they currently do with anyone". And in relation to bots, 70% of millennials stated that they have had a positive experience, which shows that they have become accustomed to using this tool.
c-Commerce also refers to the shopping experience through websites and Mello indicated that the future of retail is directed towards "phygital", a coexistence between digital commerce and physical shops. Therefore, e-Commerce should aim to provide customers with experiences similar to physical shopping with the use of technologies such as augmented reality (to virtually "try on" a garment), the use of QR codes with information about what you want to buy, offering different payment methods and generating planned visits.
In addition, Mello said it is important to continue communication after the purchase is made to provide the user with all the information about their order, and to get feedback and satisfaction throughout the process.
For his part, Colella introduced the world of blockchain, explaining its characteristics and benefits for digital commerce. Bitcoin, the world's best-known cryptocurrency, was created in 2008 to initiate transactions with a 100% digital currency, according to the expert's historical review. In 2014, this firm decided to release the system so that others could use it and create new opportunities, giving rise to the blockchain, or "block chain".
Colella pointed out that it is a system that provides high security with keys that are personal and non-transferable; transparency, as transaction information is available to all users; and speed, due to the elimination of intermediaries.
The expert also indicated that the blockchain is used in different sectors such as the public sector, with the management of public information (passports, documents, etc.) and even for voting in elections (this happened in Estonia with an innovative system); medicine, with the possibility of securely storing patients' medical records; and in the real estate sector with the use of smart contracts.
This meeting was sponsored by Fenicio eCommerce, MailUp, Pyxis and VTEX, and like all the meetings held during 2020 and 2021, you can relive it on the Youtube channel "CEDU Uruguay". https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnAmlBELH0REWgf-TwdXriA.
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