“I need a cold weather sleeping bag.”
WHY CONVERSATIONAL COMMERCE
Online stores are not just built around products. They are also built around their shoppers’ needs.
Ecommerce works well when a shopper already knows what they want and how the store describes it. The experience becomes harder when they have a problem to solve, several requirements to balance or no clear idea which product will suit them.
Conversational commerce gives the shopper a way to begin with that need. Instead of navigating the catalogue alone, they can explain what they are trying to achieve and receive guidance towards a suitable decision.
Shopping conversationI need a practical wedding gift for someone who loves cooking.
Shopping assistantOf course. Is there a budget you would like me to work within?
Under R1 200.
THE DISCOVERY GAP
Customers do not always shop in keywords.
Store search works well when a shopper already knows the product name, brand or category. It becomes less useful when the shopper has a problem to solve, several requirements at once or only a vague idea of what might work.
A customer may know that they need a durable toy for a medium-sized dog, a gift for someone who enjoys cooking or a bottle of wine for a particular meal. They should not need to translate that need into the exact keywords, filters and catalogue structure used by the store.
“Find me a dress for an outdoor winter wedding.”
“What wine works with spicy food?”
“I need a durable dog toy under R600.”
THE COMMERCIAL PROBLEM
The gap runs from product discovery to purchase.
Search is one of the main ways customers find products online, but it frequently struggles with the way people naturally express their needs. Even when a customer finds relevant options, they may still need information, comparison and reassurance before they feel ready to buy.
The opportunity for conversational commerce sits across that gap: helping customers express what they need, understand their options and continue towards a decision through a form of interaction they already use with businesses.
OBSERVED UX BENCHMARK56%
Search still fails many shoppers
Baymard’s 2026 benchmark of more than 170 ecommerce sites and apps found that 56% failed to support shoppers’ search needs adequately.
This matters because roughly half of the participants observed across Baymard’s ecommerce studies used search as their preferred product-finding method.
Baymard Institute · 2026 OBSERVED UX BENCHMARK43%Situational searches remain a particular gap
Nearly half of the sites assessed had problems with use-case searches describing how, where or when a product would be used—for example, “wedding gift”, “spring jacket” or “gaming laptop”.
The same research found substantial problems with compatibility and problem-led searches.
Baymard Institute · 2026 AGGREGATED BENCHMARK70.22%The journey remains fragile after cart creation
Baymard’s aggregated data from 50 ecommerce studies puts the average documented cart-abandonment rate at 70.22%.
Conversation cannot remove every reason for abandonment, but it can help preserve context and resolve uncertainty before and after a cart is created.
Baymard Institute · 2026 GLOBAL CONSUMER RESEARCH72.4%Customers are open to buying through conversation
A 2026 survey of 11,056 adults across 22 markets found that 72.4% were more likely to purchase from a brand that offered messaging.
Messaging is already part of how customers ask questions, discuss products and interact with businesses.
State of Business Messaging · 2026THE WORK OF SHOPPING
Online stores make the customer do much of the work.
Most ecommerce stores are organised around the catalogue: departments, categories, brands, attributes and filters. That structure helps the merchant manage products, but it does not necessarily reflect how customers make decisions.
A shopper may need to compare unfamiliar options, balance several requirements or work out which product is appropriate for a particular person or situation. Every search, filter and product page asks the shopper to do more of that work for themselves.
When the effort becomes greater than the shopper’s confidence that they will find the right answer, leaving is often easier than continuing.
FINDING IS NOT CHOOSING
A relevant result is not always a confident decision.
Search can return products that match a phrase. Filters can narrow a catalogue. Recommendations can surface products based on rules or previous behaviour. None of these necessarily helps a shopper understand which option is right for their particular need.
This matters most when a purchase depends on taste, fit, compatibility, expertise or context. A shopper may be looking at several technically suitable products while still lacking the confidence to choose between them.
In a physical store, a knowledgeable person would ask questions, explain the trade-offs and recommend a way forward. Most online stores leave that layer of guidance to product copy, reviews and the shopper’s own research.
A DIFFERENT STARTING POINT
From finding a product to understanding a need.
Search, filters and recommendations remain important parts of ecommerce. Guided conversation adds a different capability: the ability to begin with the shopper’s situation and clarify what would make a product suitable.
| Comparison area | Store search | Filters and recommendations | Guided conversation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts with | A keyword or known product | A category, attribute or previous behaviour | What the shopper is trying to achieve |
| Several requirements | Difficult to express in one query | Limited to predefined attributes and rules | Requirements can be considered together |
| Follow-up questions | No | No | Missing information can be clarified |
| Trade-offs | Left to the shopper | May narrow the available options | Suitable options can be compared in context |
| Merchant expertise | Reflected mainly in catalogue structure and product copy | Applied through configured rules | Can inform guidance during the decision |
| Uncertain shoppers | Must refine the search themselves | Must choose between the options presented | Can receive help working out what suits them |
| Merchant insight | Search terms and clicks | Product and recommendation activity | Needs, preferences, objections and unmet demand |
GUIDANCE, NOT JUST CHAT
Conversation changes where the shopping journey begins.
The important change is not the presence of a chat box. It is the ability to begin with the customer’s situation rather than a product category.
A useful conversation can clarify the request, ask about constraints and help the shopper compare suitable options. Requirements can be developed over several exchanges instead of forcing the shopper to formulate the perfect search at the start.
This does not remove the catalogue, product page, cart or checkout. It adds guidance around them, helping the shopper move from an uncertain need towards an informed choice.
Research into conversational recommender systems describes this as the incremental elicitation of preferences: learning what matters to the customer through interaction and using that information to support discovery and decision-making.
Jannach et al. · ACM Computing SurveysBEYOND BEHAVIOURAL DATA
Conversations reveal the reasons behind the clicks.
Conventional ecommerce analytics show what happened: the pages someone viewed, the products they selected, the cart they abandoned and the order they completed.
A conversation can provide another layer of information. It can reveal what the shopper wanted, which constraints mattered, what they could not find and where uncertainty remained.
Across enough conversations, these signals can help a merchant identify recurring demand, missing products, unavailable sizes or variants, common objections and points where customers struggle to make a decision.
This does not replace behavioural analytics. It helps explain some of the customer intent behind them.
See how AnyCart measures conversations and commerceWHERE GUIDANCE EARNS ITS PLACE
The value increases when the decision requires context.
Conversational commerce is most useful when choosing well requires more than locating a product.
Specialist products
Where customers benefit from knowledge they may not have themselves.
Several requirements at once
Where suitability depends on price, use, size, style, compatibility or other combined constraints.
Taste and preference
Where there may be several valid choices but no single objectively correct answer.
Gifting and occasions
Where the shopper is buying for another person or a particular context.
Large or unfamiliar catalogues
Where customers may not know which category, product name or terminology to use.
High-consideration purchases
Where uncertainty can prevent an otherwise interested shopper from committing.
Not every purchase requires a conversation. A customer buying a familiar, repeat product may be better served by fast search and checkout. Conversational commerce earns its place where guidance materially improves the decision.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Conversational commerce: frequently asked questions.
What is conversational commerce?
Conversational commerce allows shoppers to discover, compare and move towards buying products through a conversation.
The customer can explain what they need, answer useful follow-up questions and receive guidance without first having to understand the store’s catalogue structure.
How is conversational commerce different from store search?
Store search generally begins with a keyword, product name or category. A conversation can begin with a need, ask for missing information and consider several requirements together.
The two approaches are complementary. Conversational commerce does not remove the need for good search, navigation, filters or product pages.
Is conversational commerce just another chatbot?
A chat interface alone does not create useful conversational commerce.
The conversation needs access to relevant product information and must be able to support a genuine part of the shopping journey. A general chatbot that answers broad questions without understanding the merchant’s catalogue offers much less commercial value.
Does conversational commerce replace the online store?
No. It adds guidance to the existing store.
Product pages, carts and checkout still perform their normal roles. The conversation helps customers work out what they need, consider suitable products and move towards those existing parts of the buying journey.
Does the customer have to complete payment in the conversation?
No. Conversational commerce can guide the customer towards the merchant’s existing checkout rather than handling payment inside the conversation.
AnyCart builds the shopper’s cart and sends them to the merchant’s Shopify checkout, where payment is handled through Shopify.
Where can conversational commerce operate?
It can operate through website chat, messaging platforms or other conversational interfaces, depending on the merchant and its customers.
AnyCart currently supports website chat, WhatsApp and Telegram.
Is conversational commerce suitable for every store?
It is most valuable where customers benefit from guidance, comparison or specialist knowledge.
Stores selling familiar, low-consideration products may find that conventional search and checkout already serve many transactions well. Conversation should be used where it makes the buying decision easier, not added merely for the sake of having a chat interface.
What can merchants learn from customer conversations?
Conversations can reveal what shoppers want, the constraints shaping their decisions, products or variants they cannot find and the reasons a suitable match may not lead to a sale.
Combined with normal commerce data, these signals can give merchants a clearer view of demand, customer uncertainty and missed opportunities.
Can conversational commerce reflect a merchant’s expertise?
Yes. The experience can be shaped by the merchant’s product knowledge, priorities, rules and preferred way of advising customers.
AnyCart can also use additional guidance such as buying guides, lookbooks, product notes or specialist documents when assisting shoppers.
How does AnyCart apply conversational commerce?
AnyCart connects guided conversation to the merchant’s product catalogue, product guidance, cart and Shopify checkout.
It helps customers explain what they need, consider suitable products and move towards purchase while giving the merchant clearer insight into customer demand and shopping intent.
How can I try it?
You can create a limited private preview using your store’s public Shopify URL, or speak to the AnyCart team about a merchant deployment.
READY TO SEE IT IN ACTION?
Bring guided commerce to your store.
See how AnyCart can help your customers find the right products and move towards checkout.