Louis Vuitton joins luxury brand chatbot trend

Louis
Vuitton has become the latest luxury brand to embrace the chatbot trend,
launching the LV Virtual Advisor chatbot on Facebook Messenger, using
artificial intelligence-based chatbot technology from mode.ai, according to a
Louis Vuitton press release.

The
mass-market potential of retail chatbots remains unclear, as recent research
has shown that some marketers don’t consider them a priority and some shoppers
are still hesitant to use them.

Yet overall
chatbot adoption seems to be gradually increasing. In particular segments of
retail, brands are readily embracing it. Beauty, where Sephora has led the way,
is one such segment, and luxury, where brands like Burberry were early to
embrace chatbots, is another.

 Luxury segment, chatbots may fit in well with the notion that customers are
willing to pay more not only for a superior brand, but also for superior
service. Chatbots, especially those enhanced with artificial intelligence, can
also provide another layer of support to the brand’s customer service strategy,
making customers feel like they are receiving personalized service, available
to them on a 24/7 basis.

Louis
Vuitton’s technology partner, mode.ai, has a history of infusing retail
chatbots with richer capabilities, and has partnered with Levi Strauss and
Rue21 in the past for virtual styling chatbots. The company is also helping
LV’s Virtual Advisor do more than just communicate at any hour. The chatbot
also allows users to share products with friends in Facebook Messenger, and
allows Facebook friends to vote on a user’s purchase choice. The chatbot can
search the brand’s full online product catalog, provide users with more
information about the brand itself and suggest product care instructions and
store locations.

This
chatbot could become more of a force for Louis Vuitton as the company expands
it to international regions and platforms, but for now, the company’s 20
million Facebook followers is a good starting point.

Source: https://www.retaildive.com/news/louis-vuitton-joins-luxury-brand-chatbot-trend/512680/