Travel and tourism players have begun to explore the potential of generative artificial intelligence. Like Expedia and Kayak, the airline company Transavia is experimenting with ChatGPT through a recommendation engine.
In e-commerce, the French Cdiscount is also leading initiatives in this sector of generative AI or IA Gen. Casino’s online sales subsidiary has not developed its own technology. She relied on iAdvize, which offers a conversational platform.
A chatbot connected to the product catalog
The editor strives to design next-generation chatbots taking advantage of LLM models to equip e-merchants. It is in this context that the company has partnered with Cdiscount to provide it with a digital assistant or digital advisor.
Technology based on generative AI is therefore connected to the product catalog of the online store. It therefore has access to all the information and characteristics of its references.
This knowledge base thus allows the chatbot to answer questions relating to the products, and by using a personalized tone to match that of the brand. The chatbot is accessible by the site’s 8 million customers.
On the other hand, it is currently possible for him to respond to queries in natural language only for products in the household appliances category. “This conversational bot is intended to gradually cover other product categories”, specify the two partners.
Autonomous on 40% of questions and 70% more satisfaction
“Cdiscount is the first e-merchant to deploy this technology on this scale”, they nevertheless already claim. iAdvize promises “unparalleled results” for a chatbot and “close to human performance.”
Still according to the technology provider, the conversational tool doped with generative AI can claim “levels of satisfaction three times higher than the performance of bots of older generations.”
This assessment should be put into perspective given the low use made of current chatbots, which have become a simple convenience, and the satisfaction of Internet users with them. It is also appropriate with generative AI to avoid hallucinations.
iAdvize responds to this risk by a configuration guaranteeing that the answers provided by the bot are based solely on the characteristics provided by the brand. In addition, in the absence of a response, the bot automatically redirects the Internet user to human advisors.
Hallucinations under control
Reliability of responses and confidentiality of data were two imperatives for Cdiscount. On the compliance side, iAdvize highlights strict compliance with the GDPR and data hosting in Europe.
In terms of reliability, the publisher claims a controlled AI with first “particularly significant” results to support this assertion. “AI can already answer 40% of questions autonomously.”
These performances are confirmed by e-retailers. “The first results are exciting. In just a few weeks, the AI is already able to completely process 40% of conversations and generates more than 70% satisfaction,” says Antoine Pierart, Marketing and Customer Experience Director.
The chatbot was tested for two months, in April and May. The conversational tool was deployed on a scale in June on a first category of products. CDiscount plans to extend it to “other product universes such as televisions, laptops and garden furniture.”