In today’s digital world, a brand’s online presence is just as significant as its services and products.
Now, even more tools and technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can enhance a company’s marketing strategies or web design.
AI can help build impressive and engaging marketing campaigns, some of which trend worldwide and raise a large amount of brand awareness, or use its tools to create AI-generated images for advertising campaigns.
AI can also analyse customer patterns and behaviours to offer a personalised web design with relevant content to match the needs and preferences of each customer. This results in increased sales, which leads to a return on investment, and customer loyalty, which leads to a high retention rate.
Here are nine well-known companies that are using AI algorithms and applications to enhance marketing and web design in 2023.
Duolingo
Educational technology app Duolingo, which 37 million people use a month to learn a language, utilises artificial intelligence to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each user.
Lessons and exercises on the app are adjusted according to the AI data, giving each user a more efficient learning plan which offers more guidance towards their common grammar or spelling mistakes. AI also analyses the sounds and patterns of a user’s speech so that Duolingo can provide targeted feedback on your pronunciation.
Besides providing personalised lessons and feedback, Duolingo also uses AI applications to create the custom voices of their characters, including Lily, Zari, and Oscar.
Netflix
We all know by now that Netflix uses artificial intelligence algorithms to analyse our viewing patterns and suggest relevant TV shows, films and documentaries for us to watch.
The personalised content we see on the home screen of our Netflix account is created by AI bots who have filtered through massive volumes of data.
Relevant content suggestions lead to higher consumer engagement and retention rates, as users don’t struggle to find something to watch, so they come back to the streaming service time after time.
Netflix also uses AI during the pre-production process of its original TV shows, films and documentaries, for example, by gathering data on the availability of prospective actresses and actors and their locations to decide where to shoot the upcoming content.
Uber
Transportation app Uber utilises artificial intelligence to detect account frauds, pair drivers and passengers, choose the best travel routes, estimate passenger demand, and power their customer support chat. Uber also uses machine learning to suggest where users may want to travel based on their search history.
With 131 million people using Uber in 2022, the transportation service must provide reliable and good customer service. Customers seeking help or support speak to an AI-powered chatbot before being connected to the most relevant agents in the department.
On April 20, 2023, Uber filed an updated patent application for a system that would use AI and machine learning to match passengers and drivers.
The data would forecast a customer’s potential ride requests by analysing their Uber profile, such as usage history or location data. The outcome then determines whether the user should be considered for ‘pre-request matching’, which would see a driver relocate to a specific location to reduce that user’s wait times if they request a ride.
Amazon
Amazon currently dominates the e-commerce industry, with a market share of over 30% in the United Kingdom and almost 38% in the United States, and over 200 million Prime members (Amazon subscribers) globally.
The e-commerce giant uses artificial intelligence to recommend and personalise product suggestions for each user. These suggestions are based on browsing and purchase history, on and off the Amazon website or app.
Offering each user a personalised homepage of products enhances user experience, as the products they want or need are right in front of them, and increases sales, as they can place an order with just a few clicks.
Amazon also uses AI to reduce prices to evoke more sales when needed and increase costs when demand for a product is high. The automatic algorithm enables the highest level of sales and revenue.
Nike
Nike offers athletic shoes and apparel sales, customer support, workouts, training programs, and loyalty incentives through their website and an extensive array of apps. Artificial intelligence technology then gathers customer data from these apps to allow Nike to optimise the consumer experience.
Nike uses data, such as what workouts a customer is interested in, to give each customer more targeted product and service offers. Customers can then access personalised workouts and sports experts through the Nike Plus rewards program.
The Nike Fit app uses a combination of AI applications, including computer vision and machine learning, to create a digital picture of a customer’s foot and make informed product recommendations. This enhances customer experience, saves someone the time and effort of going into the shop, and results in more sales.
Starbucks
Starbucks uses artificial intelligence to enhance and personalise its reward program to connect better with customers.
The international coffee house chain uses its loyalty card and mobile app to collect and analyse customer data, including purchases, what Starbucks stores they visited, and at what time of day. This data is then used to deliver personalised marketing messages to each customer, including drink recommendations when they’re near their local store.
Starbucks also uses data from 90 million weekly transactions to make informed business decisions, such as which products are working, which aren’t and where to open new stores.
The app has a virtual barista service powered by AI, which allows customers to place orders from their mobiles using voice commands.
Sephora
Beauty retailer Sephora uses artificial intelligence data to personalise its website design and create marketing content that results in a more engaging shopping experience.
AI algorithms analyse user behaviour, purchase history and preferences to offer personalised product recommendations and show relevant content.
Sephora also offers an AI and augmented reality (AR) integrated application, Sephora Virtual Artist, that helps consumers find their perfect makeup shades and styles by uploading a photo of themselves. The platform is partnered with AR and AI website ModiFace, a beauty industry market leader.
Parham Aarabi, CEO of ModiFace: “You simply send a photo to Sephora Virtual Artist and magically, it tells you the shade matching to the object in the photo, which you can try on and purchase right there. It is a very low-friction and straightforward process.”
ASOS
ASOS has around 85,000 products in their catalogue at one time, with 5,000 new products being added every week. So, the online fashion retailer uses artificial intelligence algorithms and applications to personalise each shopper’s product display and help them understand their clothes size.
Machine learning analyses customer data to adapt the website design so individual shoppers see the most relevant products and offers. This enhances customer experience, increases the likelihood of conversion, and subsequently increases retention.
Walkers
Crisp manufacturer Lays, known as Walkers in the UK and Ireland, uses their sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League and artificial intelligence to offer Messi Messages, a unique and interactive marketing campaign.
Football legend and Lays brand ambassador Lionel Messi was recorded saying a generic message, but some parts of the video are left to be customised with a personal message.
With the help of deep fake technology, you can enter your name and your friend’s name and instantly receive a video of Messi inviting your chosen friend, on your behalf, to watch the game or match. You can also decide whether to watch the game at your place, their place or online.
Lays launched the ongoing campaign in 20 countries and ten languages to increase brand awareness.
Conclusion
E-commerce is a $2 trillion market, and businesses can expect artificial intelligence (AI) to push this number even higher.
AI can make future predictions about sales and spikes, understand customers better, take a load off the business owner, provide better customer support by offering it 24/7, and target customers who are likely to purchase with personalised product recommendations. This is the reason 91.5% of leading businesses invest in AI regularly.
