By Nermeen Nabil 
Online shopping can be tough for potential customers to navigate. They scroll through pages of products and read countless reviews. Still, they may not be sure what the perfect purchase is. This overwhelm can stop them from making a purchase decision.
That’s where ecommerce product advisors become invaluable. They help turn browsers into buyers by providing an interactive experience that prompts customers to answer needs-based questions. You then leverage this information to power your recommendation engine into matching the customer with right product that fits their specific requirements.
In this post, we’ll explore examples of how ecommerce brands use product advisor tools to engave customers and maximize conversions. Learn how implementing an ecommerce product advisor allows you to guide shoppers on their path to making a purchase.
What is an Ecommerce Product Advisor?
An ecommerce product advisor is a tool that guides online shoppers to their ideal purchases. This works by combining data-driven personalization with an interactive recommendation experience.
As customers engage with the tool, it prompts them to specify criteria. (For instance, size or use case.) The responses allow it to refine the product matches in real-time. The result? A hyper-relevant, curated selection of products for customers to choose from.
Analyzing the Impact of Ecommerce Product Advisors
The implementation of ecommerce product advisors can have an impact on many aspects of a business, from customer satisfaction to brand loyalty. Let’s explore how these interactive recommendation tools can drive success.
Enhancing the Customer Experience and Satisfaction
Online shoppers are often overwhelmed by choice, making it challenging to find the best products that align with their needs and preferences. In fact, 45% of consumers struggle to find products online because there’s too much choice. Ecommerce product advisors solve this pain point by guiding customers through a personalized journey.
This can provide a sense of clarity and confidence in the decision-making process. Customers feel understood and valued, as the recommendations cater to their unique requirements. This can lead to a more positive shopping experience.
Boosting Brand Loyalty
When customers engage with a product advisor, they experience a level of personalization and attentiveness that can be difficult to replicate through traditional ecommerce channels. The interactive nature of the advisor creates a sense of understanding. This can help customers perceive you as a trusted partner invested in their needs.
The curated recommendations can also introduce customers to new products or categories they may not have considered otherwise. This can give them a reason to keep coming back to your site and buy from your brand. In fact, over half of consumers report that they will become repeat customers after having a personalized experience.
Increasing Conversion Rates
E-commerce can come with high abandonment rates, as customers struggle to find the right products. This can have a big business impact, as 97% of people that come to your ecommerce site leave empty-handed.
When customers see a selection of products that align with their preferences, they are more likely to find what they are looking for. This can reduce frustration and increase the likelihood of a purchase.
However, when asked about personalized perks they would be willing to exchange their personal information for, 22% of U.S. consumers mentioned a product specifically designed for them, tailored to their exact preferences. 21% also indicated their willingness to exchange personal data for an expedited and highly targeted search experience. People want brands to put them on a path to purchase.
Increasing Average Order Value
In addition to driving higher conversion rates, product advisors can also positively impact a brand’s average order value (AOV). Anything you can do to increase AOV is important, as this metric is dependent on industry. It can also fluctuate.
For example, over the past twelve months, Luxury & Jewelry has seen the highest average order values, at $319, and Beauty & Personal Care has seen the lowest, at $74. By presenting complementary or related products during the recommendation process, product advisors can encourage customers to add additional items to their carts.
For instance, imagine a fashion brand. As a customer explores the available products, they can quickly find items that are the right fit for them. Then, ecommerce product advisors can offer complementary products and accessories.
All of these benefits come together to turn more traffic into sales with personalized product recommendations based on their specific needs and preferences.
Ecommerce Product Advisors: 5 Examples in Action
Now you know about ecommece product advisors and their impact. Wondering what they look like in practice? Explore these examples to see how leading brands are using this technology to their advantage.
1. Nespresso’s Ecommerce Product Advisor
Nespresso offers a range of coffee systems and capsules designed to cater to coffee aficionados across the world. But with so many choices available, how can customers find the right one? Nespresso’s product advisor guides customers to the perfect brew tailored to their tastes. Here’s how the product advisor takes customers from suggestions to sips.
Getting to Know Tastes
The advisor starts by prompting browsers to share details about your coffee preferences. This includes flavor profiles and brew type. This is how it builds a taste profile for each person using the advisor.
Vertuo System Exploration
For those who want a superior café-style experience at home, the advisor can showcase the innovative Vertuo system. This introduces the brewing technology that extracts the fullest flavors from each capsule. This way, interested shoppers can learn about the luxurious single-serve coffee options.
Original System Breakdown
For those who want an authentic espresso experience, the advisor can guide customers to Nespresso’s Original line. It showcases the high-pressure extraction and makes customers aware of all the available capsules.
Personal Recommendations
Using the insights it gathers, the advisor presents tailored Nespresso machine and capsule options. From there, customers can compare products and read tasting notes. This goes a long way to reduce overwhelm.
Gift/Product Finder
Nespresso also offers customers a product finder they call a “Gift Assistant”. Whether the gift recipient is celebrating a wedding or the gift giver simply wants to say “thank you”, Nespresso helps customers find the right machine, accessories, pods, or even a combination of the three, improving the gift shopping experience, cross and upsell more effectively, and ultimately boost sales.
2. Gardena’s Ecommerce Product Advisor
With a legacy spanning decades, Gardena has solidified its position as a trusted brand. It’s synonymous with quality and reliability. Gardena’s ecommerce product advisor helps customers navigate the website. It offers tailored solutions to meet the needs of gardening enthusiasts.
Exploring the Full Gardening Ecosystem
From robotic mowers to irrigation systems, Gardena’s catalog has solutions for gardens of any size. When customers land on the site, they know they’re in the right place to find specialized gear and bring green spaces to life.
Finding the Ideal Match
This is where Gardena’s guided advisor shines. Once you choose a category, it walks you through key questions about things like lawn size and desired features. Using customer input, the advisor curates tailored product recommendations.
Personalized Advice
What sets Gardena’s advisor apart is its depth. Customers get a top recommendation with a checklist of benefits or features. They can also see other recommendations that match their needs if they want to keep exploring.
3. 3M’s Ecommerce Product Advisor for Hearing Protection
3M stands with a stong commitment to protecting workers’ health and well-being Its ecommerce product advisor for hearing protection revolutionizes the way organizations protect their workforce from noise-induced hearing loss.
Personalized Guidance for Any Workplace
3M’s ecommerce product advisor is designed to match customers with hearing protection suited to their specific needs and work conditions. Through an intuitive guided process, it factors in details like comfort and work environment.
Providing the Right Product
Using advanced algorithms, the advisor analyzes data to curate personalized product recommendations. Customers will see selections from 3M’s catalog, including products like earplugs and headsets.
Streamlining the User Experience
Once customers get their recommendations, they can look at more details to confirm that it’s the right product for them. There’s also a “where to buy” option they can select. This makes it easy for them to locate the item and make their purchase.
4. 3M’s Product Advisor for Manufacturing Solutions
3M also offers solutions designed to optimize processes and streamline operations. However, selecting the right products to address specific manufacturing challenges can be a daunting task. This is where 3M’s product advisor for manufacturing solutions steps in.
Exploring Solutions for Any Application
3M’s catalog spans many manufacturing needs. While customers may have an idea of what their industry requires, it can still be difficult to narrow down all the options and find the right one. Take the industrial adhesive and tapes advisor, for example. This product advisor helps people easily find the right product for their application.
Getting Matches
The advisor is far more than a product list. It builds a detailed profile based on customer criteria. This happens by including questions like what customers need the product for and what use case needs to be covered.
3M streamlined the buying process so buyers can identify and purchase crucial products without relying on 1:1 interaction with a sales rep. By leveraging Zoovu’s semantic content enrichment capabilities, buyers understand different SKUs and find the right products based on usage and risk management. Implementing product advisors like this has helped 3M boost conversion rates.
5. Husqvarna’s Battery Advisor
Husqvarna is synonymous with reliability and excellence. The team also pays close attention to the needs of their market. That’s one reason why the company chose to introduce the battery Advisor. This simplifies the battery selection process.
Considering customer needs
Husqvarna’s battery advisor is a personalized guide to pairing you with the perfect power. The advisor begins by understanding your unique needs and equipment mix. Are you a homeowner tending to a garden? Or a professional landscaper tackling large commercial properties? Husqvarna factors in the tools that customers use.
Honing in on product
With applications in mind, the advisor explores crucial considerations like required runtimes between charges and performance expectations. This way, a big catalog of products becomes much more manageable.
Providing recommendations
At the end of this process, the customer gets to see the right product for them. They can dig into the details of the battery and related products, like chargers. In just a few clicks, customers can go from consideration to checkout.
It’s your turn to implement an ecommerce product advisor
As technology continues to evolve and consumer expectations shift, businesses must embrace the power of personalized recommendations. The guided selection process helps them remain competitive.
By prioritizing customer-centricity and innovation, companies can use product advisors to create meaningful connections with their audience. It also drives growth and makes a big impact on sales and customers.
Guided selling isn’t a trend. It is where online shopping is headed. The brands that truly get this and make shopping feel more like a chat than a transaction will see the impact on their bottom line.
Looking for a way to implement a product advisor tool in your ecommerce store? Check out Zoovu’s Product Discovery Platform. Request a demo here.
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Nermeen Nabil Khear