As retailers seek to gain competitive advantage and brand loyalty in a rapidly shifting market - and one where customer expectations continue to grow - excellent service is now the edge which can mean the difference between success and failure.

Those retailers which can provide a seamless experience backed up with excellent service and a cohesive brand experience will find that customers are inclined to use them again - even where cheaper alternatives may be available elsewhere. This is particularly the case with more involved or high-end purchases.

One way in which online retailers and those with e-commerce operations are facilitating great customer experiences online is by adding chatbots to their website pages. These can be automated for simple questions or staffed by human agents for more complex enquiries. Either way, they offer significant benefits from a customer perspective, primarily the chance to have a question answered immediately and without the need to make a call or offline contact.

Retailers are finding too that the use of automation for simpler queries, combined with machine learning, allows them to streamline their operation and offer a great service without the expense of added customer service agents for routine enquiries. Instead, they can focus on training their service team to be ready to respond to more involved queries and to help a customer towards a sale where required.

Chatbots also help to reinforce a brand experience and provide e-commerce retailers with the chance to add the functionality to key pages to drive conversions - boosting sales in the process, whilst giving the customer what they want. It is just another great example of how safe shopping online is being further enhanced by new technologies - meeting customer needs and helping brands to do more retail business in the process.