In this busy Christmas shopping season on the web, Botnation, the French platform for creating scalable chatbots, wanted to know on which types of e-commerce sites consumers most wanted or needed support via chatbots.
A survey of 3,859 people reveals the importance of conversation for online shoppers, as well as where and when to start these discussions.
The 3 types of sites where the French want more chatbots :
71%: Reservations for accommodation, stays (Airbnb, Booking, etc.)
65%: Generalist marketplaces (Amazon, Target, AliExpress, etc.)
62%: Fashion, clothing, apparel (Veepee, Vinted, etc.)
For 27% of consumers, the most important time to use a chatbot is: At the end of the purchase for delivery and receipt details
47% of French people prefer a site with a chatbot to one without.
62% ofFrench people still don’t have enough conversational tools on their websites
“Users always make tools evolve. The same goes for chatbots. With this survey, we see that conversation is important at all points in the customer journey, and perhaps more so at the end, when the customer needs reassurance and clearer follow-up of their purchases. Botnation has been established on the French conversational agent market for over 5 years, and has worked with hundreds of companies and organizations. It’s a simple fact: chatbots considerably increase the accessibility of sites and services, not only by responding to users and prospects 24/7, but also by identifying new user needs by detecting hitherto unforeseen queries (unanswered questions). It’s a real winning duo with marketing and customer service teams, not only for the company but above all for its users “, commented Emmanuel FRANÇOISE, founder of Botnation.
Where do the French want more chatbots?
In order to support them when shopping online, the French clearly have preferences for sites where they would like to be able to access conversational tools such as chatbots. Thus, accommodation and stay booking sites (such as (Airbnb, Booking, etc.) come out on top with 71% of votes. Generalist market places (Amazon, Target, AliExpress, etc.) are in second place with 65%. Finally, on the third step of the podium with 62%, sites dedicated to fashion and clothing (Veepee, Vinted, etc.) are the most popular with the French.
What are the three types of site for which you like or would like to have the support of a Chatbot?
| Ranking | Answers | Percentages |
| N°1 | Reservations for accommodation and stays (Airbnb, Booking, etc.) | 71 % |
| N°2 | Generalist marketplaces (Amazon, Target, AliExpress, etc.) | 65 % |
| N°3 | Fashion, clothing, apparel, etc. (Veepee, Vinted, etc.) | 62 % |
| N°4 | Online ticketing (Ticket Master, Billet Réduc, etc.) | 57 % |
| N°5 | Beauty, health, care (Yves Rocher, Sephora, etc.) | 52 % |
| N°6 | Furniture & decoration (Ikea, Gifi, etc.) | 51 % |
| N°7 | Electronics and household appliances (Cdiscount, Darty, etc.) | 51 % |
| N°8 | Cultural products (Fnac, Cultura, etc.) | 42 % |
| N°9 | Food & FMCG (E.Leclerc, Carrefour, Auchan, etc.) | 28 % |
| N°10 | Games and Toys (Oxybul, JoueClub, etc.) | 22 % |
| N°11 | Other | 3 % |
When do the French want help from chatbots?
If the French need automated support, they don’t want it at any time. In fact, 27% of those surveyed prefer to use a chatbot at the end of their purchases to obtain more information and details on the delivery of their product and how to receive it. Technical problems and after-sales service came a close second, with 25% of votes, just ahead of the need for information on selected products prior to purchase. Next, more than 13% of French people would like to be accompanied by a chatbot throughout the customer experience.
When would you like the most support from a chatbot?
| Answers | Percentages |
| At the end of my purchase for delivery and reception terms and conditions | 27 % |
| For my technical problems, after-sales service, etc. | 25 % |
| For information on selected products | 24 % |
| Throughout the customer journey | 13 % |
| At the time of payment | 5 % |
| At the very beginning of my research | 3 % |
| To discuss new offers, developments, etc. | 1 % |
| I don’t know | 1 % |
| Other | 1 % |
The French = chatbot in love!
When searching and browsing, French Internet users clearly prefer sites that now offer chatbots. That’s what over 47% of those questioned said. For 28%, it doesn’t matter, and only 25% don’t appreciate such tools.
Choosing between two sites, you prefer :
| Answers | Percentages |
| Whoever has a chatbot | 47 % |
| The one without a chatbot | 25 % |
| It doesn’t matter | 28 % |
More conversations with a chatbot!
For 62% of French people, websites still don’t offer enough tools to communicate and converse with their customers. Conversation is therefore very important, and needs to be improved and diversified to meet all needs. 23% consider that there are enough conversational tools, and 15% too many.
In your opinion :
| Answers | Percentages |
| Sites don’t offer enough tools to communicate and converse with their customers | 62 % |
| Sites offer enough tools to communicate and converse with their customers | 23 % |
| Sites offer too many tools to communicate and converse with their customers | 15 % |
* Methodology: survey of 3,859 people throughout France aged 18 and over, conducted online, on the proprietary BuzzPress France panel, using the quota method, during the period December 3 to 9, 2021.
All the information provided by respondents is declarative.
About BotNation
Founded in 2017 by Emmanuel FRANCOISE, Botnation is a chatbot creation platform based on proprietary AI. Botnation offers a freemium, ergonomic and “nocode” offering including free tutorials and templates. The platform simplifies chatbot creation for all websites, WordPress, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Whatsapp.
The platform can be used live by companies, agencies and even students wishing to discover the power of artificial intelligence developed by Botnation.
The Botnation team consists of 10 people, divided between Paris and Rennes. The company already has several hundred customers, including major accounts such as Cdiscount, Enedis, Keolis, Société Générale and Facebook, as well as hundreds of SMEs.
In just a few years, Botnation has generated tens of millions of conversations and billions of exchanged messages.
