Wal-Mart Asda hires virtual assistant for grocery website

Wal-Mart’s Asda in the UK has installed a virtual assistant on its groceries website, a friendly face that understands typed queries and can help customers find their way around the supermarket’s online offering. British website InternetRetailing reported that the browser-based customer service representative, known as Amy, was developed by Manchester-based digital marketing specialist KMP Digitata. Amy understands natural language queries and is driven by a continuously updated knowledge base. Amy is currently fielding more than 22,000 enquiries a week, with the average conversation involving three interactions. The most common line of enquiry involves deliveries and online product searches. “We always get the thumbs up from customers for providing the best service in stores and now we’re extending the service we offer them online,” said Jackie Hill, Head of Marketing Communications at Asda. “We really are ‘always happy to help’ and with one million more customers shopping with us online now than a year ago, it seems they agree.”

www.planetretail.net