Tag: conversational ui

Facebook Allows Messenger Chatbots To Accept Payments

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook will soon allow chatbots on its Messenger service to accept payments. Messenger bots will be able to use credit card information users saved in Facebook or Messenger without having to open a webpage to complete purchases. Developers can now apply for a closed beta test program if they wish to add this feature, which Facebook says will become more broadly available by the end of the year. To ensure a smooth checkout experience that supports most payment options, Facebook is reportedly working with all the major players in digital payments including Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

What Brands Need To Do
This new feature marks an important step for Facebook to fully realize the ecommerce potential of chatbots. It creates a frictionless purchase experience within chat that signals huge opportunities for social commerce, as WeChat’s success in China has shown. Therefore, brands that are consider developing Messenger bots need to take this new capability into account.

For more information on how brands can effectively reach consumers on messaging apps and other conversational platforms, check out the Conversational Interfaces section in our Outlook 2016 and our latest Fast Forward analysis on chatbots. If you wish to develop a branded chatbot to connect with consumers on messaging apps, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: TechCrunch

Twitter And Sling TV Venture Into Conversational Interfaces

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Twitter and Sling TV are expanding the ways users can interact with their services as they add support for voice-activated digital assistants. Twitter developed an Alexa Skill that leverages Amazon’s voice assistant service to let users hear trending topics, top tweets, notifications, and more. Sling TV has integrated with Cortana, Microsoft’s voice assistant service, on Windows 10 devices to allow users to search for specific shows or channels via voice commands.

What Brands Need To Do
Conversational interfaces have been gaining traction and voice-based interfaces in particular are changing the way consumers interact with their gadgets, creating a new paradigm for human-computer interaction. Therefore, brands should take a cue from Twitter and Sling TV and start exploring how to integrate your brand’s service into this type of interface.

For more information on how brands can take advantage of the rise of conversational interfaces, please check out the Conversational Interfaces section in our Outlook 2016.

 

Sources: Tech Times & Engadget

Amazon Pushes Alexa To More Devices, Tests Notifications

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon is integrating its digital assistant service Alexa into more devices, including its new Fire HD 8 tablets and third-party devices such as LG’s SmartThinQ Hub. Users of Amazon’s Fire TV devices can now also use Alexa for universal search across various streaming platforms such as Netflix, HBO GO, and Amazon Prime Video. In addition, The Information reports that Amazon is looking to add spoken notifications to Alexa, allowing it to speak up unprompted for helpful reminders and alerts.

What Brands Need To Do
As Amazon continues to improve Alexa’s functionality and expand it to more devices to reach a bigger audience, it is quickly establishing itself as a leader in the digital assistant market. The type of hands-free, voice-based interactions that Alexa enables are set to drastically change how consumers get information and interact with brands. For additional information on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Sources: Various sites as linked in the article

Apple’s iPhone 7 Event Preview: What Marketers Should Look Out For

Posted on by Richard Yao

Apple is holding its annual iPhone event on Wednesday in San Francisco, and based on the early reports and leaked intelligence, the new iPhone 7 will undoubtedly be the star of the show. Here is a roundup of things that marketers should look out for tomorrow from Apple’s press event.

iPhone 7 To Make Push For Siri & Conversational Interfaces
By all accounts, Apple will be unveiling the next-gen iPhones, which will come with faster processors and bigger storages, but won’t look that much different than the iPhone 6 and 6s – save for two important changes.

To start with, the new iPhone 7 Plus will reportedly be equipped with a dual-lens camera, which will unlock some more advanced photography features for consumers. The iPhone 7 will also most likely come without a 3.5mm headphone jack, which could boost the usage of wireless headphones. This, coupled with the extended functionality of Siri thanks to the new SiriKit, could encourage iPhone users to interact with Siri more and help familiarize them with the type of conversational interfaces that are changing the way consumers interact with brands. (For more on this topic, check out the in-depth analysis in our 2016 Outlook.)

Faster Apple Watch With Built-in GPS
Besides a new iPhone, Apple is also set to release an Apple Watch update that will reportedly launch apps seven times faster and come with a built-in GPS for more accurate fitness tracking. As Apple continues to improve its wearable products, brands in the healthcare and fitness, athletic wear, or other fitness-adjacent fields should consider developing an Apple Watch app to reach their target audiences.

New Softwares Extend Apple Pay Support
Along with the annual September event, the new Apple operating systems announced at this year’s WWDC will come out of beta testing and become available for the masses. One significant feature these upgrades will bring is the ability to use Apple Pay across iPhone, Apple Watch, and the Safari browser on Mac computers, enabling Apple Pay users to complete their online orders seamlessly regardless of the device they are using. For more marketing implications the software upgrades are set to bring, check out our Fast Forward analysis on the 2016 WWDC event.

One more thing, maybe?
Apple has been reportedly working on a variety of projects that range from self-driving cars to AR products, but none of them appear to be anywhere near ready to be publicly announced at the moment. Still, don’t be too shocked if Apple decides to surprise the world with a “one-more-thing” type of announcement.

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow to read our take on Apple’s announcements.

 

Sources: Bloomberg & 9to5Mac & The Verge

Starbucks Launches Facebook Chatbot To Hype Pumpkin Spice Latte

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Summer is nearing its end, so Starbucks has already started hyping the impending return of its best-selling seasonal product Pumpkin Spice Latte with a chatbot on Facebook Messenger. The bot is designed as an engagement tool to get fans excited for PSL’s upcoming return. Users can take a PSL-themed fan quiz or ask a question, to which the bot will answer with a seemingly random piece of old social media content. The bot does not respond to any question about the product or Starbucks.

What Brands Need To Do
As we pointed out in our Medium post on branded chatbots, they serve as a great tool for handling basic customer service and other single-focus tasks such as gathering feedback. This Starbucks chatbot is designed as a silly fun game for people to have a pretend conversation with, leveraging the messaging platform for content marketing, and it does the job admirably.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about building chatbots. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: The Verge

WhatsApp Shares User Data With Facebook & Readies For Business Accounts

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Popular messaging app WhatsApp announced today that it will start sharing a limited amount of user data, including individuals’ phone numbers, with its parent company Facebook. This will allow Facebook to offer better friend suggestions by mapping users’ social connections and deliver more relevant ads on the social network. The company is also planning to allow businesses to use its service to connect with users by the end of the year, allowing them to send targeted promotional messages.

Why Brands Should Care
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, amassing over one billion global users so far. Previously very cautious towards ads, WhatsApp is now laying the groundwork for monetizing its service by easing its privacy rules. By opening up part of its user data to Facebook, it is giving the social network a boost in reaching mobile consumers, especially those in international markets where Whatsapp is most popular in, with more targeted messages via its ad network. For brands with an international presence, this should come as a welcomed change that heralds future opportunities in reaching customers on the messaging app.

 

Source: TechCrunch

 

Amazon’s Alexa Now Supports Long-Form Audio Streaming

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon has updated Alexa Skill Kit to add support for long-form audio streaming as well as playback controls, making it possible for developers to create Alexa skills that incorporate audio content like podcasts, news stories, and live streams. Previously, Alexa only supported short audio content up to 90 seconds long.

What Brands Need To Do
Thanks to the Serial-led podcast renaissance in recent years, many brands have tried their hands at sponsoring podcasts to reach listeners. Some brands, including Prudential, Umpqua Bank, and GE, even created their own podcasts as part of their content marketing. This new Alexa feature allows brands to incorporate their existing audio content into Alexa skills for a richer user experience. It also opens the door for brands to work with developers to experiment with other long-form audio content to further engage Alexa users.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab. For additional information on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: Amazon Developer

 

Samsung’s Health App Will Connect You To Chat With A Local Expert

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Samsung is adding the Ask Experts service to its S Health App which promises to connect users to healthcare experts in their local areas. Only available in South Korea at the moment, the service will allow users to ask questions and get advice from local professional health consultants via text, phone, or a simple search, according to Samsung.

What Healthcare Brands Need To Do
By integrating this kind of conversational service into its app, Samsung provides users with an on-demand healthcare tool that caters to mobile users’ increasing usage and fondness of messaging apps. As more services become available through conversational platforms, healthcare and pharmaceutical brands should consider moving into the space to make their services and products more easily accessible. Boston Children’s Hospital, for example, launched an Alexa skill earlier this year for answering questions about children’s health and has plans to further integrate the voice-activated digital assistant from Amazon into its services.

For more information on how brands can navigate the new rules of discovery and other challenges they may encounter on conversational platforms, check out the Conversational Interfaces section in our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: The Verge

Hyundai Develops Alexa Skill For Remote Car Control

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Hyundai has become the first auto brand to bring Alexa integration into cars as it launches a new Alexa skill to remotely control a variety of car functions on its Genesis models. Available on the Genesis G80 now and soon on the G90 models, the integration allows car owners to speak their commands to Alexa-enabled devices at home to perform tasks such as lock and unlock the car, set the AC temperature, or even honk the horn.

In related news, the automaker is partnering with Amazon for an on-demand test drive program. During this weekend and next, Prime members in Los Angeles and Orange County can request a 2017 Hyundai Elantra be delivered to their door for a test drive.

Why Brands Should Care
With this Alexa integration, Hyundai has found a way to plug their connected cars into the smart home space and open up new possibilities for them to connect with customers at home. Similarly, Volkswagen struck a partnership with LG earlier this summer to connect its vehicles to smart home devices and other gadgets. As automakers experiment with smart home device connectivity to expand the reach of their services, other brands should take note and start exploring this space to reach customers at home as well.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab. For additional information on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: AdAge

Singapore Bank Develops Chatbot To Handle Banking Tasks Via Text

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Singaporean bank DBS wants customers to handle their common banking tasks by texting a chatbot. Available via text and soon on WeChat and Whatsapp, the chatbot uses natural language processing to understand customers’ requests and carries out transactions as commanded. DBS says the SMS bot was created in partnership with U.S.-based Kasisto, a spin-off of SRI International, the company that created Siri.

What Brands Need To Do
DBS Bank’s chatbot serves as a user-friendly banking tool that caters to mobile users’ increasing usage and fondness of messaging apps. As branded bots are poised to become a crucial tool, brands should consider developing bots to reach customers on messaging apps that are popular among mobile users. For more information on this topic, check out our Medium post on branded chatbots.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about building chatbots. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Mashable