discover how robots became “consultants” for online stores to speed up Christmas shopping

Rodrigo’s experience is far from being the only one. With advances in AI tools, the way Brazilians search for products, compare prices and shop has already started to change.

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— The chatbot asks questions about what the person likes to do, their characteristics, their current life, and the conversation continues to unfold. At the beginning of the year, I needed to buy a gift for my cousin. He continued to ask until I mentioned that she was going to a new house. He recommended a panel to turn on the television and she was pleased with the gift, Rodrigo said.

This Christmas ends the first year in which Brazilian commerce put AI – which was already gaining ground in the internal engineering of e-commerce platforms – in direct contact with the consumer, helping them make better and faster decisions.

— This is the year to test visible AI, especially in search, service and shopping assistants, with a focus on reducing friction and creating a clearer journey — says Jhonata Emerick, CEO of Datarisk.

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The digital curation of a bot, which filters options and makes comparisons for those who have no intention of delving into search engines, apps or retail websites, appeals to Brazilians. A study by the consulting firm Bain & Company, carried out in July among 830 consumers, to which O GLOBO had exclusive access, shows that more than half of Brazilians would migrate their purchases to a virtual assistant.

The group reaches 75% depending on the product category. One in two people prefer to use the assistant integrated with AI tools that are already part of their daily life, while 40% would adopt the solution within the brand’s own site or application.

— The Brazilian consumer has understood that there is a new way to buy digitally. Instead of starting the journey by manually clicking, filtering and comparing, it starts buying by talking — explains Thiago Delfino, partner at Bain & Company. — It’s not just about selling more, but about reducing cognitive effort, increasing trust and redefining the relationship between customers and brands.

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Unlike in the United States, where global AI platforms are already starting to integrate with store payment systems and methods, in Brazil this revolution is happening on retailers’ apps and websites, in addition to their own channels on WhatsApp, given the high level of adoption by Brazilians of the messaging app.

Higher Sales Conversion

In women’s fashion, C&A launched the “AI Personal Shopper” in November, a sort of AI-enabled digital consultant that can be found in a tab of the brand’s application. The customer talks to the robot and receives suggestions for looks, combinations and gifts.

The consumer writes information such as their age, style, amount they want to spend and even the occasion, like a hidden friend, in the chat bar. The more details, the more targeted the suggestions, including money-saving promotions. The solution began testing in August and has already seen a five times higher conversion rate, says Roni Magalhães, director of digital channels at C&A:

— There is a reduction in cart abandonments and, in many cases, an increase in the average ticket.

Aware of the reach of WhatsApp – the most used network in Brazil, with more than 170 million users, according to data from We Are Social – Luiza magazine decided to explore conversational AI in the Meta application, which contains audio and text. In 2024, LuizaLabs went to the headquarters of a large technology company in the United States to integrate Magalu’s operations with WhatsApp and provide Lu’s channel, with 15 million users, and the ability to process purchases through conversation.

The tool began testing at the end of October, before Black Friday, and was gradually made available to customers, a period which allowed adjustments to be made. The channel’s conversion rate this first Christmas is three times higher than that of those who use traditional search on the Magalu application, explains André Fatala, vice-president of digital platforms for the brand:

— Thanks to AI, in a more natural interaction, we were able to shorten the product discovery phase. The customer moves from a highly targeted keyword search to one in which he expresses his needs and, based on this, receives recommendations.

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Participation among customers aged 50 or older is higher on WhatsApp than on Magalu’s own app, the executive says, highlighting the appeal of customers who are not digital natives but who use the messaging app a lot. Product recommendations come from a sophisticated architecture with multiple AI agents, which seek to understand the consumer’s context. When information is missing, the system asks the customer questions to refine the suggestion, Fatala explains.

Black Friday was Casas Bahia’s laboratory to test the conversational AI strategy before Christmas. The chain has invested in a shopping channel on WhatsApp, “Zap Casas Bah.IA”. One of the main services of the tool is to help compare prices and products.

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Another advantage is the almost immediate response, which integrates the price and the network stock. Filipe Jaske, executive director of technology at Casas Bahia, says the bot helps filter through the volume and give context to what matters to each customer:

— WhatsApp now functions as a digital seller, but not as a substitute for human service. When the journey requires empathy, negotiation, a greater level of personalization or support in completing the purchase, human service takes over. The logic is not to choose, but to integrate the fronts.

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Omnichat, a company specializing in chat commerce, serves around 500 brands, such as Farm, Arezzo and Decathlon, and this year has 120 clients operating with AI agents, capable of carrying out 100% sales on WhatsApp.

This autonomous agent technology is one that has been gaining traction, says CEO Maurício Trezub. With it, instead of AI simply being a “co-pilot” that suggests faster responses and supports the human salesperson, technology takes over the service role. The progress was evident during Black Friday. According to the company, retailers were able to serve 30% more customers with the same number of salespeople compared to last year, and reduce customer response time by 54%.

Before investing in AI chat, Hering created a resource to tackle one of the biggest problems for those buying clothes online: fit. Since September, customers who purchase via e-commerce can test how the item looks on their body. Simply send a photo to see, in seconds, how she wears it, as well as to combine it with pieces you already own and see the possible combinations.

— When the customer sees himself using the same part in a simulation, the relationship with the product changes. This reduces doubts, increases engagement and makes the purchasing decision more comfortable — says Rafael Passos, digital director at Hering.

On Christmas Eve, Hering launched an AI shopping assistant. The proposition is to be a digital seller available 24 hours a day, explains Rafael. The tool guides the consumer based on data such as occasion and price.

At Aramis, a men’s clothing store, AI supported the creation of promotional items. At the end of 2024, the brand inaugurated a virtual fitting room totem in the Morumbi shopping center store in São Paulo, an initiative that has been maintained.

Thanks to it, the consumer scans their body and, in a few seconds, “try on” clothes on the screen. According to Edgar Carmo, the brand’s director of digital commerce, customers can change sizes and combine pieces without entering the physical fitting room.

Boticário launched its own in-app AI assistant in September and reports, in one month of use, seeing a 46% increase in sales conversion rate and a 7.4% higher average ticket among customers who use the tool. The model is inspired by the service and language of physical store consultants.

— People use AI as a trusted advisor — says Ana Carolina Bueno, head of e-commerce data at Grupo Boticário — The technology helps consumers find what they are looking for with less effort.

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For Lilian Carvalho, coordinator of the Center for Digital Marketing Studies at FGV/EAESP, AI in retail is part of a vast change:

— Before AI and Google, choices were based more on personal experience. Today, this experience is increasingly mediated by digital tools. This has already happened with search engines and has been compared to AI.