Since 2016 until today, technology has continued to implement new eras of purchasing and there exist different ways to buy today than ever before. The most recent development of that is conversational commerce.

First brought to the limelight by Uber’s director of experience Chris Messina, the term describes the implementation of “chat, messaging, or other natural language interfaces (i.e. voice) to effectively communicate with people, brands, or services and bots that have had no real place in the bidirectional, asynchronous messaging context before."

While Putting it in simple terms, it is pointless to say that we all text more than ever before so, why not transform texting capabilities to sending payments, buying products, ordering on-demand services, paying bills, and more?

In stores, online, across the world, and through our phones—there is a rise in the massive number of ways to buy today than ever before.

It is very possible for you to now pay through apps, shop for products on Facebook, or on Pinterest, and transform your phone into a POS card reader to accept payments anywhere offline— in fact, the distance between “I want” and “I already have” is only drawing nearer for today's consumers.

In a wide range of ways, messenger apps—Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat—act as the next frontier. According to Business Insider, chat apps are overthrowing social media as far as where today's consumers are spending their time is concerned.

No wonder Facebook Messenger is experimenting with M, a messenger-based assistant that uses both AI and human task fulfillment.

Messaging apps as a whole have become more than just messaging apps.

Technology is giving a priority to "conversational commerce", creating means to make commerce more convenient for both merchants and customers by incorporating new functionality into an interface we use on a daily basis: Chat.

Below are some of the painstakingly analyzed best Shopify apps that will put you and your store a step ahead to take advantage of the rise of conversational commerce, from sales all the way to support to marketing and operations. 

1. Quick Facebook Live Chat

Price: FREE

In case you have already gotten used to fielding most customer questions through Messenger via your Facebook Business Page, this is one app you should definitely consider using.

Quick Facebook Live Chat makes it possible for you to power your live chat via Facebook Messenger, effectively responding to customer questions and generally consolidating all your conversations through your Facebook Business Page. 

Why is this app more convenient?

• Facebook Messenger is a widely known and friendly channel for customers to easily reach you.
• Visitors enjoy the rare privilege of liking your Facebook page if they ever need to throughout their live chat experience. 
• With over 800 million active users every month, it's worth venturing into Facebook Messenger as your channel of choice for getting in touch with customers.

2. WhatShare 

Price: FREE

WhatsApp is the most widely known global messenger app as of January 2016.

And as opposed to public social channels, the confidential nature of WhatsApp makes it a better ideal avenue for making personal product/content referrals to a peer.

It's no surprise publishers like Buzzfeed are endeavoring to get ahead of the game by making it possible for readers to share to WhatsApp on mobile. You can as well allow your visitors to do the same with your products and content by installing WhatShare.

Why is WhatShare more convenient?

• It did away with its initial $0.99 annual subscription fee, making it entirely free—so it is needless to say that the adoption of this highly coveted platform will continue to rise.
• Majority of highly popular companies like Buzzfeed  are already using  WhatsApp shares on mobile with noteworthy success.
• WhatsApp has the most engaged user base compared to any other platform like it.  

3. Kit

Price: Free

Sales and Customer Support are just some of the ways you can streamline your business by embracing messenger apps.

Working in the same way as Siri, Google Now, and other AI assistant apps, Kit is a service that proactively provides assistance around your digital marketing activities, from email marketing all the way to Facebook advertising—all via SMS.

Why is this app more convenient for you?

• You have the absolute freedom to text back and forth with Kit at your convenience to accomplish marketing activities, like you would with a real virtual assistant.
• Kit is "like having an additional set of hands", offering you the power to boost the ROI of advertising while at the same time taking some work off your plate.
• Kiti conveniently integrates with other marketing apps like Yotpo.

4. Zendesk

Price: Starting at $5/month

Zendesk  is one of the most widely known customer service platforms out there. However, that's not the only reason why it has made it to this list. It's also one of the few platforms that permits you to fire through customer support tickets on the go with Zendesk's mobile apps.

With Zendesk, you can bring all your support tickets into one place, irrespective of where they originated, making it pretty easier to provide customer support and make sales within a similar interface. 

Why is Zendesk a better option?

• Zendesk can be used on a wide range of devices, making it pretty straightforward to handle customer support tickets from the comfort of your couch or on the go.
• Provides customers with the information from Shopify, so that you can get informed whenever you handle a support ticket.
• It merges tickets from different channels (Facebook, Email, Twitter, phone, etc.)

5. Tidio Live Chat

Price: FREE or $12/month

If you are lucky enough to have implemented live chat on your store yet still find customers aren't using it, Tidio is one option that will take away your endless headache and give you a peaceful night.

Tidio imitates the experience of physically making your way into a store and having a representative ask you if you'd need any assistance. From that very first point of contact, a whole sales conversation opens up where you can effectively handle existing grievances, recommend products and make the sale. 

Why is Tidio Live Chat more convenient?

• With its automated messages feature, you can proactively engage customers who are seeking support.
• It gives you prior information about what customers are typing before they hit send so you can begin searching for a solution before they finish asking for one.
• The presence of multi-language support ensures that the chat is conveyed in the language of your users.

6. Shopkey

Shopkey  by Shopify can convey your whole product catalog directly before your keyboard.  With the same simplicity as adding an emoji to your keyboard, you can effectively add product links. It is a highly proactive platform especially when you're having direct conversations with your customers.

Shopkey makes it possible for you to easily access your Shopify store across your entire favorite social media and messaging platforms. Better still, with this app, you can share popular product links and images on the go, or look for your store to come up with the exact products your customers are searching for.

Price: Free

What are the benefits of Shopkey?

• Allows you to quickly send links for any product in your store.
• Makes it possible for you to paste product images into any conversation.
• It does a great job of searching your entire catalog directly from your keyboard.
• It communicates and sells products and services to customers in all of your favorite messaging and social apps. 

How is conversational commerce beneficial?

• With conversational commerce, companies can use natural language to easily manage and give feedback to their customer queries.
• Since messaging services have been there for years, it is possible that most people are well conversant with how to use a messaging platform. As a result, user experience is greatly enhanced.
• Conversational commerce operates on digital channels (texting, web chat, messaging apps) which leads to more accessible and editable transcripts of the conversations conducted.
• Instead of having to shift to a web page to complete a transaction, conversational commerce will make it possible for you to transact right inside the messaging interface. This results in a smoother, and more effortless customer experience.
• In addition to texting, mobile apps, web chat, and voice, it makes it possible for you to have artificial intelligence-powered interactions like with IBM Watson.

Conclusion 

The feeling that we're highly social creatures triggers the uncontrollable need for businesses to enhance their engagement with customers through social media. And forward-thinking businesses will do everything possible to establish a presence each time their customers congregate, and in this day and age that calls for the use of messaging apps.

As opposed to social networks, messaging apps are a place for people to interact with their closest connections. As such, the natural next step for companies is to connect with their audience in a similar environment their personal conversations take place. Consequently, customers will be allowed to make their decision without the need of leaving the context they are made in.

The future of commerce can ultimately be summarized in a single word: Efficiency—allowing consumers to follow through on decisions without having to leave the context they were made in.