AI

ReferralsCustomer ExperienceAIReviewsPromotionsB2CSalesAds B2BBrand & StrategyRetail StoreProductCase StudySocial MediaPricingPackagingEcommerceMessaging & CopyInsightWebsite/App
Customer ExperienceCustomer Experience
+3+3
Humor makes it easier to forgive AI mistakes

Humor makes it easier to forgive AI mistakes

People are up to 47.8% more forgiving of AI’s mistakes when the AI uses self-deprecating humor (e.g. “My non-brain just froze”) vs no humor.

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
AIAI
+2+2
Special case study: The 2 steps to effective chatbots
Premium

Special case study: The 2 steps to effective chatbots

How to design an ecommerce AI chatbot your customers will love, using insights from our Wharton Blueprint for Effective AI Chatbots.

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
AIAI
+4+4
What biases AI agents to choose your product

What biases AI agents to choose your product

Optimizing your website for AI buying agents can drastically increase the likelihood they choose your product (e.g. tweaking a product title increased choice by 80 percentage points).

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
AIAI
+3+3
AI-driven traffic isn’t (yet) as good as it’s hyped to be

AI-driven traffic isn’t (yet) as good as it’s hyped to be

Research on 164m sales across 973 ecommerce websites finds that AI traffic drives more revenue per session than paid social, but less than any other channel. This gap is smaller for complex products.

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
AIAI
+3+3
‘AI-designed’ hurts sales

‘AI-designed’ hurts sales

People are up to 29% less willing to buy products designed by AI (e.g. a chair, a snack flavor), compared to those designed by humans.

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
Customer ExperienceCustomer Experience
+3+3
When using AI bots turns customers away

When using AI bots turns customers away

People are up to 30% more likely to stop using a service if it’s delivered by AI or robots (vs a human) when warmth is important to satisfaction (e.g. hospitality).

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
Customer ExperienceCustomer Experience
+4+4
Case study: Automating call centers
Premium

Case study: Automating call centers

How to combine an automated phone tree with human agents to cut costs while delivering a great experience.

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
AIAI
+4+4
The less people know about AI, the more they use it

The less people know about AI, the more they use it

People with a limited understanding of how AI works are up to 31% more likely to use it because they see it as magical.

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
Customer ExperienceCustomer Experience
+5+5
Make your chatbot use interjections (Oh wow!)

Make your chatbot use interjections (Oh wow!)

Customers were up to 49.7% more satisfied, and more likely to buy when AI chatbots use interjections (e.g. wow, aw, oh!) because they felt better understood.

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
Customer ExperienceCustomer Experience
+4+4
Humanize your AI to reduce fraud

Humanize your AI to reduce fraud

People are 18.5% less likely to act unethically (e.g. try to commit fraud) with AI chatbots that have human-like features (e.g. a name and avatar, speak less formally).

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
Customer ExperienceCustomer Experience
+5+5
How to get people to like your chatbot

How to get people to like your chatbot

People dislike AI chatbots (vs humans), unless you frame it right - or pass on the savings.

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay
AIAI
+3+3
It’s ok if I use AI, but not if you do

It’s ok if I use AI, but not if you do

People rated using generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT) for a cover letter as 12.6% more acceptable to use themselves compared to when others used it.

Thomas McKinlay
Thomas McKinlay