Lulu Hypermarket launches AI chatbot on Whatsapp

To improve customer service, UAE-based retailer Lulu Hypermarket has launched Salem, a new AI-powered chatbot available on WhatsApp.

Customers can now interact with the retailers on WhatsApp in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Director of marketing and communications at Lulu Group, V. Nanda Kumar, said: “Salem has considerably reduced the workload on Lulu Hypermarket’s customer support agents, allowing them to concentrate on more crucial tasks. 

“Within four weeks of going live, it has successfully handled queries from over 3M unique users on WhatsApp and will continue to scale up in the coming months. At the same time, it is capable of smoothly switching customer conversations to live agent support in the case of complex issues”.

Using this technology, customers can receive in-app purchase receipts, quickly track the delivery of their online orders and send purchase-related messages via WhatsApp. 

Specifically in the UAE, WhatsApp can also be used to order products for in-store collection.

The service is powered by Yellow.ai, an enterprise-grade Conversational AI platform.

Since July 2022, Salem has delivered more than 300 personalised offers on WhatsApp, recording a 40 per cent increase in opt-ins through them.

Lulu Hypermarket has become one of the first retailers in the Middle East to introduce a loyalty programme via WhatsApp, through which customers can sign up for personalised offers based on their purchase history. 

CEO and co-founder of Yellow.ai, Raghu Ravinutala, said: “Conversational AI-powered solutions coupled with conversational commerce on messaging channels such as WhatsApp are quickly and effectively changing the game of retail digital commerce and helping brands stand out in a highly cluttered market. 

“The sheer convenience quotient that this provides not only helps elevate customer experiences but also translates to greater conversion rates. And Salem is a true testimony to that. We are excited to work alongside a legacy brand like Lulu Hypermarket towards delivering delightful customer experiences and contributing to their overall digital transformation journey.”

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