Dmytro Kot

Industries

<p><strong>The challenge:</strong> A clothing brand from Cleveland wanted to acquire new customers</p>
<p><strong>The outcome:</strong> They increased the conversion rate by 22% in one campaign and generated $1,075 in another one in 15 hours</p>
<h2>ILTHY Brand</h2>
<p>Cleveland natives Kumar Arora and Glen Infante teamed up in 2011 to create <a href="https://www.ilthy.com">ILTHY</a> (I love the hype). In the last ten years the duo launched distinctive products and joined forces with a wide range of collaborators including Lebron James, Nike, Machine Gun Kelly, Cleveland Cavaliers, and more.</p>
<p>The company sells various apparel including shirts, bottoms, hats and accessories.</p>
<figure><img src="/cms/static/blog/6112675e61d24b4e26494896_02.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="ILTHY Chatbot example" height="2336" width="4160" blurDataURL="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAACCAIAAADwyuo0AAAACXBIWXMAABYlAAAWJQFJUiTwAAAAI0lEQVR4nGPYunGrkpwCGwPb25cfGU4dO6KtqcnLJfT/z38AiUkLQwRxVqgAAAAASUVORK5CYII=" placeholder="blur"></figure>
<p>ILTHY was looking to expand their reach and promote their creative venture, ultimately getting more customers. Kumar set a goal of driving sales to see how much time he can actually save with Instagram automation. They decided to try to engage new customers by giving them a 10% off gift card.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The idea was, if we could get 50-100 people to use the discount code on Instagram, it would clearly demonstrate that there is a demand. The next thing for us then would be to spend more time experimenting with the possibilities that chatbot automation provides.”, says Kumar.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The company had no previous experience with the no-code approach, but was open enough to embrace it.</p>
<p>The ILTHY team settled down on launching two campaigns. A one month campaign to see how much client engagement and sales they could generate long term. The second, Memorial Day campaign aimed to show just what they could do with a chatbot solution in under 24 hours.</p>
<p>After going through several ideas, Kumar decided to keep it simple. One word. DMs. Well, two words. Direct messages are one of the top ways customers contact stores and business owners. Add a no-code bot to your Instagram store and you’ve got yourself instant replies to customers 24/7.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I was initially concerned that I’d be too confused with chatbot building. JSON, integrations and other technical stuff kind of scared me for a second. I quickly went through the basics like collecting user emails or phones and right off the bat was able to build my first chatbot.”, says Kumar.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>How it works</h2>
<p>A customer DMs the company’s Instagram page after seeing a promocode in their bio. Then they send a direct message with a specific keyword to the company’s Instagram. For their first campaign ILTHY used a promocode 'TRYME'. A customer then enters their name, email and phone number and instantly gets a unique 10% off gift card.</p>
<p>On ILTHY’s side, they had to make sure they could set up a system to check if a person sending their data is not already in their Shopify customer list. Here’s how it happens. The bot receives the customer name, email and number then “asks” Shopify using API if such customer is already in its database. Only if the answer is no, the customer gets a unique 10% gift card.</p>
<h2>Results</h2>
<figure><img src="/cms/static/blog/61126775e9d2e754aeaf0276_01.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Results with a chatbot" height="816" width="4160" blurDataURL="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAABCAIAAAB2XpiaAAAACXBIWXMAABYlAAAWJQFJUiTwAAAAFUlEQVR4nGNoa+2Njk6prKyfP38JACVDBgbMT/9kAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC" placeholder="blur"></figure>
<p>For their first monthly campaign ILTHY was able to <strong>increase the conversion rate by 22%,</strong> generating <strong>$2,303 in total sales</strong>. 197 customers engaged with their bot resulting in <strong>43 completed orders</strong> with an average order value of $53.</p>
<p>Their second Memorial Day campaign was even more impressive. In just <strong>15 hours</strong>, they were able to generate <strong>$1,075 in sales</strong> after 60 people engaged with the bot.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Launching an Instagram campaign might look like a daunting task, but with the clear plan and the right tools it has never been easier. Staying ahead of competition is a top priority in a modern business environment. ILTHY saw value in utilizing chatbots which in turn increased their sales and expanded their customer base.</p>
<p>If you liked this, read about how a customer service automation <a href="https://chatfuel.com/blog/hellofresh-reduces-support-wait-times-with-chatfuel-messenger-bot">slashed HelloFresh response time</a> by 76%. Or see how you can increase sales by improving customer journey with a bot.</p>
<p>Looking for even more advice and inspiration? Join our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/chatfuel/">Facebook community</a>.</p>

The art and apparel company ILTHY increases revenue by using Instagram Automation.

Fashion Brand Boosts Conversion by 22% with Instagram Chatbot

Mary Rybakova

<h2>The Brand</h2>
<p>Yash Bhansali and Vikram Kanodia met in high school. Now, they’ve founded a chatbot agency together called <a href="https://talkative.ai/">Talkative.AI.</a> Their chat agency’s mission is “to use conversational AI to power ecommerce, create unique customer experiences, and empower brands.” And when the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, they saw opportunities to help their clients weather the storm using AI chat bots. This is the story of one such consumer marketing client, a Mumbai bakery called Essange that specializes in stunning cakes and cupcakes.</p>
<figure><img src="/cms/static/blog/60afa6a88bd1bb0a55deacf1_AI chatbot for bakery.png" loading="lazy" alt="" height="1194" width="1618" blurDataURL="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAIAAAA7ljmRAAAACXBIWXMAABYlAAAWJQFJUiTwAAAAMklEQVR4nAEnANj/AE0mHHJgWNvf4Pv7+wAkAABkPUHPzdHV3eMAPjA0LwAAqpme////YFUS/ITogA0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=" placeholder="blur"><figcaption>Essange is known for their beautiful desserts.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>The Problem</h2>
<p>When the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, lockdowns went into effect all around the world. Since gatherings and parties were prohibited, Essange experienced a sudden, major drop in business. “Regular orders slowed down,” explains Yash, “and many people started baking at home for themselves instead by following online video tutorials on YouTube, <a href="https://try.chatfuel.com/instagram">Instagram</a>, and Facebook.” To stay in business, the bakery’s owner knew she needed to pivot—and fast.</p>
<h2>The Solution</h2>
<p>Yash and Vikram knew that a robust AI chatbot would be the perfect solution to help this client keep her business afloat. Their Facebook chatbot agency had already built her a bot for <a href="https://chatfuel.com/blog/chatbot-for-customer-service">FAQ automation</a>, but they knew that now was the time to turn that into something even more powerful and engaging. “We decided to use this opportunity to create a unique, memorable experience for all her customers while generating a new source of income at the same time,” Vikram and Yash tell us.</p>
<p>Here’s how the <a href="https://m.me/essangedessertbar?ref=BakeAtHome">Bake at Home bot</a> works:</p>
<ol>
<li>Customers buy a DIY “bake at home” kit from the bakery, which includes everything they need to make their dessert of choice except for milk and eggs. 📦</li>
<li>The customer uses their phone to scan the QR code on the kit, and they’re directed to the Facebook chatbot that Yash and Vikram built. 🤖</li>
<li>The AI bot acts as a virtual baking assistant, guiding the customer through each step of the baking process with instructions and GIFs. 🗺️</li>
</ol>
<figure><img src="/cms/static/blog/60afa6a88bd1bb8182deacf2_Agency builds AI chatbot.png" loading="lazy" alt="" height="788" width="940" blurDataURL="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAIAAAA7ljmRAAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAMklEQVR4nAEnANj/AKSkpKKjpGtra6qwsgBRS0YkHheTlJTa4OUA4uLir6+vvsLHztXaiTsWL9C/jV8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=" placeholder="blur"><figcaption>The AI chatbot for the bakery guides customers through instructions for baking their dessert.</figcaption></figure>
<p>“Not only does the chatbot make the baking experience super easy and fun,” Vikram explains, “but it also retargets the customer a few hours later to upsell other DIY baking kits.” The Messenger bot also invites users to tag the bakery in a photo of their completed creation on social media, which helps the business generate social proof.</p>
<figure><img src="/cms/static/blog/60afa6a88bd1bbd847deacf3_Customer experience chatbot.png" loading="lazy" alt="" height="788" width="940" blurDataURL="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAADCAIAAAA7ljmRAAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAL0lEQVR4nGP4//9/SnJyakbG////Gf7//29tbCTOzAHi/PjxY9XqdUsXL//x4wcA0xwY2GyHGk4AAAAASUVORK5CYII=" placeholder="blur"><figcaption>The bakery chatbot invites customers to share a photo of their creation on social media once they've finished it.</figcaption></figure>
<p>Yash and Vikram explain that they wanted to use a chatbot for something more than a marketing channel or a <a href="https://chatfuel.com/blog/chatbot-for-customer-service">customer service experience</a>. “The client said, <em>Can we make the bot part of the business?</em> And that’s when we figured out that there’s a tandem opportunity to actually make the bot part of the product she’s selling,” they share.</p>
<h2>The Recipe</h2>
<p>“We’ve found that good chatbots don’t need to be complex chatbots,” says Yash. “Some of the most effective bots are those that use only simple or basic features, but are designed to focus on business goals and providing the best customer service experience through smooth interactions.”</p>
<p>That’s why Chatfuel was the right fit for their project. “We feel that the Chatfuel team keeps the end-user in mind while designing the platform,” shares Vikram. “The end-user experience is our relentless focus with every chatbot, so using Chatfuel helps us create more value for our clients.”</p>
<p>Here are a few of the Chatfuel tools and features the Talkative team used to build this baking bot:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Artificial intelligence (AI)</strong>. “We leveraged Google’s NLP to understand user input and respond intelligently. This ensures a seamless, unrestricted, and natural user experience,” says Yash. To apply AI in the simplest way, you can <a href="https://docs.chatfuel.com/en/articles/828883-ai-setup">set up AI rules</a>, which are pre-set messages your bot will send  in response to certain text inputs from users. Or, you can learn how to <a href="https://chatfuel.com/blog/build-ai-chatbots">set up Dialogflow</a> for a more robust user experience with AI. Either way, an AI chatbot can significantly improve the user experience, as it did for the Bake at Home Bot.</li>
<li><strong>Customer Chat Entry Point.</strong> Yash and Vikram used this plugin so that the chatbot would pop up and offer help to anyone who visits the bakery’s website. <a href="https://chatfuel.com/blog/add-a-messenger-chatbot-to-your-website">Adding a chatbot to a website</a> is an easy way for any brand to get new users.</li>
</ul>
<figure><img src="/cms/static/blog/60afa6a88bd1bb4e80deacf4_Chatbot for website.png" loading="lazy" alt="" height="1390" width="2588" blurDataURL="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAACCAIAAADwyuo0AAAACXBIWXMAABYlAAAWJQFJUiTwAAAAI0lEQVR4nGP4//dnXW6Op6XFhXMXGK6eOqrAwNBWVtA+ZQkAuvMNJIfb5pwAAAAASUVORK5CYII=" placeholder="blur"><figcaption>The chatbot is ready to engage anyone who visits the bakery's website.</figcaption></figure>
<ul>
<li><strong>Facebook Ads Entry Points.</strong> This feature lets you easily set up <a href="https://chatfuel.com/blog/sponsored-messages-guide-to-reengaging-chatbot-subscribers">sponsored messages</a> and <a href="https://chatfuel.com/blog/create-click-to-messenger-ads-to-drive-traffic-to-your-bot">click-to-Messenger ads</a> for your bot, and Yash and Vikram took advantage. “Sponsored messages and click-to-Messenger ads on Facebook <a href="https://chatfuel.com/blog/use-instagram-ads-to-bring-users-to-your-dms-or-your-messenger-bot">and Instagram</a> were ‘baked’ into the branding and marketing strategy,” they tell us.</li>
</ul>
<p>Vikram and Yash shared that they also made use of <a href="https://docs.chatfuel.com/en/articles/925465-asset-guide">gallery cards</a>, images, GIFs, and sequences in the recipe tutorials. User attributes and <a href="https://chatfuel.com/blog/a-marketing-automation-love-story-chatfuel-zapier">Zapier CRM integrations</a> helped them with personalization and retargeting. All these features combined helped improve the customer experience for the bakery bot’s users.</p>
<h2>The Results</h2>
<p>The Bake at Home Bot performed extremely well, according to Yash and Vikram. “The chatbot achieved its design goals beyond expectation in terms of lead conversion, increased sales, brand building, and customer engagement,” they tell us.</p>
<p>“Our experience-oriented design <strong>acquired 250% more users in a month</strong> than the automated FAQs version was able to acquire in over a year,” shares Vikram. “User activity spiked to <strong>50x Active Users</strong> and 13x Reengaged Users. Plus, online-to-offline sales conversions also increased significantly, which helped our client jump-start her business amidst the COVID slowdown!”</p>
<figure><img src="/cms/static/blog/60afa6a88bd1bb4692deacf5_AI chatbot metrics.png" loading="lazy" alt="" height="707" width="1600" blurDataURL="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAQAAAACCAIAAADwyuo0AAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAI0lEQVR4nGN4/frN959/ymtbJ0yZwzB33qL4pAxtQ8vo+FQA1xANoh6FLuYAAAAASUVORK5CYII=" placeholder="blur"><figcaption>The virtual assistant version of the bakery's chatbot acquired 250% more users in a month than the FAQ version did in over a year.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>A chatbot can get your business sweet results 🍰</h2>
<p>The digital customer experience the Bake at Home Bot offers was a game changer for Essange Bakery, as it helped them expand their customer base, increase sales, and stand out from the competition. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level with a free AI chatbot, get started with Chatfuel today. <a href="https://dashboard.chatfuel.com">Start with a free account</a> to get familiar with <a href="https://youtu.be/D4n6VLQHE5U">the basics of building a Chatfuel bot</a>, then <a href="https://chatfuel.com/pricing">upgrade to Pro</a> when you’re ready for unlimited users, priority support, and other perks.</p>

A marketing agency built an AI chatbot for this bakery to help them stay afloat and even grow during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bakery Uses AI Chatbot to Create New Revenue Stream During COVID-19 Shutdown

Angela Skowronek

Use cases

Find out how a customer support chat bot can help your brand provide a better customer experience.