TL;DR

• Conversational commerce builds trust. Real-time conversations replace static help pages with authentic interactions that drive confidence and loyalty.
• bareMinerals boosted conversions by 5%+ using Gorgias Shopping Assistant to guide shade matching in real time, and saw zero returns on AI-assisted purchases.
• Tommy John reduced wait times and grew revenue, automating post-purchase updates while freeing agents to focus on higher-value, relationship-driven support.
• Orthofeet and Arc’teryx proved conversations convert. Chat turned returns and product questions into loyalty- and revenue-building moments.

You’re seconds away from hitting “buy now,” but one last question nags at you: does this shade actually match my skin tone? You open a live chat, only to be met with a bot that pastes a help-center article. So you close the tab.

Today’s shoppers crave immediacy and authenticity. They expect real answers, not ticket numbers. Yet too many ecommerce brands still rely on static FAQs, delayed email replies, or chatbots that feel anything but conversational. The result is often missed sales, frustrated customers, and eroding loyalty.

Conversational commerce bridges that gap. By meeting customers where they are, in real time and on their terms, brands can turn every interaction into an opportunity to build confidence and connection.

In this post, we’ll explore how leading ecommerce brands use Gorgias to strengthen trust and loyalty through real-time conversations across the entire customer journey, from discovery to delivery and beyond.

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What is conversational commerce (and why it’s the future of ecommerce)

Conversational commerce is the blending of conversation and shopping. Instead of forcing customers to navigate pages, FAQs, or documents, brands engage shoppers in real time through natural, two-way dialogue. This usually takes place over:

• Chat
• SMS
• Social media DMs
• Voice assistants

Unlike traditional live chat, you meet customers wherever they are. Conversational commerce easily switches across channels (chat, SMS, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.) while preserving context, tone, and personalization. 

The goal is to make every interaction feel as natural as a text with a friend, but with the power to guide a purchase, resolve an issue, or suggest a product.

So, how are top brands putting conversational commerce into practice to build real trust? Let’s dive into four examples.

bareMinerals builds confidence to purchase with product guidance

Imagine browsing foundation shades late at night, unsure which one will suit your skin tone. That hesitation is often enough to make a shopper abandon their cart.

That was the challenge for bareMinerals. More than half of their incoming support tickets were product questions. Many of them were about shade matching, formulation updates, or discontinued SKUs.

They needed a way to replicate the helpfulness of a beauty advisor you can call on as you browse a store.

So bareMinerals brought in Shopping Assistant, an AI-powered virtual beauty consultant built to answer product-discovery questions in real time.

It integrates with their Shopify catalog (so it never suggests out-of-stock items), trained on the nuances of context, product benefits, and discontinued color conversions.

Here’s what happened within 30 days:

• Increased conversions: bareMinerals saw a 5%+ conversion uplift and a 5.5% increase in average order value (AOV).
• No returns: There were zero returns on AI-influenced purchases during that first month, even within a standard 30-day return window.
• Increased ROI: It generated 8.8x ROI and accounted for ~3.9% of gross merchandise volume (GMV).
• Happier customers: CSAT on AI-handled tickets outpaced human agents (AI: 5.0 vs. human: 4.6). Plus, bareMinerals’ CX team now reviews AI conversations to train human agents on phrasing, tone, upselling moves, and recognizing intent.

Takeaway: By offering real-time, contextual product guidance that mirrors an in-store consultant, bareMinerals eliminated guesswork, reduced returns, and strengthened trust before a single purchase is finalized.

Tommy John relieves post-purchase anxiety with instant order updates

One of the most anxiety-inducing moments for any shopper? Waiting for their order. Questions like “Has my order shipped yet?” or “Where’s my package?” often lead to multiple back-and-forth contacts, burdening support and testing customer patience.

Underwear brand Tommy John experienced this firsthand. Their CX team felt the strain of repetitive, predictable post-order questions, which could be better spent on complex cases. The team needed an automated fix without a huge lift, and so they adopted AI Agent.

AI Agent handled the bulk of their routine tickets, pulling from order data and pre-configured guidance to reply instantly without agent involvement.

See how AI Agent instantly jumped in to help a customer who needed to change their address:

The impact was immediate:

• Faster resolution times: Many customers receive real-time status updates without the wait time.
• Reduced ticket load: Agents no longer spend time on repetitive, low-value queries.
• More bandwidth for agents: Agents can focus on complex issues or proactive outreach.
• Revenue impact from support: Within just two months, support-driven sales from phone calls alone reached $106K+, with 20% of calls converting into purchases.
• Customer and team satisfaction: Average phone wait times dropped (~34% improvement), CSAT climbed, and agents unanimously preferred Gorgias over their legacy tools.

Takeaway: Post-purchase communication is a trust moment. Fast, accurate, and proactive responses reassure customers that their order matters.

Orthofeet maintains trust with a speedy returns process

Returns are often a brand’s biggest trust test. When a customer navigates through the hassle of a return, they’re watching closely: Is this going to be smooth and transparent, or frustrating and impersonal?

Orthofeet, a leading orthopedic footwear brand knew this too well. Before Gorgias, their CX stack was disjointed, a combination of Freshdesk, Dialpad, and outsourced chat. As they grew, this meant tickets piled up without central visibility. They needed a tool that gathered every piece of context in one place. 

That’s when they implemented AI Agent. As AI Agent handled tier-1 queries, like validating return eligibility under Orthofeet’s policy and directing customers to the returns portal, agents gained more time to focus on VIP customers, nuanced issues, and phone conversations.

The results were powerful:

• Automated workflow: They automated 56% of tickets in under two months, far exceeding their original target.
• Faster response times: Email first-response times dropped from ~24 hours to 35 seconds; chat FRT improved from minutes to 13 seconds.
• Stable headcount: The team could maintain high growth while keeping headcount stable, all while elevating service quality.
• Customers became AI champions: Customers embraced the AI-driven experience. One even sent a handwritten note praising their “friendly” and “helpful” AI.

Takeaway: Conversational commerce helps you blend technology and humanity to deliver scalable, emotionally resonant support. Even when things go wrong, a thoughtful conversational experience can repair, rather than erode, trust.

Arc’teryx increases conversions with personalized recommendations

Conversational commerce can create selling moments inside conversations you already have with shoppers. 

Arc’teryx, known for its technical outdoor gear, wanted to guide customers choosing between products like the Beta AR and Beta SL jackets. With Shopping Assistant, they turned real-time product questions into opportunities to upsell, cross-sell, and educate.

When shoppers linger on a page or ask for comparisons, the AI offers quick, tailored recommendations, suggesting the right jacket, complementary layers, or accessories. The result? More confident buyers and higher-value orders.

The results speak volumes:

• Increase in conversions: Arc’teryx achieved a 75% increase in conversion rate (from 4% to 7%) after rolling out Shopping Assistant.
• Influenced revenue: The tool influenced 3.7% of overall revenue, meaning conversations directly drove meaningful sales.
• Substantial ROI: They also saw 23x ROI on their AI Agent investment. 

Takeaway: Smart, conversational prompts transform everyday chats into meaningful sales moments,  proving support channels can drive revenue, not just resolve tickets.

Trust is the new conversion metric

Every conversation is a chance to earn (or lose) trust. Whether it’s helping a shopper find their perfect shade, tracking an order, or smoothing out a return, conversations can turn moments of uncertainty into opportunities for connection.

Brands like bareMinerals, Tommy John, Orthofeet, and Arc’teryx prove that conversational commerce builds stronger relationships, higher retention, and measurable revenue.

The future of ecommerce will revolve around conversations that create trust at every click.

If you want to see how Gorgias can bridge support and sales for you, book a demo today.

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TL;DR:

• Get instant context with Ticket Summaries. Jump into any conversation without digging through past messages or tabs.
• Organize tickets and customers with Ticket and Customer Fields. Attach properties to tickets and customers to see the whole picture, then turn it into reportable data.
• Support global customers with real-time translations. Engage in natural conversations in your customer’s language without paying for another tool.
• Resolve urgent issues with Priority Scoring. Rank tickets by importance, so high-value or sensitive issues don’t get overlooked.
• Onboard quickly with in-house migration. Whether you’re coming from Zendesk or Richpanel, Gorgias handles the move for you.

We recently unveiled the latest upgrades to Gorgias Helpdesk during Moments that Matter: Meet the Modern Helpdesk. 

The event was hosted by Bora Shehu, VP of Product Design, with updates from John Merse (VP of Product), Fraser Bruce (Senior Solutions Consultant), Nicole Simmen (Senior Manager, Customer Implementation), and a customer story from Michael Duran (Operations Manager, Authentic Brands).

From quality of life improvements to brand new features, here’s what’s waiting for you in Gorgias.

Watch the full presentation here:

Support faster with built-in ticket summaries

Agents shouldn’t have to dig for context. Every conversation now comes with Ticket Summaries. Whether an agent has jumped into a ticket mid-conversation or is dealing with a new customer, these AI-generated summaries tell the whole story in no time.

We’ve also given the Customer Timeline a makeover. Now, you can glance at past tickets and order updates in one clean view. Plus, a dedicated Order View lets agents dive into past purchases without leaving the ticket or opening a new tab.

Enrich your data with detailed ticket and customer properties

Agents have always had visibility into customer history, but now that context is easier to act on.

Ticket Fields automatically tags tickets with AI-detected reasons, whether that’s shipping questions or product feedback, to help organize your conversations more effectively.

Then, add in another layer of data using Customer Fields (in beta) to note whether you’re speaking to a longtime, VIP customer or a customer with a history of high returns.

All of this data can be funneled into your ticket reports, making it easier for your team to discover new insights about your products, support quality, and more.

Speak every customer’s language with instant translations

Taking your brand global doesn’t have to mean hiring a whole new team or spending extra on a localization tool. AI-powered translations (in beta) will soon be available on the helpdesk.

Finally, your team will be able to support customers in any language in real-time. Customers write in their native language, agents respond in theirs, and the exchange feels natural on both sides.

Never miss urgent tickets with Priority Scoring

How many times has an urgent ticket been buried at the bottom of your inbox? The new Priority Scoring system prevents that by automatically labeling tickets as Low, Normal, High, or Critical based on your Rules. 

For example, you might label a negative Facebook comment with threatening sentiment as ‘High,’ or bump high-value shoppers to the top with a ‘Critical’ label. This ensures your team always sees the conversations that need the most attention, so no sensitive issue slips through the cracks.

Shape every call journey with the new IVR flow builder

Now in beta, our flow-based IVR (interactive voice response) system lets teams on Gorgias Voice build customized call journeys for every type of conversation. Route customers through interactive menus, segment them based on their data, or direct them to voicemail, and schedule SMS follow-ups and callbacks.

To match agent availability, you can set business hours per phone number and per channel across storefronts. Teams also have more flexibility with ring strategies (ring available agents all at once or one at a time), wrap-up time between calls, and faster availability refreshes.

Stay on top of every goal with custom dashboards

We understand that CX teams need more than surface-level KPIs—they need to know what’s actually driving performance, revenue, and retention. 

With Dashboards, you can build reports focused on CX data you care about, from agent performance to product return trends. Then, filter by store or sub-brand to zoom in on the details each team is responsible for.

We’re also introducing the Human Response Time metric to show how quickly your team responds to escalations from AI Agent. This gives you a clear sign of what issues require human attention, how fast they’re resolved, and whether you need to adjust staffing.

Effortless, in-house migration for new joiners

Leave the moving to us—we now manage migrations in-house. Depending on your plan, our Implementation team will transfer emails, customers, macros, and more for you. Combined with 99.99% uptime, switching platforms is smoother, faster, and more reliable than ever.

For accelerated performance, consider our 50-in-50 implementation program, which aims to resolve 50% of your ticket volume using AI Agent within 50 days.

Enterprise customers receive a dedicated Enterprise CSM, optimization workshops, and 24/7 support to get the most out of Gorgias from day one. 

What’s coming next

Our teams are hard at work changing the landscape of customer experience. Here’s what’s on the Gorgias Product Roadmap:

• Cleaner, minimal interface. We’re giving our UI a new look to reduce clutter and highlight key information, making conversations front and center.
• Detailed order view. Quickly view past purchases and make order updates without opening new tabs or interrupting your workflow.
• Shop right in chat. Soon, product photos, descriptions, and even customer reviews will be shown directly in Gorgias Chat, so shopping experiences are as frictionless as possible.
• Scheduled CSV exports. Prove the value of CX with automated exports, perfect for stakeholders, whether they use Gorgias or not. 
• New integration with Assembled Workforce Management. Our partnership will help you leverage Gorgias ticket data to optimize forecasting and agent scheduling.
• Role-based access control. Decide which dashboards, views, conversations, and settings can be accessed by each user role.
• Okta single sign-on. Let your team sign in to Gorgias using the same authentication service you use for the rest of your tech stack.

The future of support starts with your helpdesk

Our latest helpdesk updates make it easier than before to create memorable customer moments.

As Bora Shehu, our VP of Product Design, said, “We hope that the tools we’re building help you spend less time on robotic work, and more time on impactful human work that grows your businesses through the power of conversations.”

If you’re not on Gorgias yet and want to see what’s possible, book a demo today.

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TL;DR:

• Conversational commerce replaces static support with real-time conversations. Instead of making customers wait or dig through FAQs, brands can respond instantly via chat, messaging apps, and voice assistants.
• The main types are live chat, AI assistants, messaging apps, and voice support. Each helps guide shoppers and answer questions instantly.
• It’s most effective during key moments like cart hesitation, post-purchase anxiety, and peak seasons. Proactive conversations reduce drop-offs and boost conversions.
• Start small and scale. Begin with repetitive questions or cart recovery, then layer in automation and AI as you grow.

While your competitors are still making customers wait days for email replies, the smartest brands are having conversations that close sales in real time.

Instead of forcing customers to search through FAQs or go through an automation loop, conversational commerce lets you have instant chats through live chat, messaging apps, and even AI assistants.

In this guide, we’ll explain conversational commerce, where it delivers the most value, and how to start using it to drive revenue and improve CX without overwhelming your team.

What is conversational commerce?

Conversational commerce means using real-time, two-way conversations as your storefront. Rather than bottling up questions in FAQ pages or forcing customers to wait for your support team to respond, you can instantly connect via:

• Chat
• AI agents
• Messaging apps
• Voice assistants

Maybe someone is on your product page and asks a question like, “Does this jacket run large?”. Through chat, they get an instant answer, increasing the chance of a sale. Or a shopper receives personalized recommendations via WhatsApp and checks out, all without leaving the app.

These channels allow you to meet customers where they already are, effortlessly. When paired with AI chatbots, you can deliver fast, accurate responses 24/7, even while your team is off the clock. That means better experiences for your customers and more sales captured for your brand.

Conversational commerce bridges the gap between shopping and support. It turns your support team (and AI tools) into revenue drivers by helping shoppers feel seen, heard, and ready to buy.

Types of conversational commerce

Conversational commerce means bringing your storefront into the flow of conversation, wherever that happens for your customers. 

Here’s where those conversations typically happen:

1. Live chat
2. AI assistants
3. Messaging apps
4. Voice assistants

1. Live chat

This is a chat widget on your site, often in the bottom right corner, where shoppers can ask questions and receive immediate answers from a human agent or automation.

It’s a quick path to support or purchase, which one agent can manage multiple chats from simultaneously, boosting efficiency and keeping things personal.

2. AI assistants

These smart helpers use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand what shoppers mean beyond what they type. They guide customers through questions, offer product suggestions, handle FAQs, and can sometimes complete transactions right in the chat, even handling post‑purchase support like order status or returns.

Natural Language Processing (NLP): The processing of understanding and interpreting natural language using computers. NLP is used in tasks such as sentiment analysis, summarization, speech recognition, and more.

3. Messaging apps

Think WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and SMS—the apps where customers already spend their time in their day-to-day. Instead of sending them to shop on your website, you bring the shopping to them. Answer their questions, provide recommendations, and win purchases in a channel they already trust.

4. Voice assistants

Voice assistance isn’t limited to smart speakers like Siri and Alexa anymore.

Now, AI voice support lets brands deliver natural conversations over the phone, without needing a massive contact center team. These AI voice agents can:

• Answer common questions using branded knowledge
• Route calls or escalate when needed
• Handle returns, exchanges, or order tracking
• Personalize support based on customer intent and past behavior

AI-powered voice support combines the human feel of a phone call with the speed and accuracy of automation. It's especially useful for high-ticket products, customers who prefer calling, or peak season overflow when your human team is maxed out.

The benefits of conversational commerce for ecommerce brands

Conversational commerce isn’t a CX buzzword. When done right, it directly impacts your bottom line.

Here’s how it pays off for ecommerce brands:

1. Higher conversion rates
2. Faster and more efficient support
3. Bigger carts, fewer drop-offs
4. Stronger customer relationships

1. Higher conversion rates

When customers can ask questions and get answers in real time, whether it's sizing info, shipping details, or help choosing between products, they’re far more likely to hit “buy.”

Success story: Clothing brand Tommy John generated $106K+ in sales in just two months through conversation-led upselling and cross-selling, with a 15% conversion rate.

2. Faster and more efficient support

Conversational commerce tools like AI agents help offload the repetitive support tasks, including answering questions like “Where’s my order?” or “What’s your return policy?”

With that time back, agents get time back to:

• Handle complex or sensitive customer issues
• Follow up with VIP customers
• Collaborate with marketing and sales teams to improve processes
• QA conversations to enhance human and AI agent performance
• Update knowledge docs used by AI tools for more accurate resolutions

Instead of getting buried in basic tickets, your team gets to do the work that really moves the needle for your customers and your business.

Related: Every successful marketing campaign starts with a customer question

3. Bigger carts, fewer drop-offs

The right nudge at the right moment, like a personalized recommendation from an AI shopping assistant, can turn a single item into a full cart. You can also recover more abandoned checkouts by re-engaging customers directly through chat or a messaging app.

Read more: You’re missing out on sales without an AI shopping assistant—here’s why

4. Stronger customer relationships

Conversational commerce lets you meet customers with a human (or human-like) touch. When your brand is helpful, fast, and easy to talk to, shoppers remember and return. 

In the long run, that means better customer retention, higher lifetime value, and more organic growth through word of mouth.

When conversational commerce creates the biggest impact 

Conversational commerce shines brightest when the stakes are high or when the moment is just right.

Here are the critical moments where a real-time conversation can make all the difference:

1. When shoppers have items in their cart but are hesitating to check out
2. Right after customers place an order, and anxiety starts to kick in
3. During peak shopping seasons like Black Friday and Cyber Monday
4. When customers are browsing complex products like skincare, makeup, or apparel

1. When shoppers have items in their cart but are hesitating to check out

A customer’s on your product page, they’ve added an item to their cart, but are hesitating. Maybe they’re unsure about sizing, shipping time, or which variation to choose. This is where a quick, helpful chat, automated or human, comes in and becomes the difference between bounce and conversion.

Pro tip: Use proactive chat prompts based on page behavior to start the conversation before the shopper leaves.

2. Right after customers place an order, and anxiety starts to kick in

After a customer hits “place order,” expect more questions to roll into your inbox. Where’s my order? How do I track it? What’s your return policy? Post-purchase excitement—and anxiety—is normal, and a smart AI agent helps you get ahead of these questions while putting customers at ease.

3. During peak shopping seasons like Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday. Holiday rush. Product drops. These are prime opportunities to boost revenue—but they also flood your support team. Conversational commerce tools help you scale without sacrificing quality, keeping shoppers happy and sales flowing.

4. When shoppers are browsing complex products like skincare, makeup, or apparel

If you sell skincare, supplements, tech, or anything that requires a bit of education, your customers likely need guidance before they commit. A personalized conversation helps them find the right fit and feel more confident in their purchase.

What to consider before you start

Conversational commerce sounds exciting, and it is. But before you dive in, it’s worth thinking through a few key factors to set your team (and your customers) up for success.

1. Cost vs. ROI: Start small, scale smart
2. Team resources: Who’s managing the conversations?
3. Customer expectations: Meet them where they are

1. Cost vs. ROI: Start small, scale smart

You don’t need a full-blown chatbot army on Day 1. Start with your highest-impact touchpoints, like pre-sale FAQs or WISMO questions, and layer in automation over time. The goal is to generate clear ROI early, then expand once you see traction.

Here’s how to gradually implement automation into your CX process:

• Identify your top repetitive questions. Use your support data to pinpoint your most common tickets. For most brands, these are WISMOs, shipping concerns, and product-specific questions.
• Create macros for your most-asked questions. These macros will be used to answer the top recurring questions. For agents, this means no more copy-pasting the same responses.
• Build out self-service automation flows. Once you’re feeling more comfortable with automation, set up self-service flows to let customers resolve their own needs, like checking order status, starting a return, or finding their size.
• Automate your top channels. Don’t stop at email. Automate responses on live chat, Instagram DMs, and SMS too. Shoppers expect speed everywhere, not just on your site.
• Maintain impact, then introduce conversational AI. If your CSAT is still healthy after these changes, you can expand to using conversational AI for faster support and team efficiency.

The goal isn’t to automate everything, it’s to automate smartly so your team can spend time where it counts: high-touch sales, VIP support, and strategic growth.

Learn more: How Dr. Bronner's saved $100K/year by switching from Salesforce, then automated 50% of interactions with Gorgias

2. Team resources: Who’s managing the conversations?

Do you have in-house agents ready to handle live chat? Or do you need automation to handle the bulk of it? Make sure your setup aligns with your team’s bandwidth.

Pro tip: Tools like Gorgias AI Agent and Shopping Assistant can handle the support and sales heavy lifting, making them perfect for lean CX teams.

3. Customer expectations: Meet them where they are

Your customers aren’t just on your website. They’re messaging on Instagram, browsing via mobile, or checking their texts. To deliver great conversational commerce, you’ll want to show up in the places your shoppers already use.

Pro tip: Don’t spread your efforts too thin. Start with the channel that aligns with your goals and customer behavior, live chat, SMS, or social DMs, and build from there.

How to get started with conversational ecommerce in 2 steps

Ready to make conversational commerce part of your CX strategy? You don’t need to overhaul your tech stack or hire a whole new team. With Gorgias, you can start fast, stay lean, and scale smart.

Here’s how:

1. Start with AI Agent for 24/7 support

Gorgias AI Agent is designed to take repetitive tickets off your team’s plate, from “Where’s my order?” to “How do I make a return?” It understands natural language, pulls in relevant customer data, and responds in seconds—all using your brand’s approved knowledge.

The result is faster responses, fewer tickets, and more time back for your team.

2. Add Shopping Assistant to drive revenue

While AI Agent, covers the support front, Shopping Assistant is your digital salesperson. It engages high-intent shoppers in real time, recommends the right products, and even upsells or cross-sells based on what the customer is browsing.

Whether it’s helping someone choose the perfect shade or nudging them to complete their cart, Shopping Assistant is designed to increase AOV and reduce abandonment.

The future of ecommerce is conversational

Every time a shopper lands on your site, scrolls through Instagram, or replies to a shipping update, they’re opening the door to a conversation. The brands that show up quickly, helpfully, and with the right message, are the ones winning loyalty and revenue.

With AI Agent, you can automate accurate responses to common questions, giving your team time back without sacrificing customer experience. And with Shopping Assistant, you can turn those conversations into conversions, offering personalized recommendations, upsells, and discounts based on shopper intent.

You don’t need a massive team or months of setup to start. Just the right tools, and a strategy built for your customers.

Book a demo and learn how Gorgias helps you turn every conversation into an opportunity to grow.

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TL;DR:

• The best AI helpdesks offer smart ticketing, self-service, and sales automation. They combine multi-channel support, give teams flexible AI control, and double as an upselling tool that drives revenue.
• Each tool has a unique strength. Gorgias is best for ecommerce brands , Zendesk offers enterprise-level customization, Intercom is great for SaaS engagement, and Tidio is easy for small teams.
• There are also standalone AI tools that integrate with existing helpdesks. Platforms like Ada, Siena, and Yuma offer automation without requiring a full platform switch.
• Advanced AI features vary in price and availability. Some are bundled, while others charge per resolution or limit access to higher tiers.

Every delayed reply, missed ticket, or frustrated customer costs more than just satisfaction—it hits revenue, loyalty, and your brand reputation. That’s why more and more brands are investing in AI helpdesks to automate the tedious parts of their job.

But with so many options on the market, choosing the right AI helpdesk can feel overwhelming. Should you prioritize conversational AI? Multi-channel support? No-code customization? Or pricing that scales with your team?

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We’ve reviewed the 10 best AI helpdesks available in 2025, evaluating them across AI capabilities, ease of use, integrations, analytics, and pricing. 

How we evaluated the best AI helpdesks in 2025

To create this list, we evaluated each platform based on a combination of functionality, AI capabilities, usability, and industry applicability. 

Our goal was to provide a resource that CX leaders, ecommerce managers, and support teams can rely on when choosing a helpdesk that fits their business needs.

Here’s how we approached the evaluation:

1. Feature set assessment: Each tool was reviewed for its core helpdesk features, including ticket management, multi-channel support, workflow automation, and reporting capabilities.
2. AI sophistication: Platforms were evaluated on the depth of their AI offerings. This included natural language processing (NLP), predictive analytics, proactive messaging, and automated resolution capabilities.
3. Ease of use and setup: We considered setup time, onboarding complexity, and the learning curve for both agents and admins.
4. Industry applicability: We examined which industries each tool serves best. Some platforms are tailored for ecommerce, while others are more enterprise or service-focused.
5. Pricing transparency and scalability: We noted starting costs, AI feature availability by tier, and potential scaling considerations. Affordability and scalability were important, particularly for fast-growing teams that need to balance cost with AI functionality.
6. Supporting resources: We reviewed customer support, integrations, documentation, and community resources. A strong helpdesk not only provides AI features but also ensures teams can implement and optimize them effectively.

By following this methodology, we created a balanced, objective view of each helpdesk, highlighting what makes them unique, their strengths, limitations, and who will benefit most from them.

The best AI helpdesks of 2025

Gorgias

Gorgias is an AI helpdesk designed for ecommerce brands, helping teams streamline support while boosting both efficiency and personalization.

By unifying all customer touchpoints—email, chat, social media, voice, and SMS—into a single dashboard, Gorgias allows support teams to manage interactions without toggling between platforms.

Unlike most helpdesks, its AI capabilities go beyond basic automation. In addition to support, its AI can influence sales by assisting, recommending, and upselling to customers based on their shopping behavior.

Best for: Scaling startups and mature ecommerce enterprises looking to expand support capacity without increasing headcount

Potential limitations: Gorgias is focused primarily on ecommerce brands, which means it may be less suitable for companies that don’t use ecommerce platforms.

Pricing: Starts at $10/month, with advanced AI features available as an add-on.

Main features:

• Automated ticket routing: AI triages incoming customer queries and assigns them to the right agent.
• AI-generated responses: Provides instant, context-aware replies to common questions.
• Sentiment analysis: Flags frustrated customers to prioritize urgent tickets.
• Multi-channel AI support: Integrates across email, chat, Shopify, social media, and 100+ ecommerce apps.
• Macros and workflow automation: AI suggests relevant responses and automates repetitive tasks.

AI features:

• AI Agent: Conversational AI that can update, refund, and replace orders, cancel/skip subscriptions, and even carry out custom-made actions.
• Shopping Assistant: A proactive AI tool that guides, upsells, and recommends products to shoppers through chat. It helps CX teams increase sales and AOV.
• Auto QA: Upgrades service quality by automatically evaluating 100% of private text conversations, whether handled by a human or AI. Each message is scored on metrics like Resolution Completeness, Brand Voice, and Accuracy.

Zendesk

Zendesk is a widely adopted AI helpdesk solution that caters to teams of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises. It’s known for its robust ticketing system, extensive integrations, and customizable workflows, making it a versatile choice for teams across industries.

Best for: Non-ecommerce enterprises and businesses like airlines and banks

Potential limitations: Advanced AI features and enterprise-level plans can be expensive for smaller teams, and some users report that customization for niche workflows can be time-consuming.

Pricing: Starts at $25/month per agent, with advanced AI features and enterprise options available on higher tiers.

Main features:

• Unified ticketing: Centralizes requests from email, chat, phone, social media, and messaging apps.
• Macros and workflow automation: Automates routine responses and processes to reduce agent workload.
• Advanced analytics: Offers real-time dashboards and reporting to track support performance and customer satisfaction.
• Multi-channel support: Integrates seamlessly with major ecommerce, CRM, and communication platforms.

AI features:

• Copilot: Assists support agents in providing consistent replies, suggests next steps, and can even perform actions on agents’ behalf.
• AI triage: Automatically categorizes tickets and routes them to the appropriate team member.
• Zendesk QA: Scores the quality of interactions to help you get an overview of support performance.

Intercom

Intercom combines live chat, messaging, and AI automation into a single platform that focuses on proactive customer engagement. Its conversational AI makes it easy for teams to interact with customers in real time, while its automation tools help reduce response times and increase efficiency. 

Best for: SaaS companies, software companies, and mid-market teams

Potential limitations: Companies looking for a plug-and-play AI solution will need to invest time in setting up Intercom. Customers report a steep learning curve when creating workflows, organizing users, and implementing new automations.

Pricing: Starts at $39/month per seat. Fin AI is available as a standalone product for $0.99 per resolution (50 resolutions per month minimum) if you have an existing helpdesk.

Main features:

• Live chat and messaging: Provides instant support via website, mobile apps, and email.
• Inbox and workflow management: Centralizes customer conversations and automates repetitive tasks.
• Customer segmentation: Enables targeted messaging based on behavior, subscription plans, or engagement levels.

AI features:

• Fin AI: Intercom’s AI assistant responds to common questions, freeing agents to handle complex issues.
• Fin Tasks: Performs actions like retrieving order details, processing refunds, reorders, and more.
• Fin Insights: Provides a deep look into recurring trends and issues across conversations.

Gladly

Gladly is a customer service platform built around the concept of conversation-centric support, treating every customer interaction as a continuous dialogue rather than isolated tickets. 

Best for: Customer-focused brands that prioritize personalized, ongoing conversations over transactional support—especially retail, financial services, and subscription businesses that want to strengthen loyalty.

Potential limitations: Smaller teams may find it more than they need, and advanced customization can require professional services.

Pricing: Available on request, with plans typically tailored to enterprise support teams and scaled based on users and features.

Main features:

• Unified customer timeline: Combines all interactions—email, chat, social, SMS—into a single, chronological view.
• Personalized workflows: Tailors automation and routing to individual customer needs.
• Team collaboration tools: Enables seamless handoffs and internal notes for faster issue resolution.

AI features:

• Gladly Hero: Customer profiles created from conversations that include preferences, relationships, and purchase history.
• Sidekick Chat: Instant answers to requests like returns, account updates, and refunds.
• Sidekick Voice: Real-time, AI-powered phone support with SMS follow-ups.

Kustomer

Kustomer is a CRM-centric AI helpdesk that integrates customer support and relationship management in one platform. Its AI capabilities allow teams to automate repetitive tasks, route tickets intelligently, and gain insights into customer history, making it ideal for businesses with complex support workflows.

Best for: Mid-to-large enterprises that prioritize powerful, custom reporting

Potential limitations: Users report an unintuitive and laggy interface, which can slow down large support teams that handle high support volumes.

Pricing: Starts at $89/month per seat, with AI features available as add-ons.

Main features:

• Unified customer profiles: Consolidates all interactions, purchases, and support history in one view.
• Workflow automation: Streamlines processes with rules-based ticket routing and escalation.
• Advanced reporting: Tracks key support metrics and agent performance.

AI features:

• AI Agents for Reps: Offers real-time assistance, from drafting responses to updating records and summarizing conversations.
• AI Agent for Customers: Allows the creation of multiple AI Agents for specialized tasks.

Tidio

Tidio is an AI-powered live chat and messaging platform built for small to mid-sized businesses looking to combine automation with personalized support. Its ease of setup and affordability make it a strong choice for teams new to AI helpdesks.

Best for: Small to mid-sized ecommerce or service-based businesses looking for an easy-to-use AI chat solution to automate FAQs

Potential limitations: May not scale well for large enterprise businesses. 

Pricing: A free plan is available, with paid plans starting at $29/month per agent and AI features as add-ons.

Main features:

• Live chat and messenger integration: Supports website chat, email, and social messaging.
• Drag-and-drop chatbot builder: No coding required to deploy automated responses.
• Ticket management: Organizes queries for quick resolution by agents.

AI features:

• Lyro AI Agent: Conversational AI that answers questions based on support content.

Freshdesk

Freshdesk is a helpdesk platform that combines AI automation, omnichannel support, and workflow management. It’s known for ease of use and affordability, making it popular among SMBs and mid-market companies.

Best for: SMBs and mid-market companies looking for an affordable, easy-to-implement AI helpdesk

Potential limitations: Some advanced AI functionality is limited to higher-tier plans. Large enterprises may require additional configuration to fully leverage AI features.

Pricing: Plans start at $18/month per agent, with AI capabilities and advanced automation available on higher tiers.

Main features:

• Multi-channel ticketing: Consolidates email, chat, phone, and social support.
• Automation and workflows: Rules and macros automate repetitive tasks.
• Analytics and reporting: Provides insights into performance and customer satisfaction.

AI features:

• Freddy AI: Fetches order details, resolves questions, updates customer profiles, and more using approved data.

Standalone AI tools you can integrate with existing helpdesks

Not ready to move helpdesks? These standalone AI tools plug into your existing helpdesk to add automation, self-service, and conversational support.

Ada

Ada is focused on conversational automation, enabling teams to provide self-service solutions that reduce ticket volume while improving response times. 

Its no-code interface makes it accessible for non-technical teams, and its AI capabilities allow for personalized customer interactions at scale.

Best for: Large enterprise businesses looking to reduce support tickets through chat-based support

Potential limitations: Basic features that are free on competitor platforms cost extra on Ada, which limits smaller businesses looking for an all-in-one solution.

Pricing: Starts at $499/month for essential AI features. Higher-tier plans are available on request.

Main features:

• No-code chatbot builder: Quickly design and deploy AI chatbots across web, mobile, and messaging apps.
• Ticket deflection: Automates repetitive queries to reduce human agent workload.
• Multi-language support: Offers conversational support in multiple languages to serve global audiences.

AI features:

• Ada Voice: AI-powered phone support that can respond to customers, take action, and escalate issues in real-time.  
• Ada Email: Instant, personalized replies for email threads with the ability to hand off to agents.

Siena

Siena is focused on providing automated support for rapidly growing ecommerce and SaaS brands. With an emphasis on efficiency and self-service, Siena helps teams reduce ticket volume and respond faster, while giving managers visibility into performance metrics.

Best for: Mid-market ecommerce and SaaS companies that want to combine automation with insights

Potential limitations: Lacks clear visibility into AI performance, which can keep support teams in the dark about support performance and customer satisfaction.

Pricing: Starts at $500/month with automated tickets at $0.90 each. 

Main features:

• Omnichannel support: Handles email, chat, and social media from a single dashboard.
• Custom workflows: Automates repetitive tasks and ticket routing based on rules and customer data.
• Reporting and analytics: Tracks support KPIs and team performance in real time.

AI features:

• Customer Service Agent: Provides contextual, automated responses for common queries.
• Reviews Agent: Responds to every customer review with personalized feedback.
• Siena Memory: Stores key details from customer interactions and turns them into insights reports.

Yuma 

Yuma is focused on conversational automation and self-service solutions. It is designed to reduce agent workload while providing fast, personalized responses, making it appealing to growing ecommerce teams.

Best for: Established ecommerce brands looking to integrate sophisticated conversational AI alongside their current helpdesk

Potential limitations: Limited integrations with broader sales stacks mean brands prioritizing sales will have a hard time creating a smooth workflow.

Pricing: Starts at $350/month for 500 resolutions, with higher-tier plans for more resolutions.

Main features:

• Omnichannel support: Handles chat, email, and social messaging from one platform.
• Self-service portals: Allows customers to resolve common issues independently.
• Workflow automation: AI assists with repetitive tasks and ticket routing.

AI features:

• Support AI: Replies to customers on email, WhatsApp, SMS, and social media using your brand’s voice.
• Social AI: Instant responses to social media comments, DMs, and tags. ‍
• Sales AI: Guides shoppers to the relevant product and tracks bestsellers.

What features to look for in a good AI helpdesk

The best AI helpdesk makes support efficient, personalized, and scalable. 

Here’s a quick checklist of what to look for when evaluating an AI helpdesk:

• Smart ticket management
• Self-service workflows
• Multi-channel support
• Sales and upselling capabilities
• User-friendly AI controls
• Performance insights
• AI learning and improvement

Key takeaways from our review

The future of customer support is AI-driven, and the tools you choose today will define the efficiency, responsiveness, and satisfaction of your support team tomorrow. 

If it's still early in your AI helpdesk journey, we have additional resources to help you learn more from the pros before getting started:

• How CX Leaders are Actually Using AI: 6 Must-Know Lessons
• You’re Missing Out on Sales Without an AI Shopping Assistant—Here’s Why
• Why Consolidated Doesn’t Mean Compromised: Top 3 Myths Debunked

TL;DR:

• Most brands underuse their support tools: Gorgias has powerful features, but many teams don't take full advantage of them.
• Atidiv’s CX experts unlock Gorgias’s full potential: From tagging and macros to dashboards and rules, Atidiv ensures every feature drives value.
• Smart tagging creates strategic insights: Agents tag every interaction to surface product feedback, customer sentiment, and emerging trends in real time.
• Macros and Rules streamline support: Atidiv builds brand-consistent Macros and uses Rules to reduce manual work and clutter.

You don’t need more software—just better usage: Atidiv transforms existing tools like Gorgias into engines for efficiency, growth, and retention.

If you’re like most ecommerce brands, you’ve invested in great tools like Gorgias to streamline support, automate workflows, and deliver personalized experiences at scale. But here’s the hard truth: Having the tools doesn’t mean you’re using them well.

We see it all the time. Gorgias is live, Macros are written, a few Rules are set, and then… chaos. Tags go unused, dashboards lack insight, and your agents are still drowning in tickets.

That’s why leading brands aren’t just buying tech, they’re partnering with teams who know how to use it. That’s where Atidiv comes in.

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The tools are there. Most teams just don’t maximize them.

Gorgias is a powerful platform. Out of the box, it gives you:

• Custom tagging and views
• Automation rules to speed up repetitive tasks
• Macros that standardize your brand voice
• Real-time dashboards and revenue attribution

But without the right people using these tools effectively, it’s just noise. Atidiv’s CX specialists are trained Gorgias power users, and they make sure every feature works hard for your brand.

What happens when CX teams know the tool inside out

Here’s how Atidiv leverages Gorgias to drive real results:

Smart tagging for strategic insights

Atidiv agents don’t just respond to tickets, they tag every interaction with purpose.

• Common product issues? Tagged.
• Pre-sale objections? Tagged.
• VIP customers? You bet—tagged.

This turns your inbox into a live dashboard of customer sentiment, product feedback, and emerging trends, no extra software required.

Macros that actually get used

Atidiv writes and maintains Macros that go beyond “Thanks for reaching out.”

• Dynamic responses tailored to each issue
• Integrated links to help center articles or policies
• Embedded personalization that keeps your brand voice consistent

These aren’t just canned replies—they’re crafted CX responses built to scale.

Enhance your Macros with tags, snooze rules, Shopify actions, and other dynamic variables.

Dashboards that drive decisions

Every Atidiv client gets a customized Gorgias dashboard. It’s built by Atidiv’s Team Leads to track what matters:

• CSAT trends
• SLA performance
• Volume by tag or channel
• Revenue generated from support

No more wondering if your support is working, now you know.

Rules that eliminate repetition

We use Gorgias Rules to route tickets, send auto-replies, and tag intents, reducing ticket clutter by up to 30%.

The result? Agents spend more time on high-impact conversations and less time chasing tracking numbers.

Run your support on autopilot with Gorgias Rules that automatically trigger based on your chosen conditions.

A real-world example: What this looks like in practice

A fast-growing superfood brand came to Atidiv with Gorgias already live, but underutilized. They were answering tickets manually, tracking performance in spreadsheets, and dealing with repeat questions daily.

Within 30 days, Atidiv helped them:

• Build >10 custom macros
• Implement >5 auto-routing and tagging rules
• Clean up and standardize 50+ tags
• Created 15+ executive views
• Launch a real-time performance dashboard
• Reduce first response time by approximately 45%
• Retention analysis using tags
• Surface batch of products with bad taste based on tag trends

And no, they didn’t need to buy any new tools.

It’s not about more tech, it’s about more leverage

Most brands think their next CX win will come from another app or integration. But the real unlock often comes from better use of what they already have.

That’s what Atidiv offers:

• CX teams that are fluent in Gorgias
• Leadership layers that manage performance and QA
• Strategic use of features you’re already paying for
• Flexibility to scale up or down without hiring overhead

The bottom line

You don’t need to overhaul your tech stack. You need a team that can turn Gorgias into a strategic engine for support, growth, and insight.

Atidiv makes it possible, with trained agents, experienced leaders, and a deep understanding of what Gorgias can do when used to its full potential.

→ Want to get more out of the tools you already have? Let’s talk about how Atidiv + Gorgias can transform your support operation.

TL;DR:

• Train your AI like a new hire. Give it tone guidelines, review weekly, and keep refining to stay on-brand.
• Adapt AI to real customer behavior. Adjust tone and timing to improve satisfaction, even if the answer stays the same.
• Use AI to drive sales, not just support. Top brands use it to answer product questions and guide pre-purchase decisions.
• Start small and improve as you go. Begin with one common question and test often to build momentum.

If you’ve been side-eyeing AI and wondering if it’s just hype, you’re not alone. A lot of CX leaders were skeptical, too:

“I used to be the loudest skeptic,” said Amber van den Berg, Head of CX at Wildride. “I was worried it would feel cold and robotic, completely disconnected from the warm, personal vibe we’d worked so hard to build.”

But fast forward to today, and teams at Wildride, OLIPOP, bareMinerals, and Love Wellness are using AI to do more than just deflect tickets. They’re…

• Cutting costs without cutting corners
• Driving revenue before a customer even checks out
• Delivering fast, on-brand, human-feeling support at scale

Here are six lessons you can steal from the brands doing it best.

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1. Think of AI as your sidekick

We need to get one point across clearly: AI isn’t about replacing your support team.

For brands with lean CX teams, burnout is a serious problem. And it’s one of the biggest reasons AI adoption is accelerating.

“I was constantly seeing the same frustrating inquiries—sponsorship asks, bachelorette party freebies, PR requests… 45% of our tickets were these kinds of messages,” said Nancy Sayo, Director of Consumer Services at global beauty brand, bareMinerals.

“Once I realized AI could handle them with kindness and consistency without pulling in my team, I was sold.”

Instead of thinking of AI as a replacement, think of it as an enhancement. 

It’s about making sure your CX team doesn’t burn out answering the same five questions 50 times a day.

With Gorgias AI Agent, Nancy’s team now uses automation to absorb the high-volume, low-conversion noise, freeing up their seasoned agents to focus on real revenue-driving moments.

“We use AI to handle low-complexity tickets. And we route higher-value customers to our human sales team—people who’ve been doing makeup for over a decade and really know what they’re doing.”

TL;DR? The smartest teams use AI to take the weight of repetitive tickets (“Do you ship internationally?” “Can I get free samples?”) off their shoulders so agents can focus on conversations that build trust, drive loyalty, and increase LTV.

2. Train your AI like a team member

While you can get started with AI quickly for simple queries, we don't recommend using it “out of the box.” And honestly, that’s a good thing.

Brands that “set it and forget it” are missing the point. Because if you want AI to sound exactly like your brand—not like every other chatbot on the internet—you need to give it the same context you’d give a new hire.

Amber van den Berg, Head of Customer Experience at baby carrier brand Wildride, wrote out detailed tone guidelines, including:

• Dos and don’ts for customer conversations
• Approved Dutch-to-English translations
• Example replies for nuanced, emotional questions
• Pre-written macros for product recs and delivery issues

“Lisa, our AI agent, is basically a super well-trained intern who never sleeps. I give her the same updates I give my human team, and I review Lisa’s conversations every week,” said Amber. “If something feels off-brand, too robotic, or just not Wildride enough, I tweak it.”

The feedback never stops, and that’s what makes Lisa so effective.

Related: Meet Auto QA: Quality checks are here to stay

3. Let AI mirror the pacing of real conversations

Even when AI gets it right, customers might not always feel like it did. Especially if the tone of voice is off or if your customer base just isn’t used to automation.

“Our CSAT was low at first,” said Nancy Sayo of bareMinerals. “Even if the response was accurate and beautifully written, our older customers just didn’t want to interact with AI.”

So Nancy’s team adapted. Rather than giving customers a blunt “no” to product requests, they restructured the flow:

“If someone asked for free product, we’d say, ‘We’ll send this to the team and follow up.’ Then, 3-5 days later, the AI would close the loop. It softened the blow and made customers feel heard—even if the answer didn’t change.”

That simple tweak raised CSAT and created a better customer experience without requiring a human to step in.

Inside Gorgias, teams like bareMinerals review AI performance weekly, not just to catch mistakes, but to optimize for tone, satisfaction, and brand feel. They use:

• CSAT reporting to spot dips in sentiment
• Conversation analytics to flag where AI may be losing trust
• Macro editing to quickly adjust common replies

AI gives you the flexibility to test, tweak, and tailor your approach in a way traditional support channels never could. 

4. Use AI to drive sales—not just support

Too many CX teams still treat AI like a glorified autoresponder. But the most forward-thinking brands are using it to guide shoppers to checkout.

“Our customers often ask: ‘Which carrier is better for warm weather?’ or ‘Will this fit both me and my taller partner?’” said Amber van den Berg, Head of CX at Wildride. “Lisa doesn’t just answer—she gives context, recommends features, and highlights small touches like the fact that a diaper fits in the side pocket.”

With Gorgias Shopping Assistant, brands can turn AI into a proactive sales assistant—answering product questions in real time, referencing what’s in the customer’s cart, and nudging them toward the best option with empathy.

5. CX insights should power the rest of your business

Great support doesn’t stop at the inbox. At Love Wellness, CX is the connective tissue between ecommerce, product, and marketing.

“We meet quarterly with our CX and ecommerce teams to review top questions, objections, and patterns,” said Mckay Elliot, Director of Amazon at Love Wellness. “That feedback goes straight into product development and PDP optimizations on both DTC and Amazon.”

But it’s not just a quarterly ritual. Feedback sharing is embedded in the culture, and they do this with a Slack channel dedicated to customer feedback. 

Dropping in insights is part of the team’s daily and weekly responsibilities. It helps everyone stay close to the content, and it sparks real collaboration on what we can improve. They then use those insights to improve ad messaging and content.

Your team has so much data they can review between channels like email, SMS, chat, and social media—both compliments and complaints. You need to be willing to listen to every customer’s needs.

Read more: Why customer service is important (according to a VP of CX)

6. Don’t overthink it, start small

One of the biggest mistakes brands make with AI? Trying to do too much, too soon.

Rolling out AI should feel like a phased launch, not a switch flip. The best results come from starting simple, testing often, and iterating as you go.

“We started with one simple question—‘Do you ship internationally?’—and built from there,” said Amber van den Berg of Wildride.

“And if it doesn’t work? You can always turn it off,” added Anne Dyer, Sr. Manager of CX & Loyalty Marketing at OLIPOP. “The key is to test, review, and keep iterating. AI should enhance your human experience, not replace it.”

If your helpdesk supports it, start in a test environment to preview answers before going live. Then roll out automation gradually by channel, topic, or ticket type and QA every step of the way.

For most brands, the best starting point is high-volume, low-complexity tickets like:

• “Where’s my order?”
• Subscription pauses or cancellations
• Returns and exchanges
• Store policies and FAQs

You don’t need to solve everything on day 1. Just commit to one question, one channel, and one hour per week. That’s where real momentum starts.

Related: Store policies by industry, explained: What to include for every vertical

How do you measure the impact of AI in CX?

Most CX teams are used to tracking classic metrics like ticket volume and CSAT. But when AI enters the mix, your definition of success shifts. It’s not all about how fast you handle tickets anymore—it’s about how customers feel after conversations with AI, team efficiency, and the quality of every interaction.

Here are the metric CX teams used to track without AI—and what they track now with AI:

The best use of AI makes space for human touch

AI isn’t here to replace your CX team. It’s here to free them up, so they can focus on deeper, more meaningful conversations that build loyalty and drive revenue.

So if you’re on the fence, start small. Train it. Review weekly. Build the muscle.

You’ll be surprised how quickly AI becomes your favorite intern.

If you want more tips from the experts featured today, you can:

• Watch the full webinar
• Get the AI in Action ebook

TL;DR:

• Consolidation doesn’t mean giving up flexibility. The right all-in-one tools are modular and API-friendly, so teams can customize and integrate freely.
• You gain efficiency, not lose features. One platform means fewer gaps, less manual work, and faster support.
• It’s more affordable and faster than you think. Consolidation cuts hidden costs and delivers ROI quickly.
• Gorgias is built for ecommerce. With a deep Shopify integration and 100+ apps to connect to, it can scale with CX teams, no matter their size.

If your CX team is juggling a dozen different tools just to answer one support ticket, you’re not alone. According to our 2025 Ecommerce Trends report, 42.28% of ecommerce professionals use six or more tools every day. Plus, nearly 40% spend $5,000–$50,000 annually on their tech stack.

That’s a lot of money and a lot of tabs.

It’s no wonder “tech stack fatigue” is setting in. But while many brands are ready to simplify, there’s still hesitation around consolidation. The biggest fear is that all-in-one tools are too rigid or basic to handle the complexity of a growing business.

But the truth is, consolidation doesn’t mean compromise. When done right, it means clarity, speed, and control. It also means fewer tools, smoother workflows, and faster customer support. 

Let’s bust some myths and show you what smart consolidation looks like.

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Myth #1: “All-in-one tools are too rigid”

One of the biggest blockers to consolidation is compatibility. Fifty-two percent of ecommerce professionals said they hesitate to consolidate because they’re worried about tools not playing nicely together. 

That hesitation makes sense. In the past, “all-in-one” tools meant being locked into a single provider’s ecosystem, with limited integrations and rigid workflows. For CX teams managing fast-moving ops and dozens of tools, from email and returns to reviews and subscriptions, the idea of losing flexibility is a non-starter. 

Reality: All-in-one tools are modular, not monolithic

Modern support platforms have moved away from monolithic systems and toward modular API-friendly designs that give brands control instead of constraints. 

If you choose the right platform, consolidation doesn’t lead to a loss of functionality. Instead, it means getting a better-connected system that works smarter.

Just ask Audien Hearing who uses Gorgias’s open API to create an integration with its warehouse software to manage returns directly in Gorgias instead of a shared Google spreadsheet.

They also combine the power of Gorgias Voice with an integration to Aircall to resolve thousands of questions a day. This integration enables agents to access customer and order data directly from Gorgias while on a call—staying in one workspace.

“It's amazing that we're able to create any custom solutions we want with Gorgias's open API. Gorgias is way more than a typical helpdesk if you utilize the features it offers,” says Zoe Kahn, VP of Retention and Customer Experience at Audien Hearing.

Read more: The Gorgias & Shopify integration: 8 features your support team will love 

Myth #2: “We’ll lose features we rely on”

Another common hesitation around consolidation is the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket. If everything runs through one tool, what happens when something breaks or you need to pivot?

It’s understandable, many teams worry that one tool can’t possibly do everything well. Maybe it won’t support their preferred channels, or the automation will be too limited. Or maybe they’ve been burned by a platform that promised too much and delivered too little.

Reality: All-in-one tools reduce gaps, not capabilities

In reality, consolidating gives CX teams more freedom, not less.

Instead of stitching together half a dozen tools and hoping they sync, teams using a single, well-integrated platform gain:

• A centralized view of the customer
• Cleaner workflows with fewer manual handoffs
• Less time spent training agents on multiple systems
• And fewer gaps in data or context

Under one system, your team doesn’t have to jump between tabs anymore. They can just focus on helping customers, quickly and consistently.

Take it from Osea Malibu, a seaweed‑infused skincare brand that transformed their support quality assurance process using Gorgias Auto QA. Their manual QA system was time-consuming and couldn’t scale as ticket volume surged. But the switch made impressive improvements:

• QA time reduced by 75%, from over an hour per week to just 15 minutes
• 100% of tickets now automatically quality‑checked, instead of a small manual sample
• CSAT increased (during BFCM) to 4.74/5, reflecting better consistency and faster resolutions

“Gorgias Auto QA saved me so much time. What used to take over an hour now only takes 15 minutes a week, and I no longer have to worry about spreadsheets.” —Sare Sahagun, Customer Care Manager at Osea Malibu

Myth #3: “Consolidation is expensive and time-consuming”

On paper, consolidation sounds smart. But 47.6% of ecommerce professionals say cost is a barrier, and 40.3% worry about the time it takes to implement a new system.

Sticking with a fragmented stack isn’t exactly cheap or quick, either. Between training new agents, managing multiple vendors, and patching together tools that don’t fully sync, the hidden costs add up fast.

Reality: Consolidation reduces overhead and busywork

It’s not actually consolidation that drains your resources—it’s complexity. And with Gorgias, simplifying pays off fast.

Trove Brands is a standout example. After centralizing their support with Gorgias, they implemented AI-powered order cancellation workflows and saw:

• 45% of tickets automated, cutting manual workload
• 70% reduction in failed order cancellations, saving costs and frustration
• 99.93% faster first response time during BFCM 2024 (from 11 hours 30 minutes to just 30 seconds)

Related: The hidden cost of not adopting AI in ecommerce

What’s the top benefit of consolidating your tech stack?

The biggest benefit of fewer tools is efficiency. It’s also a direct line to real business impact.

Constant tab-switching and duplicate data entry mean way too much time spent managing platforms instead of helping customers.

When you consolidate your tech stack, your team spends less time learning new systems, chasing down info, or waiting for one tool to sync with another. 

Instead, they get everything they need in one place, faster replies, smoother workflows, and happier customers.

And that all adds up to better CSAT, lower churn, and a support team that’s finally free to focus on what matters.

What makes Gorgias different from other all-in-one platforms?

Gorgias is built specifically for ecommerce brands, with features that reflect the way CX teams actually work.

As Shopify’s only Premier Partner for customer support, we offer a native integration that pulls in key order data and context automatically, so agents have everything they need without switching platforms. That means conversations, AI, automation, revenue data, and reporting are in one place.

Our open app ecosystem allows you to connect to 100+ tools like Shopify, Klaviyo, Yotpo, and Recharge in just a few clicks. Need more customization? Our add-ons, like AI Agent and Voice let you level up at your own pace.

Whether you're handling hundreds of tickets a week or scaling globally, Gorgias adapts—so you don’t have to keep reinventing your support stack every six months.

Time to rethink your stack

Dr. Bronner’s, a globally recognized organic soap and personal care brand, made the switch from Salesforce to Gorgias to keep up with growing support demands, and it paid off fast.

Here are the results they saw with Gorgias:

• $100,000 saved in the first year by cutting licensing and developer costs
• 45% of all customer queries automated after just 2 months
• 74% reduction in ticket resolution time, powering faster support
• 11% increase in CSAT, thanks to quicker, more personalized responses

“We don’t get boxed out because we only work with Gorgias tools. Gorgias deeply understands the needs of CX, Shopify, and orders and how those tools work together so that it’s really easy for us to work across the board throughout those tools and that didn’t exist in our last setup at all,” says Emily McEnany, Senior CX Manager at Dr. Bronner’s.

If you’re still stitching together half a dozen tools to handle support, it might be time to ask: Is your tech stack helping you or holding you back?

With Gorgias, you get centralization and flexibility, so your team can move faster, serve better, and scale smarter.

Book a demo or dive into the full 2025 Ecommerce Trends report to see how other brands are rethinking their stacks.

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TL;DR:

• Shoppers won’t wait for help—so they leave. Without instant answers, you’re losing sales to hesitation and unanswered questions.
• AI shopping assistants step in right away. They guide, recommend, and resolve concerns in real time, 24/7.
• They boost conversions and AOV. Brands like Pepper and TUSHY saw up to 62% more conversions after adding one.
• They go beyond chatbots. AI assistants proactively sell, using browsing behavior to tailor messages and close more carts.
• Gorgias Shopping Assistant is built for Shopify brands. It starts conversations, mirrors your brand voice, uses browsing data, suggests products, and sends dynamic discounts.

Shoppers aren’t always going to reach out and ask the questions they have, especially if they’re going to have to wait for a response from a CX team. 

That means you’re losing sales to friction, indecision, or information gaps. 

In 2025, the average cart abandonment rate is 70.19%. But if you can find an AI tool that doubles as a support and sales agent, it could make all the difference. 

Gorgias’s Shopping Assistant, for example, has brought a 62% uplift in conversion rate for brands that implement it.

Ahead, learn where you can leverage an AI shopping assistant to increase conversions and craft better purchase experiences. 

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What is an AI shopping assistant? 

An AI shopping assistant is a chat tool powered by AI to provide pre-sales support for shoppers. It can answer questions, make product recommendations, and help guide shoppers in the right direction if they’re stuck. 

Gorgias's Shopping Assistant is a powerful, hyper-personalized AI tool built for Shopify brands. Unlike other AI tools, Shopping Assistant starts conversations with customers, not the other way around. It’s uniquely tailored for each customer by tracking browsing behavior during each session and remembering what shoppers say, keeping conversations natural and recommendations relevant. 

It’ll also chat with shoppers in your own brand voice, as its responses are pulled right from the knowledge you feed it. 

At which point do brands lose sales in the customer journey?

The stages of the customer journey where common drop-off points occur for brands that lack proactive support include: 

• Discovery (casual browsing)
• Interested (considering making a purchase)
• Ready to buy (strong purchase intent)  

1) Discovery (casual browsing) 

There’s a big chance that shoppers—especially first-timers—have questions, but aren’t willing to wait for a human to get back to them. And when your CX team is off the clock? Customers will likely leave altogether.

An AI shopping assistant can help you engage customers right away, even outside your business hours.

Bra brand Pepper uses Gorgias Shopping Assistant to help shoppers find their perfect size. When it detects hesitation, Shopping Assistant points customers to the sizing guide.

This proactive approach creates an easy path for conversation and sets the precedent that any questions will be answered immediately, providing a better––and less confusing––experience. 

“With Shopping Assistant, we’re not just putting information in our customers’ hands; we’re putting bras in their hands,” says Gabrielle McWhirter, CX Operations Lead at Pepper. 

Impact these metrics 📈

For shoppers in the Discovery stage, using a Shopping Assistant boosts clicks and time on site and reduces bounce rate. It does this by surfacing specific questions on relevant product pages. Pepper boosted their conversion rate by 19% with Gorgias Shopping Assistant.

Read more: How Pepper’s AI Agent automates 54% of support and converts 19% of conversations

2) Interested (considering making a purchase)  

In a retail environment, a salesperson can give shoppers recommendations by asking a few questions, especially if they’re unsure of what to buy. 

AI shopping assistants have the ability to mirror those in-person shopping experiences by interacting with customers in real-time to help them find their perfect match.

Shoppers can give as much (e.g., “Help! What dress is suitable for a wedding reception?”) or as little information as they’d like, and the AI shopping assistant will do the rest. 

It’s possible even for questions that are slightly vague, like a customer who types in “how to make up” without any other context:

For example, jewelry shop Caitlyn Minimalist uses Shopping Assistant to recommend products, engaging interested customers and bringing them closer to a purchase.

“As a result of Shopping Assistant, we've seen a measurable lift in AOV through more meaningful customer interactions,” says Anthony Ponce, Head of Customer Experience at Caitlyn Minimalist. 

“Our clients are provided the right information at the right time, creating a seamless experience that builds trust and drives confident purchases." 

Impact these metrics 📈

According to data from Gorgias, email is the highest volume support channel, with ~25% of that tied to pre-sales. AI shopping assistants tackle these pre-sales asks and also upsell by recommending complementary products. This can lead to a boost in average order value (AOV) and conversion rate. 

Read more: How Caitlyn Minimalist uses Shopping Assistant to turn single purchases into jewelry collections

3) Ready to buy (strong purchase intent) 

The main reasons customers abandoned a cart in 2025 include:

• Extra costs (like shipping, fees, taxes) - 39% 
• Delivery times were too slow - 21% 
• Checkout was too complicated or long - 18% 
• Didn’t like return policy - 15% 

An AI shopping assistant can mitigate or resolve these issues. They resolve crucial questions—like delivery time or return policies—that need in-the-moment answers. By alleviating pre-sale concerns, they give customers the confidence to make a purchase.

For example, bidet brand TUSHY leverages Shopping Assistant to answer questions about toilet compatibility that might flush a pending sale. 

Aside from quelling customer concerns, Shopping Assistant can also send discount codes to close deals. Unlike general discount codes you find across the internet, these discounts are uniquely generated for each customer, keeping them engaged and on your site.

Impact these metrics 📈

AI shopping assistants can reduce cart abandonment rate and increase conversion rate. Gorgias Shopping Assistant adjusts to your sales strategy by sending customers discount codes that can be the final nudge to checkout.

Read more: How TUSHY uses Shopping Assistant to drive 190% higher chat conversion rate by building customer confidence

Why traditional chatbots don’t cut it anymore

Most AI tools are built just for support. They deflect tickets and answer FAQs, but they’re not built to sell. 

Shopping Assistant proves that support teams can also drive revenue by upselling, suggesting exchanges, and giving shoppers the confidence to try a brand for the first time (or to give it another shot).

Gorgias’s AI Shopping Assistant uses context-based decision making and looks for specific behavioral signals: 

• Products viewed - Which product pages have they visited?
• Pages views - What pages have they explored, like FAQs, reviews or categories?
• Current page - Which page are they currently browsing?
• Purchase history – What have they bought from this brand before?
• Cart data - What items are currently in their cart?

Improve conversions with Gorgias Shopping Assistant 

Ultimately, the cost of not adopting AI can be higher than the investment of implementing it. 77.2% of ecommerce professionals use AI to improve their work. Why not extend those benefits to your customers? 

AI Shopping Assistants help you create better customer experiences overall. These tools help reduce customer effort, increase average order value, save would-be-lost sales, and create more customer touchpoints.  

Hire the always-on Shopping Assistant that never misses a sale.

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