Chatbots cause growing frustration among online shoppers

On Nov. 18 he had placed an express delivery order for nearly VND5 million (US$197) on an e-commerce platform. When he contacted the shop the following day through an automated chat system to inquire about the delivery status, he was assured the package would arrive that day.

But by Nov. 20 the order had still not been delivered. His repeated attempts to follow up only resulted in automated chatbot responses, with no human support available.

"Annoyed by the irrelevant replies from the chatbot, I sent a message asking, ‘Are you selling products or scamming people?’" he says. "The system immediately issued a warning and blocked my account for violating community standards. From being a victim, I became the troublemaker." Frustrated he decided to cancel the order and visit a physical store to purchase the item. He also uninstalled the e-commerce platform’s app, vowing never to use it again.

A person shopping online. Illustration by Pexels

Ha My, a shopper in Dak Lak Province, shares her dissatisfaction when trying to return a product purchased from a fashion retailer’s website. After receiving unhelpful automated responses, her repeated attempts to reach human support failed. She eventually had to call the retailer’s customer service hotline to resolve the issue.

On social media, many users have expressed frustration with chatbot interactions on e-commerce platforms, social media and online retail websites. Most complaints center around irrelevant or unhelpful responses, particularly when post-purchase issues need to be addressed.

"When shopping, people expect to interact with real humans for advice and support," Facebook user Hoang Le wrote in a group with over 50,000 members sharing online shopping experiences.

A survey by LivePerson of 5,700 online shoppers in the UK, the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, and Italy last year found that poor customer service drives many to abandon online purchases.

Of the respondents, 37% said they wanted to ask a question but could not get an answer from a human, while 30% reported receiving no assistance at all. The survey also found that, before making a purchase, 51% of online shoppers try only once or give up immediately after seeking help, while 71% expected assistance within five minutes.

If help is not provided within that time frame, 48% leave the site. In the case of post-purchase issues, shoppers are more persistent, with 76% willing to try at least twice to resolve their concerns.

Ha Dung, a communications specialist in HCMC, observes that the rise of AI technology, especially ChatGPT, has prompted businesses to adopt more advanced chatbot systems. These newer systems deliver more natural and responsive interactions compared to those used even three years ago, he says.

"With the power and flexibility of AI systems, even small shops can now deploy intelligent chatbots with minimal investment, training them with their own data and integrating them into their services. These tools are effective for quickly responding to frequently asked questions."

But AI chatbots should only be used to provide pre-set information, not resolve customer complaints or handle complex issues, he reckons. "Unless deliberately negligent, businesses, regardless of size, should have at least one staff member available to address customer concerns. Relying solely on AI risks disappointing customers and pushing them toward competitors."