Tokopedia Smart Reply
Smart Reply is a functionality in Tokopedia Chat that helped both buyers and sellers by providing automated answers on stock availability, shipping, & product specifications topic.
Year
2022
Company
Tokopedia
Responsibilities
Product Design
Background
Buyer and seller communication in Tokopedia
Buyer-to-seller communication is a key activity in the Tokopedia shopping experience. Chat is involved in 30.75% of Tokopedia orders. Buyers use chat to build trust with sellers, which increases their buying intention. Sellers use chat to address repetitive questions from buyers.
Understanding User
Three phases of buyer-seller interaction in Tokopedia
Buyers interact with sellers during three phases of their shopping experience. The first phase involves first-time or potential buyers who are curious about the shop and product. These buyers typically inquire about stock availability, logistics, and product details—accounting for up to 60.94% of all chats with product attachments.
In the second phase, buyers return to make another purchase from the same shop. These customers often ask about promotions or better prices.
The final phase involves buyers with questions about their ongoing purchase. These customers seek information about order details after completing a transaction. This phase generates up to 19.9% of all buyer-to-seller chats.
Proposed Solution
Enhancing Tokopedia's buyer-seller interactions with Smart Reply
Smart Reply in Tokopedia Chat optimizes buyer-seller communication by automating responses to common inquiries and order processes. It provides buyers with quick access to order information and allows sellers to set up automated responses, reducing their workload.
With 30.75% of Tokopedia orders involving chat, Smart Reply has a significant impact on buyer-seller interactions. By handling routine messages and repetitive questions, it enables sellers to focus on complex inquiries, improving overall service quality.
Design Process
Understanding buyer and seller chat’s topic
The design process begins with a thorough analysis of buyer and seller chat topics in Tokopedia's Chat feature. This crucial step allows us to understand the most common conversation patterns and user needs. After conducting this analysis, we compiled the results to guide our further design decisions.
Buyer and seller common chat topics in Tokopedia.
Collaborating with data team
Smart Reply initiatives always rely heavily on data, as they it most frequently asked topics based on buyer-seller chat data trends. To make our collaboration with the DA team more efficient, I initiated biweekly sessions to share design progress with DA & PM team. These sessions make it easier for us to communicate our data analysis needs, and the DA team can directly check that their analysis is being utilized properly in the design.
Determining smart reply use cases
After mapping buyer and seller chat topics in Tokopedia, we identified which ones are suitable for Smart Reply. This involved analyzing conversation frequency, complexity, and suitability for automated responses. Our goal is to direct repetitive and simple questions to be answered by Smart Reply while ensuring that complex questions are still handled by human sellers when necessary.
Determining Smart Reply use cases
Crafting user experience through conversation design
With a list of topics suitable for automation using Smart Reply, we move on to designing the user experience. Our approach begins with conversation design, enabling us to create intuitive and effective interactions between users and Smart Reply. The first step in conversation design is defining the Smart Reply persona. I have outlined the Smart Reply persona as follows:
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Smart Reply represents Tokopedia sellers by communicating information such as stock availability and shipping options to buyers quickly and accurately. Its tone of voice is Trustworthy, Optimistic, Empathetic, and Cheerful.
Then we can craft the conversation by topic, empathize to user by defining user story, and start planning the automated prompt & automated answer. Here's one example below for shipping status case:
Conversation design example for shipping status case.
Design Outcome
Smart reply answering questions about stock availability & shipping fee.
Faster purchase decision with Smart Reply
Smart Reply enhances buyer-seller interactions by instantly answering stock availability and shipping inquiries. It provides real-time inventory updates and detailed delivery information, ensuring quick, accurate responses. By automating these common questions, Smart Reply frees sellers to focus on more meaningful conversations, creating a smoother shopping experience for buyers.
Smart reply answering questions about stock availability & product bundling
Beyond answering inquiries, Smart Reply can also acts as a sales assistant. When a buyer expresses interest in a product, it can also suggests relevant bundle offers, encouraging larger purchases and increasing order value. This seamless upselling not only benefits sellers but also helps buyers discover better deals effortlessly.
Smart Reply settings for seller.
Smart Reply as Extension of the Seller’s Voice
Tokopedia sellers can configure their Smart Reply responses directly from the Seller Dashboard, allowing them to set up automated answers that align with their business needs.
Configuring smart reply's answers
From this dashboard, sellers can create response templates for common inquiries like stock availability and shipping details, ensuring buyers receive quick and accurate information. With this flexibility, Smart Reply enhances communication while maintaining a personalized touch.
Smart Reply simulation feature.
Smart Reply settings mobile version.
Smart Reply Settings: Accessible Anytime, Anywhere
Smart Reply’s seller settings are available on both desktop and mobile, ensuring sellers can manage their automated responses conveniently from any device. As a product designer, I had to create a seamless experience across platforms, considering different screen sizes, navigation patterns, and user behaviors. By optimizing the interface for both desktop and mobile, I ensured that sellers could easily configure Smart Reply anytime, improving efficiency and accessibility.
Project Result
Improved seller responsiveness
Smart Reply increased the average chat response rate among sellers by 25%, helping them engage with buyers more efficiently.
Addressed key buyer concerns
Smart Reply successfully answered 48% of buyer inquiries related to stock readiness, reducing repetitive questions for sellers.
Drove buyer conversion
Among all buyers, 16% used Smart Reply, and 70% of them proceeded to purchase after receiving a response via Smart Reply.
Strong seller adoption
Smart Reply reached a 52% adoption rate, meaning more than half of Tokopedia sellers actively use this feature to manage buyer chats.