
A Chatbot Helped a Vinyl Records Startup Make $1M in 8 Months - uptown
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/how-chatbot-helped-vinyl-records-startup-make-1-million-8-months-170900
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pimlottc
This is what they're calling a chatbat these days?  It's just a text interface
responding to keywords, with a fall-through to a human rep.  I was expecting at
least some sort of lightweight AI.  Okay, so there's a recommendation engine
behind it, but I wouldn't really consider that part of the "chatbot", it could
just as easily be hosted on the web. 

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visarga
There are many kinds of chatbots, one distinction between them being if they
are generative (A.I.) or template-based.  Another distinction is if they are
narrowly limited into a domain (like the one selling music in this article) or
general (like Microsoft's Tay). 

The current situation is that it's hard to make generative chatbots create
long replies that are also coherent.  These A.I. based bots are only good for
simple discussions, yet. 

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seibelj
Bot / human hybrids are so obviously the future, not bots only, as the
experience they provide is shit except for specific things which are easier
done with menus. 

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erikpukinskis
They are best for interactions with a time component.  A UI doesn't work for
things that should happen in the future because you won't be in the app in the
future.  A chatbot can just chat you.  Notifications require an app install and
add a lot of engineering complexity. 

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seibelj
Reducing the complexity of app notifications is worth forcing your users to
interact with you like a bash terminal?  There is a reason we have modern UI
widgets, windows, buttons, etc. 

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erikpukinskis
There is no generic answer to your question.  That's no how design works. 
Sometimes the tradeoff is worth it sometimes it's not.  It depends on your
goal.  In an app that is 100% notifications I could imagine it being a quite
good tradeoff. 

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blakes
Super interesting idea, I'd even try it if I was currently purchasing records. 
Had to slow down on that habit. 

I wonder if they are just using Amazon referrals and what not.  It would be
super cool if they could actually sell things from say, Discogs.