Trove Market, the leading mobile-first platform for buying and selling used furniture and other home goods locally, has launched chatbots for several social platforms including Facebook, Telegram, Kik and Skype.
The automated bot helps both buyers and sellers peruse Trove Market to find amazing items nearby – also helping individuals sell items faster – as part of a global trend that is moving towards conversational commerce, a new phenomenon that sees people using messaging apps to interact with service providers. One example is Uber’s integration with Facebook Messenger, which allows individuals to hail rides and provide arrival updates from within their chat window.
“Our chat bots give shoppers an amazing opportunity to quickly search for items that are being sold nearby, or in the location of the person they are talking to, without ever leaving the app,” says Trove Market CEO Xing Wang.
Trove has developed technology that helps customers find products and also browse recent listings and activity in the nearby area. The bot will allow users to interact directly with Trove Market via chat, in each respective chat app, so users can quickly find what they’re looking for without leaving the chat. As desired, users may seamlessly launch into the Trove App to communicate directly with sellers and make offers on items found.
Trove’s bots can be found in the Bot Stores for Kik (@trovemarket), Telegram (@trovebot), and Skype (@Trove Market), and via Trove’s Facebook Page (or via a message to @Trove Market).
“We are super excited that key major chat platforms are opening up their APIs,” Wang continues. “People are used to interacting via Chats. As we see it, webpages came first, then there were apps, and now it is the time for bots.”
