Every business wants to deliver a personalized experience to its customers, but one process that quietly eats up hours each week is responding to product recommendation requests. Whether it’s a customer asking, “Which product is right for me?” or “Can you suggest something for my needs?”, these emails often require a staff member to read the message, check the customer’s order history, browse the catalog, and craft a thoughtful reply.

Why is this process usually manual? The answer is simple: it feels personal. Businesses worry that automation will sound robotic or miss the nuances of a customer’s needs. As a result, someone on your team spends time reading, researching, and replying—often repeating the same steps for similar requests.

Let’s look at how AI can automate this process, step by step, without the technical jargon:

1. The AI scans the incoming email for key details—what the customer is asking, any preferences, and their purchase history.
2. It checks your product catalog for items that match the customer’s needs.
3. The AI drafts a personalized reply, suggesting relevant products and including links or discount codes if appropriate.
4. Your team reviews the draft (if you want), makes any tweaks, and sends it off.

Consider a small online store that receives 10 product recommendation emails a day. If each one takes 5 minutes to answer, that’s nearly an hour of staff time daily—over 20 hours a month. With AI handling the heavy lifting, your team can review and send each reply in under a minute, cutting the time spent by 80% or more.

Of course, businesses have concerns about cost, complexity, and reliability. Here’s what we’ve seen:

• Cost: Most automation tools are subscription-based, often costing less than the hourly wage of a part-time employee. The time saved usually covers the investment many times over.
• Complexity: Modern AI tools are designed for non-technical users. They plug into your existing email and store systems, with setup taking minutes—not days.
• Reliability: AI isn’t perfect, but it’s surprisingly good at handling routine requests. You can always set it to require human review before sending, ensuring quality and peace of mind.

If your team spends too much time on repetitive email tasks, it might be worth exploring how automation could help. Even automating just one process—like product recommendations—can free up hours for more meaningful work. Curious how it might fit your workflow? Take a look at what’s available and see if there’s a solution that matches your needs.