“Salute, I want some ice-cream”: top products people order with Sber’s virtual assistants

Sber has analyzed the most popular groceries in the Samokat online store catalog that people order via the Salute virtual assistants on all surfaces of their presence. Starting today, users of SberBank Online and Sber Salyut apps will also be able to place orders via the virtual assistants when browsing the SberMarket catalog.

Sber has identified the top products users ordered with the Salute assistants over the last six months. They are as follows: bread and milk (17% of orders, each), ice-cream (16%), and water (13%). Potato chips emerged as the most popular snack (10%). Buyers also prefer syrnyky to croissants (3.2% vs 2.8%), tomatoes to cucumbers (5.5% vs 4.5%), apples to bananas (3.8% vs 3.2%), and cookies to chocolate (5.2% vs 4.6%).

The figures are based on the orders clients placed with the Samokat online store and using its catalog with the help of virtual assistants on the SberBank Online and Sber Salyut mobile apps, as well as on Sber smart devices. Gadgets by SberDevices either have their own or a plug-in screen and support a multimodal interface: the assistant not only tells, but also shows you the product image, price and other important information.

To make ordering with the Salute assistants even more convenient and accessible to users throughout the country, starting today the assistants can interact with the SberMarket delivery service, which is available in 144 cities of Russia. Athena, Joy and Sber can now help users order everyday groceries, but also items like a saucepan or an inflatable pool. Ordering from the SberMarket catalog with the Salute virtual assistants is available to users of the SberBank Online and Sber Salute mobile apps, so you can add products to your shopping basket with your voice while driving a car or walking with a child. Moving forward, this feature will also be added to Sber smart devices and will expand Samokat's currently available delivery catalog.

At SberDevices, we strive to make people's lives simpler with modern technology. We train the Salute virtual assistants to take on the daily routine. Ordering groceries has become a routine for many people, and it is often time-consuming when you order for a big family. The integration of delivery services with the Salute assistants speeds this up, in part due to voice search and the multimodal interface. The time you save can be spent on something that really matters, like cooking dinner with the entire family.

Konstantin Kruglov

Senior Vice President for New Digital Surfaces of Sberbank, CEO of SberDevices

With the help of virtual assistants, you can name a product with your voice and it will pop up on the screen immediately. Just say, for example: 'Salute, I want some ice cream', 'Salute, order a salami' or 'Salute, I need washing powder.' The assistants will help you simplify your search in the catalog and will immediately show you the product of interest. They can also recognize more specific orders. For example, 'I want banana-flavored oatmeal' or a product of a specific brand. You can get goods from your favorite stores within 20 minutes. Those who like to plan everything in advance can choose a convenient time. In addition, the Salute assistants remember the history of orders, so you can easily reorder something from before. The system also regularly updates the list of groceries on store shelves and available slots for receiving your orders.

Customers would use the Salute virtual assistants to order food mostly (potato chips, popcorn for a movie, a snack for the evening), while now the assistants can be used to order groceries for several days, you can also order school supplies, cosmetics, bicycles, or inflatable pools - everything our partners have to offer. We currently have more than 70 national and local retailers as partners in different cities of Russia. The ability to order goods with voice will appeal to everyone who loves to be among the first to test new technologies and knows the value of their time.

Maria Malysheva

Vice President for Product Development, SberMarket

Yet another upside of ordering with the virtual assistants is that you can switch between online stores fast. If you can't find what you need at a store you are placing an order with, simply go to a different one and place another order there. This option will appeal to those who prefer to buy their vegetables from one chain store, and their meat from another one. The assistants will create two or more carts in different stores and will help you with ordering a delivery.

SberMarket delivers from over 70 chain stores. Every month, it delivers more than 1 million orders to customers in 150 cities throughout Russia, from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. The option of using virtual assistants to place orders should speed the purchasing routine and enhance the use context for the service.