Red Ant Asia brings toy-shop mascot to life

UK toy retailer The Entertainer has teamed with Hong Kong retail technology company Red Ant Asia so its mascot can talk to online customers.

They can ask the retailer’s mascot Jack (as in the jack-in-the-box toy), dressed as Santa for the occasion, about items available for the festive season. Jack, who can be addressed by either voice or text, also offers Christmas jokes and information.

Jack also asks two profiling questions – age and price range – so he can provide an appropriate link to The Entertainer’s gift finder.

Artificial intelligence via natural language processing identifies and classifies customer questions so Jack can give the most relevant response from his database of answers. Human helpers can continuously refine the process.

“In many ways, Hong Kong is leading the way when it comes to the adoption of AI and conversational commerce, and it is expected to make a significant contribution to the economy over the coming years,” says Red Ant Asia regional director/co-founder Elisa Harca.

The Entertainer head of online and digital Rob Wood says the company wanted to use Red Ant’s experience to deliver a virtual assistant that ticks all the boxes. “We wanted something fun, relevant and genuinely useful, and Santa Chat is all three. It also paves the way for future connected retail initiatives.”

Founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Gary and Catherine Grant, The Entertainer has more than 130 stores in the UK and six internationally. Its e-commerce platform offers a 30-minute click-and-collect service.