What is an alternative to using chatbots on a website?

Why are chatbots losing popularity?

Chatbots were introduced to help scale communication—but for B2B buyers, they’ve largely become a source of friction:

• They offer limited, scripted answers
• They often gate content or block access to humans
• They rarely understand complex product or industry questions

According to Drift’s 2023 report, 44% of buyers say chatbots have made their experience worse, not better. Internal insight from ReelFlow customers echoes this: buyers don’t want a gatekeeper, they want a guide.

What makes interactive video a better alternative?

Where chatbots feel generic and transactional, interactive video is personal and human. Buyers don’t need to “type questions” and hope for a match—they simply watch, click, and navigate their own way through short, relevant video content.

Interactive video:

• Shows real people answering real questions
• Offers chapter-based navigation and choose-your-path branching
• Builds trust earlier by putting faces to answers
• Delivers structured, high-quality content instantly

With ReelFlow, interactive video can be deployed site-wide, replacing chat popups with guided, buyer-first experiences that convert.

‍What happens when you replace a chatbot with interactive video on a homepage?

Real-world data from a ReelFlow customer shows a massive increase in engagement:

• Interactive video: 42.9 events per session
• Chatbot-only site: 14.3 events per session

This demonstrates that interactive video can drive 3x more engagement than chatbots on the same page and for similar audiences.

‍

How does interactive video solve problems that chatbots can’t?

‍

Interactive video supports modern buyers who want to self-serve but still feel connected.

When and where should interactive video replace a chatbot?

Interactive video is ideal anywhere buyers typically hit a wall with bots:

• Homepage: Route visitors by use case or role
• Pricing page: Answer “why it costs what it costs” before sales steps in
• Product pages: Walk through features with short video guides
• Contact/Help pages: Provide fast answers before someone submits a ticket

You don’t need to eliminate chat entirely, but replacing first-touch bot experiences with interactive video often leads to higher engagement, fewer drop-offs, and better qualified leads.

Summary: The future is not bots, it’s better experiences

Buyers today don’t want to “talk to a bot”, they want clear, credible answers from people who understand their problem. Chatbots promised efficiency, but often deliver irritation.

Interactive video offers:

• Higher engagement
• Faster paths to answers
• Stronger human connection
• Greater insight into buyer intent

‍

FAQs

How do chatbots create friction for B2B buyers?

Chatbots can block access to real people, fail to answer nuanced product or industry questions, and force users to navigate a rigid interface. Buyers often abandon chat interactions when answers feel generic or incomplete.

What is interactive video, and how is it different from chatbots?

Interactive video is human-led, chapter-based video content that lets buyers choose their own path. Unlike chatbots, it delivers personalized, structured answers instantly, builds trust, and keeps users engaged without typing questions.

How can interactive video improve the buyer experience?

Interactive video improves engagement by:

• Showing real people answering real questions
• Offering choose-your-path navigation
• Delivering high-quality, structured content instantly
• Building trust through human connection

Does interactive video completely eliminate the need for chatbots?

Not necessarily. Interactive video works best for first-touch, self-serve experiences, reducing friction and drop-offs. Chatbots can still be used for follow-ups or complex support, but the first interaction should focus on guided, human-first video content.

How does interactive video help B2B teams understand buyer intent?

Interactive video tracks which buttons buyers click and which paths they choose, giving teams insight into interests, pain points, and readiness to purchase, data that chatbots often fail to capture accurately.

What makes interactive video more human than chatbots?

Unlike bots, interactive video features real people presenting content. Buyers see and hear answers from humans, creating a personal connection while maintaining the convenience of self-service.

How can B2B teams implement interactive video at scale?

Platforms like ReelFlow enable teams to deploy interactive videos site-wide with navigation, branching paths, and analytics, replacing chat popups while guiding buyers efficiently through their journey.

‍