Saltwater Aquarium
Nio walks a first-time hobbyist through every piece of gear needed for a 30-gallon saltwater setup — filter, skimmer, RODI water, and lighting.
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Nio answers the everyday questions that pull your team away from real conversations — product care, comparisons, recommendations, policies — in 100+ languages, right in your aisle.
Your experts stay focused on the conversations that close sales.
No app. No login. Customers just scan and talk.
Built for nurseries, aquariums, pet stores, and other expertise-driven retail.
Now piloting in specialty retail
The ProblemEvery specialty store owner
Every specialty store owner
knows this feeling.
Your team is great. They just can't be everywhere at once.
“
On busy days, some customers walk out because no one got to them in time.
“
New hires take months before they can answer the everyday questions confidently.
“
My best people get stuck on basics when they should be having the deeper conversations.
Once a shopper leaves your in-store flow to “research,” the sale often slips away.
~90%
of shoppers who can't get help leave empty-handed
TimeTrade Consumer Survey
~9%
average sales lost per store from peak-hour understaffing
Production & Operations Management Journal, 2015
32%
of shoppers change their purchase decision after researching on their phone mid-aisle
Tradedoubler Retail Study
What Nio Does
Nio is a voice agent your customers talk to right in your store. It answers the everyday questions — product care, comparisons, compatibility, recommendations, policies — tuned to your store and your way of selling. When a customer needs real expertise or a real conversation, Nio hands off to your team with context.
Fluent in Your Products
Nio knows your products, your care guides, your policies, and the way you recommend. Every answer sounds like your store, not a search engine.
Handles the Overflow
Weekend rush? Three customers at once? Nio takes the everyday questions so your team handles the ones that matter most.
The Relationship Stays Yours
Nio handles quick questions, then hands customers to your team for the conversations that close sales. Your staff are the experts. Nio is the assist.
Built for the Floor, Not the Browser
Nio answers the moment a customer is standing in your aisle — not after they've left to Google it and lost the thread.
What Nio Handles
Every store is different, but these are the kinds of everyday questions Nio answers all day long — so your team can focus on the deeper conversations.
In a nursery:
- "What grows well in full sun with clay soil?"
- "Is this plant safe for my dog?"
- "My hydrangea leaves are yellowing — what’s wrong?"
- "What’s your return policy if a plant doesn’t make it?"
In an aquarium:
- "I’m new to saltwater — what do I need for a 30-gallon tank?"
- "Are clownfish and tangs compatible?"
- "How do I cycle a new tank?"
- "My fish has white spots — what is that?"
In a pet store:
- "My puppy has a sensitive stomach — what should I try?"
- "What’s a novel protein and why does it matter?"
- "How much should I feed a 40-pound dog?"
- "Is grain-free actually better for my dog?"
Stock checks, real expertise, and the final close stay with your team.
“
It's like getting the help I needed instantly — even when the staff was busy. I was able to make a quick decision about fish compatibility and cycling my tank without waiting around.
Human-FirstEmpowering Your Experts,
Empowering Your Experts,
Not Replacing Them
Step 1
Greet
Nio answers instantly in the customer's language.
Step 2
Help
80% of everyday questions resolved on the spot.
Step 3
Handoff
Stock checks, complex needs, and high-value conversations go to your team.
Your staff stays focused on the conversations that build relationships and close sales.
Experience Nio in Action
Three real store types. Hear how Nio handles everyday questions and keeps context right in the aisle.
Plant Nursery
Nio helps a customer pick the perfect drought-tolerant plant for California's full-sun summer heat — and walks them through soil, watering, and fertilizer.
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Pet Nutrition
Nio explains novel proteins to help a puppy with sensitivities.
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Engineered for the Aisle
Built with store owners. Tuned by real shoppers. Hardened against real noise, real confusion, real weekends.
Noise-tuned
Hears through tank pumps, background music, and weekend crowds. Tuned for real retail floors, not quiet offices.
Built for the physical store
Nio lives in your aisle — not a generic web chatbot bolted onto a QR code. Every answer is grounded in your store, your products, your policies.
Natural handoff
When a real conversation is needed, Nio steps back and hands the shopper to your team — with context, so no one starts over.
Deployment
How it Goes Live
Your store’s voice agent, ready in minutes.
5 min
QR agent · 10 min kiosk
01
Share your website & address — that’s all we need to start.
02
Nio tunes to your store — products, care guides, recommendations.
03
Go live — print the QR or set up the kiosk tablet.
04
Deeper integrations, when you’re ready — inventory, POS, and more.
Optional: add custom policies, staff picks, or set a default language — Nio folds them in.
Phone or kiosk. Just talk.
Live pilot underway
Privacy Snapshot
Here’s what we keep (and what we don’t).
No Audio Retention
Voice is converted to text in real time. We don’t store raw audio recordings.
Session Context
We keep only what’s needed during the session to keep the conversation smooth.
Opt-in
Turn conversations into follow-ups — only when shoppers opt in.
No Mandatory Login
No account required to start.
We don't sell data. No ads. No creepy tracking.
Common Questions
Straight answers to the biggest questions we hear from store owners.
“How is Nio different from ChatGPT or a generic AI?”
Nio isn’t a generic search or a chatbot. It’s a voice agent tuned to your store — your products, your care guides, your policies, the way your team recommends. It answers for your shoppers, in your aisle, at the moment they need it — not for anyone, anywhere.
“Does this replace my staff?”
No. Nio handles the overflow — the quick questions, the Saturday rush, the customer who needs help while your team is with someone else. The close, the relationship, the judgment calls — those stay with your team. Nio is the assist. Your staff are the closers.
“Will it make my store feel less personal?”
The opposite. Nio absorbs the repetitive questions so your team has time for the conversations that actually build relationships. Think of it as giving your experts their best hours back.
“Can customers just Google this?”
Yes — and that often pulls them out of your store's flow. Nio answers instantly with store-correct guidance, right in the moment.
“What can't Nio answer?”
Real-time store data like current stock and exact pricing. Nio stays focused on the everyday questions where the sales leak happens.
Join the Pilot
10 days. Two full weekends. See it work when it matters most.
“My team finally has backup on the busy days. Nio handles the basics so we can close the sale.”
— Manish, Owner · Gio Marine Aquarium · Dublin, CA
What you get in the pilot
- Setup + tuning to your store — we configure Nio with your product knowledge
- In-store signage — ready to print and place
- Monthly insight report — top questions, conversion signals, and where customers wanted more depth
- Escalation + handoff behavior — configured to match how your team works
Application Form
Questions? Contact us:
Phone: (408) 800-7430 |Email: info@asknio.ai
“Technology shouldn't replace the human touch; it should protect it. I built Nio so your experts aren't buried in repetitive questions while real human connections slip away.”
— Bhaskaran, Founder, AskNio