At a glance
- Company
- MilkforbubsOnline shop for foods and accessories for breastfeeding mothers
- Size
- Not stated in the source
- Industry
- E-commerce and retail
- Where and when
- Singapore. Mid-2024 – September 2025.
- Who produced the figures
- The company itselfThe figures are the founder’s own estimates, published by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority, the government agency whose programme supported the purchase.
What they did
Milkforbubs is an online shop founded in 2020. It sells foods and accessories for breastfeeding mothers. Customers send questions at all hours, and many arrive at night. As the shop grew, the founder says, answering them quickly without losing quality became hard. Drafting replies and sorting enquiries by hand took too much of the team’s time.
The founder joined a government programme that lets small and medium-sized firms try generative AI tools. She compared a few vendors and chose a ready-made chatbot that works through WhatsApp. It also sits on the shop’s website.
The team launched it in the middle of 2024. Before launch they loaded it with frequently asked questions and basic information. Since then they have kept checking its answers and correcting mistakes. They have also adjusted its tone so that it sounds supportive.
The numbers
- 30% less time spent answering customer questions, by the founder’s estimate.
- 60% shorter response time, across the website and social media together.
- Customer satisfaction scores improved, the founder says. No figure is given.
How the team took it
The founder says the team hesitated at first. She ran training sessions so that everyone could try the tool and understand how it works. She also says the vendor helped with setting up and with problems early on.
What the case shows
- A small firm bought, and did not build. The tool was ready-made, and worked in a channel customers already used.
- One task, chosen because it hurt. Repeated questions at night were the problem. The tool was pointed at that and nothing else.
- People still watch the answers. The team checks what the chatbot says and corrects it.
- The figures are estimates. They come from the founder, with no before-and-after measurement published.
What this says about the practices
Practices the company applied
- Start with ready-made AI in software you already use, before building your own The shop bought a ready-made chatbot that works in WhatsApp, which its customers already used, and built nothing of its own. Do first · Effort: low (days, one person)
- Start with one costly process, not a company-wide rollout The shop aimed the tool at one task: answering the same customer questions again and again, many of them at night. Do first · Effort: medium (weeks, a few people)
- Ask AI vendors for proof before you buy, and test on your own material The founder compared several vendors before choosing, and says the vendor gave onboarding help and fixed problems in the early stages. Do first · Effort: medium (weeks, a few people)
- Train staff on the tools you actually chose The team was hesitant at first. The founder ran hands-on sessions so that everyone could try the tool and see how it works. Do first · Effort: medium (weeks, a few people)
- Keep a person checking anything that goes to a customer or carries legal weight The team has been “closely monitoring its responses and swiftly correcting any inaccuracies”. Do first · Effort: medium (weeks, a few people)
Sources
- Infocomm Media Development Authority, Singapore (9 September 2025). Happier customers and 30% time savings for Milkforbubs. Article. imda.gov.sg