TELEGRAM BOT AS A TOOL FOR DIGITALIZATION OF TRADE AND DELIVERY SERVICES IN THE DPR

Abstract

Objective. In the context of rapid digitalization of the economy of the Donetsk People's Republic, the introduction of automated tools for interaction between businesses and consumers is becoming strategically important. The article is devoted to the study of the Telegram bot as an innovative tool for organizing trade and delivery services for various categories of goods: food, clothing, household appliances, and medicines. Current trends in the commercial use of messengers are examined; the advantages and limitations of the Telegram platform are analyzed in comparison with traditional digital channels. It is shown that a unified delivery aggregator implemented as a Telegram bot can significantly increase the accessibility of services, reduce business costs, and ensure user convenience. The results of the study demonstrate the high effectiveness of the concept for regions with limited digital infrastructure. Materials and Methods. The article presents a systematic study of the Telegram bot as an innovative tool for organizing trade and delivery services in the context of digitalization of the economy of the Donetsk People's Republic. An analysis of current trends in the commercial use of messengers is carried out, and the advantages and limitations of the Telegram platform are identified in comparison with traditional digital channels (websites, mobile applications). Key aspects of using bots to automate orders of various product categories (food, clothing, household appliances, and medicines) are summarized. Special attention is paid to the regional specifics of the DPR, characterized by limited digital infrastructure and the need for accessible, lightweight, and reliable tools for interaction between businesses and consumers. Results. Based on the analysis conducted, the concept of a unified delivery aggregator implemented as a Telegram bot is substantiated. It is proven that such a model can significantly increase the accessibility of services for the population (by using a familiar messenger interface without the need to install additional applications), reduce business costs (no expenses for the development and maintenance of native mobile applications, simplified integration with payment systems), and ensure user convenience (a single entry point for ordering goods from different categories, push notifications, order history storage, instant feedback). It is shown that the proposed concept demonstrates high efficiency specifically for regions with limited digital infrastructure, where Telegram is one of the most widespread and reliably functioning communication channels. Conclusion. The research results create a theoretical and practical basis for the further development and implementation of Telegram bots as a full-fledged tool for digitalization of trade and delivery services in the DPR. Promising directions include: the development and testing of a prototype of a unified delivery aggregator based on Telegram, analysis of the economic efficiency of implementing such a solution, research on user experience (UX) and consumer behavioral patterns, as well as scaling the proposed model to other service sectors (appointments with doctors, public services, educational services).