Libris launches Cotor, Romania’s first AI assistant for book recommendations

Romanian online bookstore Libris.ro has launched Cotor, the country’s first AI-powered virtual assistant dedicated to book recommendations, according to Wall-Street. The chatbot is available 24/7 on the website and helps users discover books faster by turning traditional search filters into a natural AI conversation.

Instead of browsing categories, readers can simply ask questions and receive curated suggestions based on themes, authors, age groups or budget.

In the first weeks after launch, Cotor generated more than 50,000 messages, with an average of seven questions per session.

How the AI bookseller works

The assistant understands natural language questions such as:

• “What book similar to The Little Prince would be suitable for an 8-year-old with a budget of 50 lei?”
• “Recommend authors similar to Emily Brontë”
• “What good books can I buy under 30 lei?”
• “In what order should I read the books by Fyodor Dostoevsky?”

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The most frequent queries include:

• children’s book recommendations
• summaries or explanations about book content
• suggestions for similar titles
• recommendations based on budget
• choosing between multiple books
• navigating book series

The AI assistant can also answer practical questions about delivery fees, stock availability, international shipping and order status.

AI chatbots reshape online shopping

The launch comes as AI chatbots are rapidly transforming e-commerce globally. Industry studies show that shoppers who interact with AI assistants:

• convert at a rate of 12.3%, compared to 3.1% without AI
• complete purchases 47% faster

According to Loredana Tudor, Marketing Manager at Libris, the chatbot has not reduced the number of requests handled by the support team, suggesting that it serves a different category of users who prefer instant chat-based assistance.

Future developments

Libris plans to expand Cotor’s capabilities in the coming months with:

• personalized recommendations based on order history
• integration with users’ wishlists
• seasonal reading suggestions

Founded in 1991 with the Șt. O. Iosif bookstore in Brașov, Libris launched its online platform Libris.ro in 2009, which has since become one of Romania’s leading online bookstores.

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