From search to conversation
While QVM’s website already featured solid search functionality, the sheer scale of the precinct – with hundreds of rotating traders and shifting seasonal hours – meant finding specific information could still feel like a dig. Visitors looking for time-sensitive details, such as Night Market dates or specific section opening times, often had to sort through rows of results themselves. The friction point was the mental effort required to parse these results; the cost of inaction was a missed opportunity to engage visitors in real-time. Custom engineering was essential to turn static WordPress data into an interactive, knowledgeable guide that complements the existing search tools.
RAG-powered intelligence
Our technical strategy centred on a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture to bridge the gap between raw data and usability. We built a proprietary Markdown export tool that converts WordPress content into LLM-optimised “knowledge chunks” – bite-sized pieces of information the AI can quickly reference – which are then synced to an OpenAI Vector Store.
This technical stack utilises the OpenAI Responses API for high-speed dialogue, while Server-Sent Events (SSE) deliver real-time, streaming responses to the frontend so visitors aren’t left waiting. Furthermore, we integrated context-aware logic that injects the current date into the system prompt, ensuring the AI accurately answers time-sensitive queries like “is the Night Market on this week?”. The entire solution is packaged as a bespoke WordPress plugin, providing a maintainable and reusable logic layer across the site.
A proactive digital concierge
The addition of the AI Chatbot has fundamentally shifted how visitors interact with the Market’s digital footprint. By managing thousands of records – from trader bios to event calendars – we have removed the administrative bottlenecks that previously hindered discovery. Visitors can now type questions as naturally as a text message and receive direct answers regarding parking, seasonal events, and trading hours.
This strategic win has transformed the QVM website from a standard search tool into a proactive assistant, providing a quicker, more conversational path to information without replacing the existing search infrastructure.
