Why Retailers Should Be Gifting Customers with Live Engagement this Holiday Shopping Season

It’s already September and the holiday season is around the corner, which means shoppers are gearing up – online shoppers to be exact. In 2017, Ecommerce was responsible for around $2.3 trillion in sales and it is expected to hit $4.5 trillion by 2021[1]. Consumers are inundated with options of where to buy from and it’s now more important than ever that your brand stands out. With Live Customer Engagement, your online business can have a competitive advantage this season.

This year, a milk frother is on my sister’s wish list. After researching the product, I learned that there are dozens of different brands of milk frothers, hundreds of online suppliers, and they can range anywhere from $20 to $150. How was I supposed to choose one? I’m not alone in my quest to find the one that is the best quality, at the most reasonable price, with the best reviews. In fact, 88% of shoppers research online before making a purchase[2]. As a customer, I was overwhelmed in my research and was looking for a website that could educate me about the product while providing an efficient buying experience. This is where Vee24’s Live Engagement Platform comes in.

After reading reviews and comparing variations, I still had questions about how the milk frother actually works, does it come with a charger, and is there warranty? My questions were fairly straightforward and I wanted to speak to a product specialist briefly without having to dial into their call center and wait to be routed to the right person. With Vee24’s text chat feature, I had the option to simply click a button online and immediately start engaging with a live agent to have my questions answered. The average live chat response time is 23 seconds[3] and my questions and concerns were resolved within 6-10 minutes. I felt valued and satisfied by the personal interaction that I just had with the agent.

During our engagement, I was deciding between a few different brands of milk frothers. The agent offered to upgrade our text chat to video chat and encouraged me to bring a friend into our conversation to help me narrow down the options. This is the type of shopping experience I would expect in a physical store and was extremely pleased to experience it online as well. During checkout, the agent actually informed me that there was a sale going on with this specific product line. However, I wasn’t familiar with the website and was unsure where to enter the promo code for the discount. The agent was then able to guide me to the checkout page via the co-browse feature and we were able to fill out the form simultaneously. The agent had assisted me through my research phase, promptly answered my questions, helped me to complete the entire transaction, and ensured that I had a pleasant shopping experience on their site.

With this level of customer service, I will be quick to return for other items on my list. In fact, 48% of customers are more likely to return to a website with Live Engagement[4]. As a loyal customer, I will continue to utilize the Live Engagement features, such as text chat and co-browsing, to learn about new products and complete purchases.

Vee24’s Live Customer Engagement platform is also a perfect tool for customers who have issues with an existing product. Instead of visiting the closest store or calling their help desk, I can immediately engage with an online agent should I have any issues with my milk frother. With video chat and mobile camera capabilities, the agent can look at my product and help me to troubleshoot. There is no need to ship the item back for repair or try to explain the problems over the phone; I can simply show it to the agent through live video. The agent is also able to use a mobile camera to walk through their physical store and show me products through live video.

As a customer, I’ll continue to be flooded with emails and alerts about sales, promotions, and free shipping from every company I’ve ever given my contact information to during the holiday season. Vee24’s Live Engagement Platform allows businesses to use targeted emails to recommend products to customers based on their past purchase preferences and browsing histories. I’m much more likely to remember a brand from the sea of other companies that personalizes promotional emails with items specific to me. To take it one step further, Live Engagement opportunities are provided directly from the emails so I can complete the purchase right then and there. I also have the option to schedule a video appointment with an advisor or product specialist for more consultative purchases.

The truth is that there are 3.95 billion Internet users in the world as of June 2018, and millions of Ecommerce sites[5]. Most customers have a similar shopping pathway to mine, which is that they research the desired product, attempt to learn about the various features, and locate a site that will provide an efficient and satisfying shopping experience. Without these three major needs being met, the customer is likely to abandon their cart and find the product elsewhere. Live Video engagements increase average order value by 35% and significantly reduce cart abandonment.

Vee24’s Live Engagement platform offers a personalized, one-on-one shopping experience for each customer by promptly answering all questions and concerns through text or video chat, walking them through the checkout process with co-browse, and following up with tailored emails specific to the customer’s interests. Your business is bound to stand out amongst the millions of other websites for your superior customer support.