5 Steps to Replicate In-Store Customer Engagement Online
Retail buying has been moving online for years and the current global climate limiting consumers in-store presence has strengthened their comfort and confidence in making small and large purchases without actually going into a store. But they still expect a personalized, friendly experience to help make a buying decision. Live Engagement technology empowers retailers to replicate the in-store engagement that encourages purchases and ultimately grows revenue. See how these five steps for best practice customer treatment in-store can be mimicked online using Live Engagement – specifically live Video Chat and co-browsing – to empower your sales agents to drive purchase decisions.
Greet your customer. Acknowledging a customer with a friendly greeting and offering assistance helps to reduce the chance of them simply ‘walking out the door’ and abandoning your site. Live Video Chat and co-browsing gives your sales agents the ability to see the customer if they choose and offer real help immediately. This level of online customer service provides a rich shopping experience and not just a transactional, self-service website.
Understand your customer. When your customer is in store your sales agents can ask questions, show them the product, see which products delight them, and make product suggestions based on verbal and non-verbal feedback. This information helps them provide excellent customer service. Live Video Chat allows your agent to present actual products with high definition clarity and see the customer’s reaction. The powerful co-browsing capabilities allow the agent to digitally hold your customer’s hand while they shop online.
Verify product fit. Ensuring that the customer has found the ‘right’ product leads to lasting customer satisfaction and fewer returns. Live Video Chat and co-browsing gives your sales agent the ability to highlight all the product information for the customer – strengths, weaknesses, product maintenance, color choices, accessories, and more. Showing the product, taking customers to the exact online location they are looking for, and asking validating questions empowers agents to verify product fit and increases the customer’s confidence in their decision.
Need anything else? Live Video Chat creates a more personal experience online and builds trust between the sales agent and the customer. With this relationship, the sales agent can ask the customer if they need anything else or make recommendations to accessorize their purchase – helping the customer to buy more. Live Engagement has helped our customers achieve an average order value (AOV) that is 25-30 percent higher than with unassisted sessions.
Walk the customer to the register. Quickly and accurately helping a customer complete an order maximizes customer satisfaction and helps to reduce cart abandonment. Co-browsing helps by accompanying the customer as they fill out forms and complete the checkout process. A smooth checkout process reinforces the positive customer experience throughout the engagement.
Live Engagement solutions that successfully replicate the in-store experience help retailers close the conversion gap between online and in-store sales while increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. As customers grow increasingly comfortable with online buying, creating an immersive experience that follows best practices from greeting to purchase will be imperative for retailers. Retailers can give their customers the exceptional online shopping experience they deserve while creating higher revenue generating engagements that build their business.
