In 2009, CEO and founder of IMShopping, Prashant Nedungadi said: “no level of automation can replace the human touch, shoppers still want real people to help them purchase products, even in a digital setting”. Since then, eCommerce sales have risen to record levels, but we are not here to talk about that. We are here to talk about why your eCommerce brand still needs that human interaction.
The steadily rise of live video shopping is allowing brands to capture customer interest at digital touchpoints. Here at Confer With, we can connect your experts to customers in a seamless setting.
Offer a virtual store inside a video where your virtual assistances can suggest products in a buy flow and help shoppers make purchase decisions, in a digital environment.
Let’s look at 3 important reasons why your eCommerce website needs human interaction, and how live video shopping fits in.
1. Online high consideration items needs human help
The new internet era has seen customers shifting to online shopping to make high consideration purchases. And if it is not purchased, it is researched. 47% of consumers will research products prior to making a purchase in-store.
Nailing customer interaction is key for building connections and boosting conversions.
High ticket sectors are seeing more increases in online purchases, so it’s important for your brand to see how Confer With can assist you.
How live video shopping helps with high consideration purchases
Customers landing on your page for the first time will most likely be a light-touch inquiry. They are searching for your products so will draw up comparisons of styles, variants, prices etc.
More importantly, they will compare you against your competitors.
To avoid your customer switching to a competitor, Confer With’s widget (branded under your style guidelines) can appear on all or specific product pages.
In current client examples, a potential customer will initiate a live video call. It is in this call where your virtual assistant can identify the needs of the customer, and enter them into the sales cycle, naturally.
More often, a light-touch inquiry can become a conversion. Why? Because using real people can reassure customers that what they are purchasing, is right for them. This is the importance of human interaction on your eCommerce site.
2. Human interaction can improve online conversion rates and average order value
Conversion rates sit low with average order value trailing behind. Outstanding sales talents connect with customers using emotion and deep understanding.
Chatbots and live chat agents serve as effective customer service tools, but not in sales.
Research suggests that the ongoing battle between automatons and human falls in favour of the human. 86% of consumers prefer humans to chatbots.
So for your team to move forward, live video shopping can help connect you to your customers, the right way.
How Confer With’s tools can help improve online conversion rates and average order value
To naturally suggest products in a buy flow, Confer With’s features include alternatives and add ons.
How the alternatives feature works: if a customer is unsatisfied with product selection, or it is out of stock, the expert can quickly up-sell or down-sell products that are similar in nature.
How the add ons feature works: to build the basket size and compliment the customer choices, the expert can recommend add ons to the core product. For example, if a customer is buying a bike, the expert can suggest water bottles, cycling gloves and apparel.
How the search feature works: during the conversation, a customer may mention a need for a product that is outside the buy flow (if core product is a bike, then the random product could be fashion trainers). If that happens, your expert can use our efficient search feature where they can search for any product. From there, they can share and demonstrate to the customer.
Not only does this improve online conversion rates and average order values, Confer With’s features reduce e-commerce return rates by 40%. How? Well, by ensuring the customer purchases the right product first-time round, whether that be suggesting it as an alternative to the original choice or searching for it outside of the buy flow, brands and retailers can see a staggering reduction in their return rates,
This means your customer can intertwine outstanding sales skills with the help of technology to boost online sales.
3. Retaining customers and building customer loyalty is key
Engaging with potential customers is key to building a loyal community of people, and that comes with great customer service. Customer engagement on eCommerce websites is low, which means brands must find ways to deliver a unique and personalised experience.
80% of customers who do receive a personalised experience are expected to purchase. That’s why we have developed tools to help your team offer tailored experiences from the start.
How live video shopping retains customers
Confer With gives great control to the expert over managing the customer journey. From the initial interest stage, customers can either start a live call (known as a walk-in) or schedule an appointment.
Confer With integrates with appointment booking software that allows experts to be in control of that customer journey. They can curate the live video experience prior to the call and are able to schedule future calls during or after the appointment.
Inside the video call, experts can email the basket to themselves for future reference and continue managing the customer relationship with ease.
We have tons of resources to help you connect with online customers and boost sales by using our platform:
Matching + appointment making (great for retaining customers)
Virtual Shared Basket (this one is for boosting conversions)
