Think of your website as if it were a merchandise stall. The layout, and all of it’s features must engage and persuade the visitors to purchase. In reference to merchandising, John Hazen, VP of Omnichannel Commerce & Digital Innovation at True Religion, made this statement: “Good merchandising inspires customers to buy if they weren’t going to buy.” So you must set your aims to not only convert those who were considering buying, but also convert those who weren’t before they landed on your page. In this blog I will explain how live chat as an added feature to your e commerce site can do exactly that.
Bounce rates are a massive issue for E commerce sites
To begin with, it’s best to look at the source of the problem. People don’t really have time to give your site much attention. On average, only 2% of website visitors convert to an enquiry or sale. So what happens to the other 98%? Well they most likely skip past these sites, to find others more engaging to them. Hence why an instant impact is crucial. Having a feature such as live chat can hold attention for longer. A dedicated agent available to answer basic queries means visitors feel valued and encourages engagement.
Live Chat is reassuring
Live Chat is the e commerce equivalent to a shop assistant. According to a Kissmetrics study 44% of online consumers say that having questions answered by a live person in the middle of an online purchase is one of the most important features a website can offer. This stage mid-sale when there is still a few simple questions to be answered can be a key stage in the transaction. It makes the difference between a potential buyer making the purchase today, or coming back to it. Missing these opportunities by not providing a facility that can reassure and answer these queries could ultimately prove costly.
Instant access to a sales agent is preferred
Having a sales agent on hand via live chat is a huge benefit. The fact that live chat has the capacity to use multi-chat makes it arguably a far more effective from of customer service. A We Process 4 U Study found that 42% of customers feel live chat’s biggest benefit is it’s instant access without hold time. The hold time for a customer looking for support is frustrating, but if it’s a potential sale, the likelihood is if they can’t have their queries answered as soon as possible they will simply take their custom elsewhere in the ever-competitive e commerce market.
People don’t like being on hold
It can be said that the very feeling of being put on hold makes people dissatisfied. According to a Hello Operator Study 60% of consumers dislike waiting on hold for even one minute. Live chat as part of an omnichannel customer service support system can prevent this. On average, response times on live chat are under the 60 second mark. With the compatibility of this form of customer service to the web-browsing experience it can be seen as preferable to being held on a phone line.
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