Use Support Chat Software to Boost Consumer Confidence

It’s time for a pop quiz! What gets bigger year after year?

 

Still, not too sure? You might be inclined to say that your waist line grows larger every year and that may just be true. What I am referring to has little to do with how much you weigh, and has everything to do with e-commerce sales. Last year, U.S. retailers generated $231 billion in e-commerce sales. It’s expected to increase 13% to $262 billion. But why the whopping jump? Forrester (forecasts technology and market research firm) believes existing online consumers are responsible for the growth of e-commerce.  They believe early shoppers that purchased “low-consideration” goods such as MP3S and movies are now purchasing “high-touch, high-consideration” items like appliances and furniture. For an e-retailer, this news signifies a good year ahead. They should use support chat software to enhance customer experience on their website. 

I’m not saying there aren’t first-time buyers in the online marketplace. Forrester reports 4 million people will exercise their pocket vote for the first time in 2013. While, it’s always great to sell to new customers, your focus as an e- retailer should be to cross-sell and up-sell to customers who are already familiar with the world of e-shopping. This is because such customers do not need to be trained how to shop online. They already have considerable experience and are now looking for an e-retailer that sells products of the highest quality and on agreeable terms. What they are looking for is someone to build their confidence in buying a product they have never purchased before. After all, a “high-touch, high-consideration” product is more expensive and if it is not purchased from the right source, severe consequences can follow. E-businesses can rely on live support software to increase their confidence!

Live support software is an online CRM application which e-retailers integrate on their website. This web-based tool appears as a chat API and remains active around the clock. As customers move around the site, customer service representatives (CSRs) monitor their online activity. After assessing keyword searches and the webpage duration, CSRs send a proactive chat invitation to initiate a meaningful discussion. Once support chat software commences, CSRs get to the bottom of everything! They can navigate browsers around the website to help them discover the exact information they were searching for. CSRs can also explain thoroughly all aspects of the product features and delivery options.