Friday 15 March 2013

Live Website Chat Support Enables Customers to Purchase High Ticket Items

What value does the online marketplace hold for you? For a customer, the Internet is means of being able to purchase items without leaving the comfort of their couch or home. For an e-retailer, being part of the web marketplace is a matter of great pride! Forrester (forecasts technology and market research firm) recently published a report which stated e-commerce accounts for about 8% of total retail sales in the United States. Last year, e-commerce sales generated $231 billion and are expected to increase to $262 billion this year. By 2017, online sales will reach $370 billion! While, it’s always a good thing to be part of a growing industry, e-businesses should maintain their focus of creating a seamless experience on their website. This can be accomplished with live chat support for website.

What factors are responsible for the growth? Forrester answers this hard-hitting question by citing two factors. They believe the proliferation of smartphones and tablets has greatly impacted sales. Consumers use hand-held devices to find stores, products, do price comparisons and read reviews. Once satisfied, they complete the purchase transaction. Forrester also attributed the rise in e-commerce sales to efforts made by traditional retailers to sell online. More and more department stores have established presence on the Internet. Their websites usually highlight new products, promotions, discounts which are readily featured on social media platforms.

The market research firm also mentioned more existing customers are now purchasing “high-touch, high-consideration” items. Years earlier, customers would typically purchase “low-consideration goods” such as MP3s and movies online. Today, more and more customers are purchasing a number of high-ticket items (i.e. cars, appliances, and real-estate). What classifies as a “high-touch, high-consideration”? It is anything which compels a customer to reflect upon their decision before adding the product to cart. A customer takes caution to purchase an item online whose costs are higher, will be experienced over a longer period of time, and will take up more space in a person’s life. Because of these reasons, e-retailers need to exert more effort to create a better customer experience. This can be done through the aid of live chat support for website.

Live website chat support is an online CRM application which is integrated on e-commerce websites. The web-based tool connects website visitors to a customer service representative (CSR) in real-time. It works hand in hand with the superior web design to convince prospective customers of the credibility of the website. While, the chat API’s looks seamlessly blends in with the website, Live Website Chat Support has larger purpose. It delivers customer support through live chat. When it comes to making a larger investment, customers need complete assurance they are in safe hands. This is why CSRs remain online on a 24/7 basis to live chat with a customer in their native language. They are thoroughly trained to handle the toughest of questions regarding the salient product features, price, delivery and return policies.

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