To meet customer expectations today, most omnichannel brands make sure to have both personable retail teams greet and assist customers in-store, as well as high-quality customer service for any post-purchase challenges. But when customers engage with brands on a day-to-day level - through social media, advertising, or online shopping - we see countless encounters that are possible, but untapped.

For example, imagine a customer is shopping online and sees a pair of shoes that she really likes, but they seem narrow and the color given for them is named Smoke. She may wonder, “How do I know this color will look the same in person?” “Will my usual size fit me?” “Should I order two sizes to try?”

But most importantly, she asks, “Is it worth it to buy it if I might have to go through the hassle of a return?”

With these questions in mind, the next step most customers take is to check the product reviews. As a matter of fact, 95% of customers say they read reviews before making a purchase.

For better or worse, brands don’t have control over reviews, and leaving customers to sift through the weeds for sales-related questions is a big ask. Not only is it time consuming, but it can lead customers to feel more confusion than clarity, which ultimately leaves the cart empty; even a small amount of friction in the online shopping experience can lead to cart abandonment. When 1 in 5 retail purchases were made online last year, answering customer questions can make or break a successful online shopping experience. That's why questions that cause friction should be answered by retail teams with the expertise to guide the sale.

So, what happens, in our example, if the reviews say that the shoes are actually more brown than gray, unlike what the product photos show? What does more brown than gray even mean? Are we talking ash or taupe? 

Today, brands can seize this major opportunity by adding a communication channel for this exact scenario.

Where in the past, chat-based interactions between a brand and its customers have been mainly for support, today brands can take advantage of options like SalesChat, a text-based messaging widget that fits right on a brand’s eComm website. No longer do conversations between brands and customers have to be limited to pre-purchase, in-store interactions or the often tension-filled experience of post-purchase customer service (“I want a refund!”). Now brands can reach customers who are shopping online in real time, as if they are in-store, and customers can speak with a sales associate who knows the brand’s products better than any review. 

By 2027, 25% of all retail purchases will be made online. Here are 4 key ways that a virtual shopping channel like SalesChat can strengthen customer relationships and improve the overall online shopping journey in the digital age.

The main goal of SalesChat is to assist customers in making purchasing decisions, offering product recommendations, and ultimately driving sales and generating leads. 

In the case of the hesitant shopper and the gray-brown shoes, SalesChat is invaluable for both the customer and the brand. For instance, while the shopper goes back and forth about whether the shoes should be added-to-cart, SalesChat is in the background, programmed to appear should customers spend longer than 1 minute on a given product page. 

From the brand’s side, an available sales associate is able to step in and answer questions in real-time. The best part? The responding associate could be located in any of the brand’s store locations, able to send photos of the shoes in various lighting to give the customer a better idea of the shoes’ true color. Turns out, they’re a moody taupe - exactly what she wanted! Now the once hesitant shopper has gotten the help and confidence she needs to make the purchase. Off to check out.

SalesChat is tightly woven into the customer journey, offering online shoppers real-time support during critical decision-making moments, from product consideration to checkout. In our example, the associate on SalesChat duty can also cross-sell in real-time. The associate knows that those particular shoes look great with their tall boot socks from the latest collection. When the purchase is complete, attribution can be given to the sales associate who added value to the order.

The sales associate not only gets credit for her role in the sale, but can also note that this shopper likes dark, neutral tones. As these interactions increase, brands have the ability to build more robust customer profiles of their online customers. When new products come in, a brand rep can reach out to these shoppers directly with personal Shoppable Stories where they can browse and buy directly.

SalesChat is where retail teams and product experts can proactively help high-intent online shoppers get to checkout by offering them an online shopping experience that’s personalized. The feature is designed to assist online shoppers who meet specific criteria. As mentioned in our shoe example above, this could be based on the time a shopper has spent on a particular page, their overall cart value, or whatever metric the brand values. 

Retail associates are then able to decide which shoppers receive this extra level of care in the same way in-store associates can see who is window shopping and who is back to purchase for the third time this quarter. These shoppers can then get unprecedented access to associates to ask product-related questions and get recommendations in real-time.

Retail brands using SalesChat are adding a new channel to their outreach, leading to increased acquisition, conversion rates, and ultimately, revenue. This is because these brands have better customer profiles and more interactions to build upon and analyze. In doing so, they better understand customer needs and overall shopping trends. As a result, retail teams have the opportunity to build personalized outreach strategies. They can address customers directly, resolve potential gaps in online product descriptions, and improve recommendations - all of which drive higher sales that can be tracked and analyzed, and the cycle repeats. 

It's clear that meeting customer expectations today goes beyond the in-store and post-purchase experiences. As customers seek answers and reassurance in their online shopping journeys, there's untapped potential for brands to make a difference. Retail teams are often limited to providing personal experiences only to in-store customers, and while product reviews and descriptions have become a crucial touchpoint for online shoppers, they can also create friction and uncertainty.

With tools like SalesChat, however, brands now have the power to bridge the gap between online shopping and personal assistance, guiding customers with real-time expertise. It's a confident step forward, offering the possibility for brands to enhance customer experiences and strengthen customer relationships in the digital age.