While we tend to value timelessness and stand strong against the fads in some areas, it’s important to know when the trends are actually worth following. That’s especially the case with all things digital marketing and eCommerce, where trends often dictate business success. As a diligent marketer, you’ll certainly want to take a good look at what 2021 is about to bring and use that knowledge to boost your efforts.
A trend that may not be new per se but is definitely gaining momentum is the so-called conversational commerce.
To put it simply, conversational commerce involves the use of live chat/messaging in order to establish a stronger relationship with eCommerce customers at every stage of the customer journey. Essentially, it means being there for your customer via messaging before, during, and after their purchase.
Now, let’s take a look at why this trend is here to stay and how it can benefit your business.
What Do Live Chat Trends Entail?
You might be unsure whether incorporating a live chat/messaging feature is the right move for your eCommerce business. To help you understand the impact of this practice, let’s take a look at the statistics. The following stats relate to Facebook only:
- More than 60% of customers have confirmed that they’re more likely to reach out to an eCommerce business through this feature and have done so in the past three months.
- Almost 70% of customers find this feature to provide a better customer experience.
- Nearly 60% of customers are satisfied with the faster response time.
- 50% of customers confirm that using live chat/messaging provides them with more efficient advice.
- More than 60% of customers believe that they’ll turn to messaging for future purchases.
When you think about it, it’s no wonder that the statistics speak in favor of conversational commerce. After all, modern-day consumers find it immensely more convenient to turn to something familiar, such as chatting or exchanging messages, than taking the time to send an email or phone a company. The entire practice of live chat/messaging is infinitely more personal, and it provides almost instant gratification.
Ecommerce companies looking to boost customer loyalty and trust will find that a live chat experience helps them do precisely that in record time. Not only does the feature support easy purchases, but it also enables the users to inform themselves about the products, shipping info, return policy, and so on.
5 Benefits of Live Chat
1. Meet Customer Expectations
Conversational commerce is designed not only for eCommerce giants but small businesses as well. As consumers are actively proving the success of this trend, incorporating it into your business model can help separate your brand from the competition.
Regardless of whether you’re selling physical or digital products or services, getting in touch with a company via live chat/messaging has become the norm for modern-day consumers.
2. Build Buyer Trust
One of the biggest gripes that small businesses have with the live chat feature is the belief that they’ll have to employ a bunch of new people to manage the chats. However, that’s not exactly true.
Thanks to the modern technology that involves AI-powered chatbots, it has never been easier to incorporate no-code premade chatbot templates and work on your conversational design from there.
The AI chatbot is based on language recognition and machine learning, which allows the robot to provide clear and concise output to a straightforward input. In most cases, users can’t even tell that they’re chatting with a bot. Of course, you should always disclose this in the beginning and provide the option for a live chat with an actual person for more complex queries.
That said, a small business could easily get away with just one or two customer support agents, as the chatbot will act as a conversation assistant 24/7. This kind of availability is bound to build buyer trust.
3. Grow Sales and Conversions
Obviously, consumers nowadays prefer the convenience of online shopping, which is the main reason why the eCommerce market has gotten so big. But let’s not forget that they also enjoy the ability to inquire about products/services, which was typically reserved for brick-and-mortar stores only.
With the introduction of live chat/messaging, this particular flaw of the online shopping experience gets completely eradicated. The connection established through conversational commerce offers a more personal customer experience, which typically results in increased sales and conversions.
4. Boost ROI
When it’s already clear that a simple live chat integration can help grow sales and conversions, it’s only natural to make the most out of it for your paid campaigns. If you’re already paying for Google and/or Facebook ads, you can maximize the ROI by providing a live chat experience for the potential customers who click on your ad.
5. Utilize Customer/Product Feedback
Google Analytics may be crucial for tracking your eCommerce site metrics, but it won’t tell you a whole lot about your customers or how satisfied they are with your business. Through live chat, on the other hand, you’re presented with an opportunity to engage with the customers directly. Their input and queries alone will tell you about their interests, preferences, and worries. These are all valuable insights that you can further use to update your website and business practices.
In Closing
As the market continues to grow in 2021, don’t hesitate to use the trending tools and technology to your advantage. You don’t have to be a big name on the market to do that. In fact, the key to small business success in the digital world largely relies on recognizing the trends that harbor enormous potential. And conversational commerce is definitely one of those trends.
Conversational commerce presents an authentic and personal approach to engaging with target audiences. As such, it holds an immense power that draws modern consumers to small businesses, and it will only get bigger in the future. By leveraging the simple act of conversation, you can bring immense value to your customers and yield better business results.
Bojana is a content marketing specialist with a finger on the pulse of the world of eCommerce marketing. She oversees a content creation strategy that helps business owners take their brand to the next level.