For most eCommerce managers, customer support is seen as a post-sale function, focused on delivery issues, returns, and handling complaints.
But that mindset misses a huge opportunity. Support isn’t just reactive—it’s a powerful pre-sale lever. Real-time answers to pre-purchase questions can be the difference between a bounce and a conversion.
That moment—when a shopper is nearly convinced but hesitates with one last question—is where more revenue is won or lost than most brands realise
At eDesk, we call these pre-sales queries. And they’re one of the most undervalued levers for growth in eCommerce today.
Born for eCommerce
We’ve been building for eCommerce since day one.
eDesk was founded in 2014 when our founder, Ray Nolan, met an eCommerce seller struggling to keep up with the volume of customer support requests. That conversation sparked a simple but powerful idea: what if there were a helpdesk purpose-built for online sellers?
Since then, everything we’ve built—every feature, every integration, every product decision—has been designed around one thing: helping eCommerce brands engage better with their customers.
And in 2025, customer engagement is no longer just a “nice to have.” It’s the difference between growing and stalling growth.
The Shift to Engagement-First eCommerce
Today’s most successful brands aren’t winning by being cheapest or fastest—they’re winning on experience.
Emerging UK brands like Hair Syrup and Glow For It are perfect examples. Their growth isn’t fuelled by discount codes—it’s fuelled by loyalty, community, and trust. And that trust is built through responsive, human-feeling interactions across the entire customer journey.
From pre-sale to post-purchase, every touchpoint is an opportunity to either connect—or lose the customer.
Pre-sale questions often get dismissed as routine support. Big mistake, they’re actually conversion gold.
Why Pre-Sales Questions Matter So Much
Here’s what the data tells us:
- Brands that respond to pre-sales queries quickly and accurately see a 65%+ higher chance of conversion.
- Up to 60% of all customer messages are pre-sale, depending on category.
- Many of these messages come outside business hours, or in languages your team can’t support.
These aren’t support tickets. These are live buying signals and every one you miss is a sale lost to a faster competitor.
If someone walks into a store and asks a question, you wouldn’t ignore them. Yet that’s exactly what’s happening online—because most teams don’t have the tools or coverage to respond.
What’s Changing in 2025
Thanks to advances in AI, that’s no longer a blocker.
Imagine a pre-sales assistant that can:
- Answer instantly, 24/7
- Speak 165+ languages
- Know your product catalog, shipping policies, and return rules
- Respond over chat, email, Instagram, TikTok, or wherever your customers are
That’s not a vision—it’s live now. Brands using eDesk’s AI pre-sales assistant have gone from responding to 20% of pre-sale queries to 100%—with measurable increases in sales conversion.
One fashion retailer told us that responding to sizing queries alone added thousands in revenue they were previously missing. Another saw reduced return rates because buyers got accurate info before they ordered.
This is what modern customer engagement looks like. It’s not just support—it’s a revenue engine.
Rethinking the Role of Support
Pre-sales isn’t owned by marketing. It’s not owned by sales. And it’s traditionally fallen outside the scope of CX metrics.
That’s exactly why it’s been overlooked.
But in a world where attention spans are short and customer expectations are high, brands that respond instantly and helpfully in the buying moment will win.
That’s the shift we’re enabling at eDesk—helping eCommerce businesses turn conversations into conversions, and support into growth.
A Final Thought
We believe the brands that win over the next five years won’t just have great products or fast shipping—they’ll have great conversations. At every stage of the buying journey. Especially before the sale.
Pre-sales isn’t a cost centre. It’s your most valuable missed opportunity.
If you’re curious how this could look for your business, we’d love to chat.
