Increasing eCommerce conversion rates with live chat is becoming more and more effective thanks to systems like eDesk live chat.
Did you know that by adding live chat to your eCommerce stores, you could see a significant increase in your conversion rates?
It’s true! Live chat support provides a personal touch that can make all the difference for potential customers who are on the fence about making a purchase. By being able to answer their questions and concerns in real-time, you can give them the confidence they need to go ahead and complete a purchase.
The eCommerce conversion rate is the percentage of site visitors who make a purchase.
Although most brands sit at around 2-3% conversion rate, leaving money on the table across the board.
However, eCommerce businesses can use live chat to increase their conversion rates by providing accurate and helpful information to customers, using visuals, and making sure their agents have all the info they need so they can properly cater to the conversation with each individual customer.
Capturing customer contact information and adding it to your CRM can help you keep track of conversations with customers and follow up with them later. Chat invitations can also be used to deal with cart abandonment.
What is the eCommerce conversion rate?
The eCommerce conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors to your website who take action and complete a purchase. For example, if you have 100 visitors to your site and three of them make a purchase, your eCommerce conversion rate would be 3%.
There are many factors that can affect your eCommerce conversion rate, including the design of your website, the quality of your products or services, and the competitiveness of your prices. However, one of the most important factors is the customer experience.
If potential customers feel rushed or unsupported while they are browsing your website, they may be less likely to make a purchase. This is where live chat can help. By providing potential customers with real-time support, you can help them to feel more comfortable and confident while they are making their purchases. This can lead to a higher eCommerce conversion rate.
The benefits of improving your eCommerce conversion rate
There are many benefits to increasing your eCommerce business conversion rate, including:
- Reduced PPC Costs: By increasing your conversion rate, you will likely see a decrease in your PPC costs, as you will need to spend less money on ads to reach the same number of customers.
- Leveraged Traffic: If you are able to increase your conversion rate, you will be able to leverage the traffic you already have and increase sales.
- Beating your Competitors: A high eCommerce conversion rate can give you an edge over your competitors. When customers are comparison shopping, the fact that your business is able to convert more shoppers into buyers is likely to be a decisive factor in their decision-making.
- Increased Sales: Of course, the most obvious benefit to increasing your eCommerce conversion rate is that you will see an increase in sales. This can have a major impact on your business, allowing you to grow and expand more quickly.
How to increase eCommerce conversion rates with Live Chat
Answer the simple questions
Customers can find it frustrating to find a product they love online; they love the design and even the price, but they’ve got a simple question that they NEED answering before they can make a purchase. The issue is, that many of them will simply go back to Google to find the answer instead of digging around your website to find the solution. This means they could either find a better product or website to do business with.
Instead, with live chat, your customers can get their questions answered directly ON YOUR WEBSITE.
This will help with conversion rates as you can directly answer the questions without the risk that they get distracted by a competitor’s website and increase the likelihood that they follow through with their purchase.
Don’t distract your customers from purchasing
Live chat can feel like a popup if it’s implemented in a way that’s disruptive to the customer’s experience. For example, if a popup interrupts their browsing or forces them to take action (such as clicking a button to close it), then it can be irritating and cause them to leave your website.
However, if live chat is implemented in a way that doesn’t interfere with the customer’s experience but instead provides them with quick solutions to their questions, then it can be an effective tool for increasing conversion rates.
Use chat prompts
One way to ensure that live chat doesn’t interfere with the customer’s experience is to use chat prompts. Chat prompts are small, non-intrusive messages that appear in the corner of the screen and let the customer know that they can chat with a customer service representative if they have any questions.
This way, they can continue browsing your website without feeling like they’re being forced to chat, but they know that the option is there if they need it.
Chat insights
Another way to increase conversion rates with live chat is to use chat insights. Chat insights are data that is collected from chats, such as the topics that were discussed, how long the chat lasted, and whether or not the customer was satisfied with the outcome.
This data can be used to improve your live chat strategy and make sure that you’re providing the best possible experience for your customers.
By using chat insights, you can identify areas where your live chat strategy is falling short and make changes to improve it. For example, if you notice that customers are frequently asking the same question, you can add a FAQ section to your website so that they can find the answer on their own.
You can also use chat insights to train your customer service representatives so that they’re better equipped to handle customer questions.
Overall, chat insights are a valuable tool for increasing conversion rates with live chat.
For example, if you have a live chat widget in the bottom corner of your website that is available to answer questions, but doesn’t require the customer to take any action to close it, then this can be an effective way to offer quick solutions without distracting them from their purchase.
Assign agents correctly
Some chat agents are going to be better at closing sales than others. To increase your chances of making a sale, you need to make sure that you’re assigning the right agents to your live chat.
The best way to do this is to create a profile for each agent that includes their skills, experience, and personality type. Then, when a customer initiates a chat, you can assign them to an agent that is best suited to handle their specific needs.
For example, if you have a customer that is looking for a product that is out of stock, you would want to assign them to an agent that is experienced in handling these types of situations.
On the other hand, if you have a customer that is just browsing and has a few general questions, you would want to assign them to an agent that is friendly and knowledgeable about your products.
By assigning the right agents to each customer, you can increase your chances of making a sale and improve your overall live chat strategy.
Offer incentives
Incentives are a great way to guide people through the sales process easier. They give customers a reason to chat with you, even if they’re not sure if they need help.
Common incentives include discounts, free shipping, and exclusive offers. You can also offer incentives for specific actions, such as completing a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
Incentives can be used in conjunction with chat prompts and chat insights to further increase conversion rates. For example, you can use chat insights to identify customers that are close to making a purchase but have not yet taken the final step.
Then, you can offer them an incentive, such as a discount or free shipping, to encourage them to complete their purchase.
Overall, incentives are a valuable tool for increasing conversion rates with live chat. By offering customers a reason to chat, you can increase the chances of making a sale and improve your overall live chat strategy.
Build trust and rapport
When you’re selling products or services online, it can be difficult to build trust with your customers. They may not be able to see or touch the product, and they may not know who you are as a person or business.
Implementing live chat can help to build trust with your customers as it allows them to have a conversation with you (or one of your team members) in real-time. This can help to build rapport and trust, as they can see that there is a real person behind the website who is available to answer their questions.
Make it feel personal
People are more likely to do business with companies with that they feel a personal connection. This is why it’s important to make your live chat sessions feel personal.
One way to do this is by using the customer’s name in the conversation. For example, you can start the conversation with “Hi (customer’s name),” and then address them by name throughout the conversation.
Another way to make it feel personal is by using a photo of the live chat agent. This can help the customer to feel like they’re talking to a real person, which can make the conversation feel more personal.
Being informal is another great choice for making the conversation feel more personal. It can help to create a connection with the customer rather than making them feel like they’re just talking with another sales rep who really is just trying to convert them into a paying customer.
Finally, you can also use emojis in your live chat conversations to add a personal touch. Just be sure not to overdo it, as too many emojis can be off-putting – people might think you’re a little too unprofessional if you’re spamming them with your favourite cat emojis!
Upsell products and services
With live chat, you have the opportunity to upsell products and services to your customers. For example, if a customer is having trouble finding a certain product on your website, you can use live chat to suggest similar products that they might be interested in.
You can also use live chat to offer discounts or coupons to customers that are about to leave your website without making a purchase. This can be an effective way to increase conversion rates as it provides an incentive for the customer to complete their purchase.
Be mobile friendly
In today’s world, it’s important to be mobile-friendly. More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to browse the internet, and if your website isn’t optimised for mobile devices, then you could be losing out on potential customers.
As of 2021, 56% of internet users are using mobile phones to browse their favourite websites. This means if you do not use a mobile-friendly live chat (like eDesk) you’re going to be leaving a lot of money on the table and your conversion rates will tank significantly.
Make chat available on all of your pages
It’s important to make chat available on all of your pages, not just your product or checkout pages. This way, you can answer any questions that potential customers might have about your products or services, regardless of where they are on your website.
One easy way to do this is to use a live chat widget that is available on all pages of your website. This way, you can be sure that you’re never more than a click away from answering any questions that potential customers might have.
Make your chat available at all hours
It’s important to make your chat available during all hours of operation, as you never know when a potential customer might have a question.
If you’re only available during business hours, then you could be missing out on potential sales from customers in different time zones. However, if you’re using a live chat service that is available 24/7, then you can be sure that you’re always available to answer any questions that potential customers might have.
And if you don’t have an agent there ready to answer, live chat should still be able to take customers’ questions; the customer at the time should be assured that someone will get back to them as soon as possible once an agent is available.
Reply promptly
It’s important to reply promptly to any questions that potential customers have. If you take too long to reply, then the customer might get frustrated and go to a competitor’s website.
Ideally, you should aim to reply to all chat messages within a few seconds. However, if the response is going to take a little longer, it would be ideal to let the customer know this. Advise them that you need a couple of minutes to get the information that they require.
Keep them in the know at all times or customers will think you’ve forgotten about them.
This way, they’ll know when to expect a response and won’t get frustrated waiting for you to reply.
Don’t Underestimate Pre-written Responses
While it’s important to have live chat conversations that are personal and tailored to each customer, don’t underestimate the power of pre-written responses.
Pre-written responses can be a great way to save time when you’re chatting with customers. They can also be a great way to ensure that you’re providing accurate information to customers.
If you’re not sure what pre-written responses to use, take a look at the most common questions that customers ask in live chat conversations. Then, craft pre-written responses that address these questions. This way, you can be sure that you’re always providing accurate and helpful information to your customers.
Use visuals to your advantage
Another great way to increase your conversion rates is to use visuals to your advantage.
Humans are visual creatures, and we’re much more likely to convert if we’re able to see what it is that we’re buying. This is why it’s so important to use visuals in your live chat conversations.
For example, if you’re selling a product, be sure to include images of the product in your live chat conversations. This way, potential customers will be able to see what it is that they’re interested in purchasing.
You can also use visuals to provide customer support. If a customer is having trouble with a certain feature on your website, you can use a screen-sharing tool to show them exactly what they need to do. This can be a great way to provide customer support and increase your conversion rates at the same time.
Make sure your agents have all the info
If customers are asked to fill out a form prior to engaging in a conversation, be sure to keep it short. This will help to ensure that customers don’t get frustrated and leave your website before they have a chance to chat with an agent.
You can ask for the customer’s name, email address, and phone number, or you can simply ask for their name and email address. Whatever you choose to ask for, make sure that the form is short and easy to complete.
Once the customer has started a chat, be sure to have all the information that you need on hand. This includes the customer’s order history, as well as any relevant product information.
By having all of this information, you’ll be able to provide better customer service and increase your conversion rates.
Capture info for your CRM
Once you’ve captured a customer’s contact information, be sure to add it to your CRM. This way, you’ll be able to keep track of your conversations with customers and follow up with them later.
You can also use your CRM to segment your customers and target them with specific messaging. For example, if you know that a customer is interested in a particular product, you can send them targeted messages/emails about that product.
By using your CRM to segment your satisfied and loyal customers and send them targeted messages, you can increase your conversion rates and improve your overall customer relationships.
Chat Invites Can Deal With Cart Abandonment
If you have a shopping cart feature on your website, you know that abandoned carts are a common problem.
One way to deal with this issue is to use chat invites.
Chat invites are messages that pop up on your website, inviting customers to start a chat conversation. These messages can be customized to target customers who are showing signs of abandoning their carts.
For example, you can set up a chat invite to pop up when a customer has been on your website for a certain amount of time or when they’ve added items to their cart but haven’t checked out.
By using chat invites, you can reach out to customers who are at risk of abandoning their carts and offer them help. This can be a great way to increase your conversion rates and reduce abandoned carts.
Wrapping things up – increasing eCommerce conversion rates with live chat
Increasing your eCommerce store conversion rates doesn’t have to be difficult. By using live chat software, you can provide better customer service, offer support, and close more sales. All of this can lead to increased conversion rates and more success for your business.
If you’re interested in using live chat to increase your eCommerce conversion rates, be sure to check out eDesk live chat. Our software makes it easy to add live chat to your website, and our agents are available 24/7 to help customers with their purchases.
