Harris Interactive and IMShopping released a new survey that shows American consumers want the same personalized customer experience they receive in brick-and-mortar business when they shop online. And the lack of assistance can prevent them from making a purchase.
Not surprisingly, most of the survey respondents do shop online (74 percent). And of that amount, 77 percent would be interested in assistance from a real person before making an online purchasing decision. But the most insightful result from the survey was how not getting assistance can prevent online shoppers from making a purchase -- 52 percent.
As an ecommerce merchant, the results of this study should encourage you to revamp efforts to connect with your consumers. Do you have online chat available for those who have questions? Are you proactive and reach out to those who mention your company on various online platforms? Do you facilitate easy ways for potential customers to contact you if they have questions? All of these things can increase your customers' experiences which can possibly turn them into reoccurring customers.
"No level of automation can replace the human touch. The results indicate that shoppers still want real people to help them purchase products, even in a digital setting. Many retailers have started taking steps in this direction and we believe it will be the single biggest push for the retail industry over the next several years," the CEO and founder of IMShopping, Prashant Nedungadi said in the news release.
How do you increase your customers' experiences? Comment below.
