How to Convert Online Shoppers with one-to-one Virtual Shopping

If you’re not familiar with the term “virtual shopping,” think of it as an immersive version of live chat. Virtual shopping is a strategy in which online sales assistants guide the buyer through their search for a product before making a purchase. These personalised conversations help generate revenue and establish relationships between retailers and their customers. This concept is prevalent because it’s an effective way to attract shoppers who are researching products but may not yet be ready to commit.

As the retail industry continues to evolve with online commerce, companies are looking for new ways to acquire customers and establish a strong digital presence. Many have chosen “virtual shopping” as their go-to strategy, believing that this kind of service will be the key differentiator to stay ahead of their competitors.

But what does it take to convert shoppers with one-to-one virtual shopping? Here are eight key areas to focus on:

1. Make it Easy for Customers to Contact You

Just like any customer service initiative, companies need to make themselves available so that potential customers can get in touch with them directly. A simple way of doing this is through a click-to-call button, and this gives people the option to reach your Sales Assistants right from their screen and schedule a time to chat one-on-one with them.

It’s also essential to have highly knowledgeable representatives trained on the products that you’re selling. You can’t expect your visitors to be familiar with your product line, so your agents must know the ins and outs of every item on your site, including specifications, options, and price points. Empowering Sales Assistants with the knowledge they need is crucial to guide customers through the buying process.

2. Know Your Target Audience Very Well

What are their main concerns? What types of questions do they ask? How can you make them feel special?

As a retailer, it’s essential to understand your core audience and cater virtual shopping services to meet their needs. This will help establish relationships that turn website visitors into paying customers.

Here’s an example of how you might prioritise:

• Focus on customers who are confused about your product and want to seek more information. For instance, the customer may be interested in shoes, but they don’t know what type to buy. Your representative can guide them through the shopping process, starting with their preferred style and gradually narrowing down their options from there.
• Give priority to customers who are ready to buy but still want more information about the product before completing the transaction. These customers will likely be your best source of referrals because they’ve already done a significant amount of research and have a strong sense of what they’re looking for.
• Lastly, consider your existing customer base. If any customers have already bought from you before, they will make excellent referrals since they know that you’re a reputable company with quality products.

3. Be Honest and Transparent

Customers need to trust that your business can assist them in finding exactly what they’re looking for. If your visitors don’t believe that you can help them, they will go elsewhere regardless of your expertise or experience. It’s crucial to come across as transparent and always emphasise the primary goal of customer satisfaction.

Additionally, it’s essential to stay consistent in your messaging, which means correctly identifying the target audience and tailoring your virtual shopping services accordingly. This is one way you can trust potential buyers.

4. Make it Easy for Customers to Share Their Experiences Online

Satisfied customers who receive a great experience with your company will be more than happy to recommend you on social media or leave a positive review on a third-party website. This can be done by providing your customers with an incentive for their referrals or giving them the platform to leave a review on your site with just one click of a button.

5. Personalisation is Key to Success

When someone visits your store, you should do everything in your power to make them feel like they’re shopping with you one-on-one. This starts with your website and encourages them to let you know their details and personal preferences.

When you show people how much you value them, it will feel like they’re with you every step of the way, even though your virtual shopping assistants are working behind the scenes.

6. Use Advanced Customer Service Software

Make sure that whatever CRM or CSM solution you choose can provide this kind of guidance for your team. In the past, CSRs needed to memorise a script to talk someone through a virtual shopping experience. This meant that they were stuck going down one path and couldn’t respond organically when the shopper told them something else was influencing their choice of product or service.

A modern solution would let your call centre team write their chat messages based on their conversation with customers. That way, sales assistants can adapt to what each individual is looking for and ensure that every one of your shoppers is fully satisfied with their buying experience.

7. Offer live video streaming, so shoppers feel like they’re actually at a store

When you’re helping someone narrow down hundreds of potential products, it can be much more efficient to conduct this process in real-time. There’s no better way to accomplish that than offering live video streaming. This not only gives the shopper a chance to see your store or virtual showroom in action but also lets them point out precisely what they want to see and learn more about.

8. Make it Quick and Convenient for Customers to Get in Touch With You

As we’ve mentioned above, convenience is everything in customer service initiatives. That’s why so many retailers offer click-to-call buttons integrated right into their product pages on eCommerce sites.

Then, once you have a chatbox up and running, don’t forget to give your shoppers the option to schedule a one-to-one consultation with one of your online sales assistants.

Bottom Line

Customers are looking for the best shopping experience possible. That means comparing prices, reading reviews, and taking advantage of interactive customer service tools that make it easy to get the information they need and connect with brands so that they feel valued and empowered to make a purchase.

We can help you build the foundations to support online sales, combining our industry-leading video & live chat technology, and award-winning retail sales experience, to create powerful, engaging online retail experiences.