As I write this from the near peak of the global pandemic, the retail industry is facing its most critical time in its history — one for the books, certainly.
Right now, 95% of Americans are under stay-at-home orders at their homes, essentially unable to go out and shop. As a result, stores are closing and it’s expected the coronavirus will trigger mass retail bankruptcies and store closings. Unfortunately there’s no end in sight, with analysts projecting holiday sales to decrease by 30%.
However, it’s clear that e-commerce is the one glimmer of hope within the chaos. We also predict that this massive cultural shift will work to speed up the retail industry’s adoption of technologies and strategies that take customer relationships to the ultimate level.
Companies like Target, Zumiez, Casper and Carvana were successful in navigating the choppy waters of the 2019 retail apocalypse through technological advances and unique cultural shifts that made it possible for them to keep customers happy and coming back. This massive shift will only work to speed up retail adoption of these innovations.
So what are some of these promising changes that will help the retail industry in this time of need?
#1 AI Chabots
The combination of chatbots with AI and avatars creates an exceptional customer experience by targeting the right customer, at the right time, with the right message, and meets the customers’ needs faster and better.
Live chat is essential to humanizing customers and minimizing their pain points, particularly because it enables real conversations at the time of need rather than later through email, particularly when they might be upset or looking to fix a problem. (Who wants to wait 24 hours for an email while you’re shopping for that purse or wallet you have been eyeing for months?)
#2 Proactive Customer Support
A frustrated customer is an unhappy customer who leaves your online store, possibly never to come back. Using behavioral targeting, technologies can engage struggling or upset customers with proactive messaging before they become frustrated.
Offering guidance before the customer has to seek help will ensure their browsing experience is seamless and completely comfortable.