[ SOURCE: retailnews.co.nz ]
Wired Internet Group asked: Why is the conversion rate of bricks and mortar stores significantly higher than online? The answer they found was “People. Shop Assistants. Someone you can ask for help. Experts”
1) What is Shop Assistant?
Shop Assistant is an online sales tool that replicates the normal selling process that a customer would encounter when they’re in a traditional bricks and mortar store…where a shop assistant in a store would engage them with questions to establish their requirements so that they recommend the correct product and make the sale.
2) What problem does Shop Assistant solve?
Buying a product online should be a simple task, but it is not. As more products and services come online, the choices become overwhelming for most people.
Online shoppers are typically confronted by a wall of seemingly similar products displayed in a catalogue format, with product attributes and features creating more clutter and confusion. For many people, online shopping is not a workable solution because they are short on time and they do not want to become a temporary product-expert.
People want to be engaged and assisted by a skilled salesperson that establishes their requirements and recommends the appropriate product. Shop Assistant is the equivalent of your best salesperson.
3) What are the benefits to online stores?
Three things:
- Increased online conversion – Shop Assistant simplifies the buying process and connects with the shopper via a unique user interface and decision tree matrix. It follows the age-old selling process of asking, understanding and recommending…giving the shopper confidence in making the purchase.
- An ability to sell technical products – Selling technical products online up till now assumes the shopper has some technical knowledge and can choose the most appropriate product. With Shop Assistant no technical knowledge is required as the system focuses on lifestyle questions and the desired outcomes that the shopper is after.
- Reduce the number of returns – Given that you’ve listened to the shopper, it’s more likely that they get the product most suited to their requirements, meaning less returns.
4) What products is Shop Assistant most suited for?
The best way to establish if a product is suited to Shop Assistant is to ask “If I went into a store, would the assistance and recommendation of a skilled salesperson help in making the sale?” If the answer was “Yes” then Shop Assistant can increase your sales conversion.
5) Who else should use Shop Assistant?
Manufacturers and distributors are adopting the system as a way to manage the sales process of semi-technical products and to deliver qualified buyers to their dealers, whether that is physical or online stores. For retailers the system is reskinned to go on their websites. For bricks and mortar retailers, the system is either displayed in store or promoted on their POS material.