Humanizing the Digital Experience: Everything to know about One-to-One Live Shopping

The increase in automation around the world has left many customers (and brands) thinking they’ve lost the human connection. And many wish to have it back, to where they’d almost like to talk to a real Harry or Sally, instead of an Alexa or Siri.

This is where one-to-one live shopping comes in to bridge the gap. It is a solution that provides the human experience in a world crowded with automation and bots.

With the exponential growth of online shopping, retail brands are actively seeking innovative approaches to bridge the gap between virtual and in-store experiences. In today’s digital era, customers increasingly desire personalized attention and quick support, which can increase satisfaction levels and boost sales. 

This is where buywith’s one-to-one live shopping solution has showcased an increase in conversion rates, suggesting its significant potential as a tool for personalized assistance and enhanced customer satisfaction, akin to being a personal shopper, a consultant for advice and to reduce product queries, and an extension of customer support. Join us in learning more!

One-to-one live shopping enables brands and retailers to experience live interactions between product experts and customers through video calls. It provides real-time personalized assistance on a variety of topics, replicating the in-store experience online. In essence, one-to-one live shopping is thus bringing back human interaction in the online shopping space. For those who are inundated with chatbots and long customer service waits, it provides them with their own personalized shopping journeys.  

1. An Improved Customer Experience: A few years ago, every company boasted of a chatbot. In an era dominated by automation, customers are now actively seeking personalized attention. One-to-one live shopping empowers retail brands to deliver tailored experiences instead, which is a refreshing change. This personalized touch elevates the overall customer experience, making customers feel valued, heard, and deeply connected to the brand. 
2. Improved customer satisfaction and brand loyalty: Exceptional customer service plays a pivotal role in building customer loyalty. One-to-one live shopping enables retail brands to offer immediate support and resolutions, addressing real-time customer issues. The ability to see and hear a knowledgeable representative creates a sense of trust and reliability. This personal connection facilitates prompt problem resolution. In the case of customer support, engaging customers in real-time conversations, sales and support representatives can comprehend their unique needs, offer pertinent recommendations, and address concerns effectively. Ultimately, satisfied customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, refer friends and family, and evolve into brand advocates.
3. Increased conversion rates and lower bounce rates: In an era of quick TikTok swipes, customer attention and driving conversions are paramount. One-to-one live shopping proves to be a potent tool for sales enhancement due to real-time visual interaction, where the hosts can showcase products, demonstrate features, and provide in-depth explanations. The hosts could be influencers, founders of brands, sales representatives or more. These personalized product tours render online shopping more captivating, fostering customer trust and significantly elevating the likelihood of a purchase by driving consumers past the consideration phase quicker. As such, the one-to-one live shopping solution can also effectively reduce bounce rates by maintaining customer engagement on your ecommerce site. As a bonus, sales representatives can use it as an upselling tool to increase AOV, a strategy that is a must in one of our recent case studies on Shopify storefronts.
4. Cost and time efficiency: One-to-one live shopping not only benefits customers but also offers advantages for retailers and brands. Traditional phone or email support methods can be time-consuming and susceptible to miscommunication. In contrast, video chat empowers support representatives to deliver accurate solutions more efficiently, reducing resolution time. Additionally, it eliminates geographical barriers, allowing customers and representatives to connect from anywhere. If the host is an influencer or a personal stylist or shopper, these would typically be hard to find or quite expensive. It is cost effective to have them as a resource by a brand or retailer is hugely beneficial. This enhanced cost and time efficiency contribute to heightened customer satisfaction and increased productivity for support teams.

Shoppers connect live or schedule a one-to-one shopping experience with a product expert or specialist. This approach not only aims to increase sales but also to build trust and confidence in the purchase decision, ultimately resulting in higher customer satisfaction. By eliminating chatbots, the platform ensures an authentic and genuine connection, providing an instant response to customer queries to reduce uncertainties and facilitate well-informed purchase decisions. Some features include:

• Co-browsing: Collaboratively explore products in real-time with an expert, enhancing the shopping experience through shared navigation and insights. Screen sharing in both shared and full screen mode are both possible and easy to switch between.
• Smart scheduler: Conveniently plan and schedule personalized one-to-one shopping sessions with product specialists, ensuring flexibility and tailored assistance.
• In-session checkout: Streamline the purchasing process by completing transactions seamlessly within the one-to-one live shopping session, offering efficiency and convenience to shoppers.
• Expert marketplace: Access a curated marketplace of knowledgeable product experts and influencers, providing shoppers with a diverse range of specialized assistance for an informed and personalized shopping journey.
• Deep insights: Additionally, retailers and brands can gain valuable customer insights during and after the LIVE sessions, further enhancing their understanding of customer preferences and behaviors.

One-to-one live shopping can be used in a variety of ways in the retail landscape. These include:

1. Personal shopping via a stylist or personal shopper: The ability to connect with an expert, influencer or personal shopper/stylist is something that many customers in verticals of apparel, consumer products and more aspire to. One-to-one live shopping makes this possible in a seamless way.
2. Personalized shopping assistance via store associates: Store associates can extend personalized support to customers, creating a tailored and interactive shopping experience.
3. More responsive customer support: One-to-one shopping can serve as a dynamic channel for store associates to promptly address customer inquiries and efficiently resolve issues in real time.
4. Sales consultations: Experts or store associates can leverage one-to-one live shopping for conducting sales consultations, guiding customers to select the most suitable products or services aligned with their specific needs.
5. Product demonstrations and how-tos: Harnessing one-to-one live shopping, the host can conduct engaging product demonstrations, showcasing features and usage to prospective customers. This is often done by influencers or by store associates, to answer queries and expedite shoppers through the consideration phase to purchase.
6. Training and education: Product experts can provide comprehensive training and educational sessions, enlightening customers about products or services, fostering understanding and confidence.