No thanks, I'm just browsing

Congratulations – marketing has done its job...

The customer is on your web store, looking, searching, exploring. They are hungry to purchase. They might know what they want. But, there are 100's of ways of satisfying that hunger.

When they say "it's ok, I'm just browsing" - it may be because they don't want human contact - one reason people like to shop online. In this instance, they probably don't want to hear about specials or premium service. They want a painless experience. Whichever channel - real or virtual - they want to leave your store knowing they have made the right decision and bought the best products.

Building trust is critical in this scenario – just ask them if they need help in finding what they're looking for can be a great starting point. Some will want to figure it out themselves – they may be distracted or doing something else – so it needs to be at their pace. Repeated offers or pop-ups will often be treated like an intrusion – they prefer to interact on their own terms.

Alternatively, they may actually just be browsing – and never had any plan to buy anything today. But they may buy on impulse – so creating a superb impression could switch them into loyal future customers – it's important to treat every customer as individuals with a tailored experience.

Looking to online, whichever type of visitor they are, you know they aren't afraid of technology, and technology is a great bridge between human desire for independence but also the ability to have contact and seek help. Look at the success of instant messaging and social media. Imagine being able to have that type of conversation with your customers when they're on the web store, at their own pace.

Web or live chat has traditionally been the "go to" option and it can be successful, but for smaller businesses this can tie up resource and require an investment in training. Also, how do you offer 24/7 support to both local and global markets? How do you ensure consistency?

This is why we have spent the last few years developing our digital salesperson technology. Getting the balance just right has been key to the success – the feel of a human understanding versus the non-emotional consistency of software.

If you want to turn browsers into buyers, let's talk and explore the options. Perhaps we can help evaluate the effectiveness of your web or live chat as a sales channel. It may not be on your radar today, but you can bet your competitors are…   email me: rob@amo.ai or visit http://amo.ai/

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