E-commerce
Luxury retailers bring high-touch service to online shoppers with live engagement
High-definition video can be integrated into the online retail environment faster and easier than you might think.
February 8, 2022 by Joseph Noonan — CEO, Vee24
The 2021 holiday shopping season proved what retail analysts have been saying all along: online shopping is now essential to a retailer's success. Forrester estimates that online holidays sales have grown 40% since 2019, with total 2021 sales approaching $200 billion.
To stay competitive in this environment, retailers must provide a memorable experience to new and returning online shoppers throughout their buying journey. Retailers must embrace innovative solutions to provide seamless, personal, and immersive online experiences that satisfy and delight the customer. Luxury retailers, in particular, whose brands are built on flawless white-glove service, must replicate their customer experience digitally to capture and captivate high-end shoppers. A live engagement solution that connects across channels to provide a seamless experience with high-touch, personalized service will help luxury retailers accelerate their digital business.
Establishing a warm, personal connection with customers has always been the hallmark of great service for luxury stores. Although this sector was initially slow to extend that experience online, according to Deloitte's Global Powers of Luxury Brands 2020, luxury brands are now using "digital channels to amplify their vision, convey their messages, and develop and intimate connections with consumers."
Savvy retailers are creating immersive virtual boutiques that bring sales consultants face-to-face with customers who are shopping from home. Customized, personal experiences provide information to shoppers and showcase products to create confident, educated buyers. High-definition video with digital hand-holding using co-browsing and screen sharing can supercharge the digital customer experience, raise conversions and average order value, and strengthen brand loyalty.
Getting started doesn't need to be complicated. Here are some tips on how luxury retailers can use video to build the virtual shopping experience in 2022 and beyond:
Build a website that delivers a high touch, personal experience
With the growing preference for virtual shopping, a retailers' website can be its biggest store. The key to success in online retail is delivering an engaging experience from start to finish. In 2022, it's more important than ever to connect with your customers virtually.
For example, luxury watch retailer, the Watches of Switzerland Group, has taken advantage of the increased customer traffic on its website and embraced new tools to engage customers and build relationships. The Watches of Switzerland Group has leveraged high-definition video to build a virtual boutique that wows online customers and creates an immersive shopping experience. This virtual boutique enables knowledgeable watch consultants to provide expert advice and guide online shoppers using high-definition cameras and video chat, co-browsing, and text chat.
Luxury brands can use social media, email, and advertising to draw shoppers in, steer them to available video chat options, and educate the customer about expert, responsive live assistance available without having to go into a store.
Build excitement for luxury products
Your virtual boutique can provide as beautiful an experience as a physical one. Luxury retailers that host virtual boutiques can give product specialists high-definition cameras to show off products and allow them to look shoppers in the eye. Sales consultants can use portable tablets to move around and provide personalized product tours for larger items.
Online customers can experience the immersive feel of in-person shopping with high-definition cameras providing a variety of views of a product. For example, cinema-quality lighting can highlight the sparkle of diamond jewelry or the rich texture of a beautiful leather sofa. Luxury retailers can leverage virtual backgrounds to ensure consistent branding across both brick-and-mortar and online stores.
Make the online experience exciting
Virtual boutiques. Live high-definition product tours. Individual demos of how to use a product. Guiding website visitors to personalized product recommendations with co-browsing. The sales staff of a luxury retailer can build relationships with customers, share product knowledge, and provide personalized demos and close-up views from every angle.
For example, the Watches of Switzerland Group used video engagement for pre-sales inquiries, transferring qualified customers to highly-trained watch experts for face-to-face discussions and detailed product demos. Retail brands using video have achieved as much as a 5x increase in conversion rates over self-service shopping, and a 54% increase in AOV for online customers that were supported with live assistance. It's clear that high-definition video can provide the kind of compelling experience that will keep customers coming back for more.
Live video boosts online sales success
Luxury retailers that use live video to connect with customers will have an advantage over competitors. Retailers should be pushing now to train agents, test new technology, and ensure a flawless experience for online shoppers. Sales specialists should be brushing up on their product knowledge, and all of the staff should receive training to ensure the brand experience is the same whether customers are in-store or online.
The virtual shopping experience should be driven by intelligent AI that can quickly locate information, schedule appointments for live service, or immediately transfer customers to a knowledgeable human for help when needed. High-definition video can be integrated into the online retail environment faster and easier than you might think, and with the right support and training, it can bring sales success to new heights.
Joseph Noonan is CEO at Vee24
About Joseph Noonan
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