Consumer Behavior

COVD-19 drives greater customer conversational commerce

Photo by istock.com

October 19, 2020

Given shutdowns and social distancing due to the ongoing coronavirus, consumers are engaging in more ways than ever with retail businesses, beauty salons and restaurants.

In fact there's been a 450% surge in conversational commerce (including calls, texts and Facebook messages) by consumers since the pandemic hit this past spring, according to a Numa research report. Numa is a phone and virtual answering service company that uses AI technology in its solutions.

"Our data, based on actual product usage data from small and medium-sized companies, indicates a shift in customer behavior prompted in large part by the global pandemic and shuttering of businesses," Numa Founder and CEO Tasso Roumeliotis said in a press release on the findings. "Even before the crisis, customers had shown a preference for texting with businesses in addition to calling, but over the last several months there has been a dramatic increase in virtual engagement and a desire to communicate across multiple channels."

Nearly every text message, 98%, is opened within three minutes of arrival and and 95% are responded to within 3 minutes of being delivered, according to the release.

Additional findings include:

393% increase in contactless, text-to-order revenue.
11% of all messages related to curbside pickup.
748% increase in curbside order check-ins.
300% increase in missed customer calls answered by Numa.
120% increase in the number of customer calling and messaging.
43% increase in the number of customers shopping remotely.

"There's no doubt the pandemic has put many businesses on temporary pause," Roumeliotis said in the release. "But it has also challenged them to be more creative, as consumers still want to shop and support Main Street while realizing the importance of doing so safely. By using new and existing messaging tools to connect from a distance, innovative businesses are opening doors and envisioning different ways to build and strengthen customer relationships. That's something to celebrate."