7 Studies Proving Live Chat Boosts Your Conversion Rate

When it comes to providing top-notch customer support, live chat is an indispensable tool to have in your arsenal. By providing customers with rapid solutions to their queries, live chat boosts those all important conversion rates, in turn increasing revenue. In fact, studies have shown live chat contributes approx. 30% to conversion rate.

The bottom line is... live chat means more sales.

The big players in online shopping are spending millions on research to understand consumer psychology. Below are some studies showing why consumers love live chat and how they use it to make important buying decisions.

1. Consumers love live chat because it’s quick and provides a human touch

With 92% satisfaction, live chat is preferred to more traditional channels, like phone or email. But what exactly do customers love about live chat?

No one likes waiting for a reply, and even more irritating are the automated responses you get. Live chat provides quick, personalized assistance, and customers love the easy, friendly shopping experience this creates.

A study by J. D. Power, one of the most trusted online sources for marketing research, showed that live chat is what people want when they visit an online store. Here are some of their findings:

• More than 42% preferred live chat option to solve the issues and queries during online shopping.
• When the customer used the chat function, the overall satisfaction was higher.

2. Customers find live chat helpful

The ATG Global Consumer Trend Study found that more than 90% of customers said live chat was helpful for them while shopping online.

Customers are sometimes confused by products and their features. Offering real-time solutions helps speed up their buying decisions. This is especially true when connecting with a real human.

Customers like to feel listened to, and that is exactly what live chat brings. Rapidly resolving issues in a personalized way leaves customers satisfied and positively impacts their buying decisions.

3. Live chat improves conversion rates and increases sales

A study by emarketer.com found that more than 60% of consumers would return to a website offering live chat.

Buying frequencies are also higher among consumers who use live chat.

Acquire believes live chat is one of the best customer service options available. More than 30% of consumers find live chat more informative and more helpful than emails or phone calls. And more than 79% of consumers feel they found quick answers that impacted their buying decisions.

Moreover, the more personal and direct form of communication provided by live chat creates deeper customer relationships. In the long run, these relationships become more and more loyal, creating further revenue on the back of them.

4. Live chat is cost efficient

Introducing a live chat feature to your website is cost efficient. The average revenue generated far outstrips that of email or phone. Consumers are also more likely to buy when they are treated well and their queries are answered in a timely fashion.

Furthermore, live chat offers a cheaper communication method than call centers. One representative can chat with multiple consumers simultaneously, unlike call centers, where one individual can handle only one customer at a time.

5. Customers are willing to buy more through direct methods

A study by Marketing Power revealed that customers who used live chat are three times more likely to buy the products because of the experience created by a direct and effective method involving the human touch.

The image above highlights how the number of consumers using live chat has increased year on year, thanks to its speed as a communication method compared to other channels like email or phone calls.

6. The number using live chat is increasing

In a study by E-tailing Group, the amount of US consumers using live chat to interact with sellers was shown to have increased to 59% compared to 54% last year. This form of instant messaging service is steadily becoming more lucrative than other options.

The study revealed that customers believed queries were answered satisfactorily immediately (77%) and the efficiency of live chat as a communication method is excellent and effortless (52%).

7. It creates satisfied and loyal customers

In a survey conducted by eDigitalResearch, it was found that with customers who used live chat support for their shopping and placed orders in the same visit, 73% said they were highly satisfied and would visit the site for future shopping. 31% were using live chat while the survey was conducted and they found it convenient when representatives directed them on how to use the website and place an order. Live chat support earns you more brownie points than other digital touchpoints, such as phone service, email and social media.

Get on board with live chat

Integrating live chat into your customer service channel is no longer just an option, it’s a necessity in the battle to gain the confidence and trust of your consumers. Showing your customers you care about them, and are willing to help them at any stage of the sales funnel, is a great way to make sure they not only buy your products, but will come back in the future to do so again and again. If you don’t offer live chat support, now is the time to change that.

Laduram Vishnoi

CEO, Acquire.io

Laduram Vishnoi is Acquire’s President & Co-founder. He enjoys building companies and scaling product teams. He’s passionate about AI, machine learning, neuroscience, and meditation.