Customer experience takes centre stage this Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Figures have suggested this year’s Black Friday sales have broken buying records in the UK[1], with British consumers heading towards a combined spend of £5.6 billion on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year. The digital era has caused a shift in consumer behaviour, where shoppers now prefer speed and convenience over going in-store to purchase goods. In fact, 92 per cent claim they will buy at least one item over the internet this weekend – this includes the 56 per cent of customers who intend to do all their shopping over the internet.

Despite an increase in online shopping, a PwC study found that 75 per cent of consumers desire human interaction as part of the digital journey[3]. More retailers are therefore investing in assisted intelligence solutions that create a seamless brand experience in order to compete in the competitive online environment, according to Sameer Parvez, Head of Retail & Ecommerce at Teleperformance Group.

Sameer Parvez comments, “With sales predicted to be 800 per cent more than a regular Monday, it is imperative retailers have a digital customer experience in place that integrates chatbots with their existing customer interaction channels, alleviating pressure from customer service agents. The demand for chat services is significant, with over 50 per cent of consumers preferring this method of instant communication”

Sameer continues: “As more and more consumers go online, companies that adopt an omni-channel customer engagement strategy can retain an average 89% of their customers[6], deepening the relationship between the brand and the consumer.”

Sameer concludes: “In order to stay relevant to consumers who now expect 24 hour communication, retailers must respond to this need and boost their digital online experience by considering a High-Tech, High-Touch approach. This gives shoppers the option to speak to a customer service advisor as well as round-the-clock online chat services.”