New study shows 64% of UK shoppers want to chat with brands on mobile devices to ease online shopping
SUNNYVALE, Calif.,October 8, 2014: A new study commissioned by Moxie Software, Inc. reveals that 64% of survey participants expect live chat to be available on mobile devices, and 76% would use it. Moxie’s study surveyed more than 2,700 UK and U.S. residents about their online and mobile shopping habits, and identified the rising trend of live online chat for sales and support assistance. 77% of UK respondents stated that they would prefer to use live online chat versus calling to speak with an agent.
According to the study, consumers’ growing preference for online chat provides companies an opportunity to enhance the customer journey and increase customer satisfaction, specifically on mobile devices. In the UK, 67% of respondents reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with their customer support experience when shopping online, but the level of satisfaction increases to 88% when live chat is used on a mobile device.
Moxie Chat addresses the needs of customers across their online journey. The new product enhances the chat experience across all devices, delivering an optimised experience for mobile users. Moxie Chat integrates with multiple customer engagement channels, including Moxie Web Self-Service, Moxie Knowledge and Moxie Email, allowing businesses to engage with customers on the right channel at the right time.
“Today, people have their mobile phones with them at all times and they are primarily using them to research information, message family and friends and engage with apps,” said Nikhil Govindaraj, VP of products, Moxie. “Moxie Chat provides consumers with the fast and simple experience that consumers demand. Our customers now have the ability to design the chat experience to align with their brands and execute specific campaigns that resonate with a growing base of mobile device users.”
New Mobile Chat Features
Mobile Chat supports mobile best practices across all desktops, tablets and smartphones. The key benefits of the new release, include:
Mobile Optimised Features for the Consumer
- Browse and Chat Simultaneously: mobile customers can chat without interrupting the browsing experience, which makes it easier to navigate a website while chatting;
- Message Waiting Alert: when browsing a website during a chat session, the customer is alerted to agent responses via a visual alert, enabling better conversations;
- Consistent Connection: customers are reconnected to their chat session if they need to answer a phone call or whenever cellular service is interrupted – for example, when a customer gets into an elevator;
- Geo Location Capabilities: with GPS-enabled devices, customers can share their exact locations while chatting to receive specific guidance; and
- File Sharing: consumers can share photos, videos or documents during a chat session for better communication.
Mobile Optimised Features for the Enterprise
- Personalised Engagement: agents have access to key information, including device information and webpages being viewed by consumers so they can deliver personalised experiences during chat sessions;
- Consistent Chat Offers: a tab-based chat offer allows a consistent place to find chat on websites.
- Productivity Tools: agents have access to a list of mobile-optimised, pre-prepared responses that facilitate interactions with consumers;
- Branded Experience: enterprises can easily align the chat interface with branding guidelines – including colours, fonts, etc.; and
- Mobile SDK: enterprises benefit from a mobile SDK for live chat, which integrates a native chat client into their iOS apps (android coming soon).
Pricing and Availability
Moxie’s new Mobile Chat is available immediately and it is priced per user, per month. Moxie’s Mobile Chat is an add-on feature to existing customers.
Additional insights from the Moxie study reveal interesting trends in the U.S, including:
- Men Shop Often on Mobile Devices: twice as many men than women surveyed make daily purchases online and are making more weekly purchases as well;
- Millennial Men Are Active Online Shoppers: millennial men are becoming the new power shoppers, and those living in the Pacific region (California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii and Alaska) are among the most active online shoppers in the nation.
- Winning the Hearts of Mobile Holiday Shoppers with Superior Service and Live Chat: consumers who plan to make purchases on mobile devices this holiday season expect top-notch service and support. 60% of consumers will abandon their online shopping carts and never make purchases from an online retailer again if they experience poor customer service.
