What is conversational commerce and why does it matter?

Chatbots that answer FAQs. Facebook messages that provide shipping updates. Home voice assistants that can order paper towels with a simple command. Any form of online communication that takes place during an e-commerce purchase is considered “conversational commerce.”

Today, we have the world at our fingertips. Millennials and Gen Zers can (and do) research extensively  online before making a purchasing decision. Yet, even with all the reviews, social media posts, and product specs out there, sometimes they need just a little more help and information. That’s where conversational commerce comes in.

Let’s set the scene: you’re a cosmetics company. A shopper in your target demo comes across your  new lipstick through an influencer’s Instagram post. The lipstick happens to be the perfect shade of red the shopper has been looking for, and after reading several comments on the post about how long it lasts, they have to have it. They quickly navigate to your site through a series of taps on Instagram and are pleasantly surprised to see the wide array of shades available… until they realize they don’t know exactly which one the influencer was wearing.

This is a critical, make-or-break moment in the world of e-commerce. If your site isn’t equipped with a conversational element such as online chat, you’re essentially relying on the shopper to: do a little more digging back on Instagram or another website, navigate back to your site, and complete their purchase before becoming busy with another task or coming across a direct link to a competitor’s lipstick and buying that instead.

However, if your site is equipped with an end-to-end chat feature that can intelligently respond to shoppers’ questions and allow them to make their purchase from within the chat window, the likelihood of keeping that shopper on your site and closing the sale greatly increases. Your chat can be proactive by asking if the shopper needs help, it can serve as a resource if the shopper chooses to ask a question, and, thanks to Joinedapp, it can process e-commerce transactions.  Through our partnership with Ingenico, the leading global payment company, Joinedapp offers a full portfolio of international payment methods and capabilities to your end users anywhere in the world.

When you combine excellent customer service with incredible ease of purchase, you’ll find it much easier to seal the deal.

How can conversational commerce improve mobile sales?

You’ve optimized your site to be mobile responsive, now it’s time to optimize your site for the mobile shopping experience. Mobile e-commerce sales are expected to rise to over 54% of total e-commerce sales by 2021. That’s a lot of money being spent via the computer in your pocket.

Take our lipstick example: the user experience happened all on mobile, from the first touch on Instagram to the final purchase. Therefore, integrating your conversational website elements into your mobile site further ensures ease of use, which can help increase conversion rates. It’s a no-brainer that ecomm-centric companies need to take advantage of.

Take conversational commerce to the next level

Having a chat feature built into your site is a great first step in making your commerce more conversational, but that isn’t enough. If you want to take it a step further and really improve your mobile conversion rates, your chat needs to integrate and conduct commerce in order to keep your shoppers engaged and make it as easy as possible for them to complete a purchase. Request a demo to see how Joinedapp uses AI to create a frictionless shopping experience for your shoppers and increase your mobile sales.