What a surprise! A new survey shows that online shoppers miss the personal experience of visiting a bricks and mortar store. And several forward-thinking luxury retailers like Chico’s women’s apparel are already working to add that personal touch.
Harris Interactive conducted the survey of 2,274 adults for a California company, IMShopping, a social media shopping firm, to measure how consumers feel about getting human assistance while shopping online.
Well, guess what? They want it. About 4 in 5, some 77%, say they would like personal help before purchasing certain products online. The more complicated the decision to buy, the more they want help. In other words, more people want help buying insurance online than they do a book.
In a release about the survey results, Prashant Nedungadi, CEO and founder of IMshopping, had this to say:
“No level of automation can replace the human touch. The results indicate that shoppers still want real people to help them purchase products, even in a digital setting. Many retailers have started taking steps in this direction and we believe it will be the single biggest push for the retail industry over the next several years.”
If you are primarily a bricks and mortar store, this can be good news for you. You already have the corner on personal service, knowing your customer, saying ‘I have just gotten a lamp in that I think might work in your room.’ You know the drill – greet me by name, remember my birthday and tell me about the product I’m buying. Can it go outside? What’s it made of? Are there other similar pieces I might like to see.
This survey can be good news, indeed.
