Commerce has always evolved interactively. Long before carts, catalogs, or even money were defined, people traded goods through conversation and personal relationships. The origins of trade also began with conversation for negotiation, and we still believe that conversation is always the key to building strong customer relationships.

Ecommerce is no exception. Conversations with customers are an important marketing and strategic tool. That’s why Shopify launched Shopify Ping, a free messaging app that lets you manage all your incoming conversations on Facebook Messenger and Apple Business Chat, just last year.

Today we’re introducing Shopify Chat, the first native live chat feature that lets you have real-time conversations with customers who visit your Shopify store.

Shopify Chat is a significant extension of the messaging capabilities already available in Shopify Ping. It’s free, of course, and once enabled, Shop Chat appears on every page of your store, making it easy for customers to get the help they need, so you can resolve their questions immediately and drive more conversions.

Since all your chats are managed in Shopify Ping, you can share product recommendations, discounts, and order history directly within the conversation with just a few taps, keeping every customer personal and engaged.

Customer relationships are built through conversation.

In many ways, live chat provides a face-to-face experience that's as close to what we're used to when shopping as it gets.

E-commerce has brought about positive changes in convenient and fast shopping for customers, but one unintended side effect is that it has become easier to contact customers online through various channels, but it has become more difficult to contact customers directly. However, the important role that conversation plays in increasing customer loyalty has not changed. Chat fills this gap.

The stores that customers want to return to and recommend are those that have a 'personal connection with me.'

Like a barista at your local coffee shop who knows your coffee preferences, a wine shop that recommends wines based on your tastes, or a shopping buddy who can help with all your basic questions, live chat makes this important connection possible while maintaining the convenience and choice available when shopping online.

Customers are already showing a clear preference for live chat, with 73% of customers reporting that chat is the most satisfying way to communicate with businesses. But the value of chat isn’t just about providing a great service for business conversations. It also has the powerful advantage of driving customers from conversations to conversions. That’s why more real-time interactions between customers and merchants are absolutely essential.

Live chat reduces customer anxiety when making a purchase and increases conversion rates.

According to Forrester research, customers who talk to a brand are 3x more likely to convert and have a 10-15% higher average cart value. Live chat is effective when closing a sale because it allows customers to have a real-time conversation with your business, giving them the confidence to make a more informed purchase decision.

Most of the questions customers consider before checking out are very personal, for example:

"Can this item arrive in time for my birthday party?"

"Will a size US10 shoe fit me? I usually wear Vans size US10."

"Would your father-in-law like this as a gift?"

“Will this coffee table match my living room furniture?”

“Is this mountain bike good for a beginner?” This is related to the individual’s purchasing motivation and taste.

While product details should be written up front to anticipate these questions as much as possible, even just a little bit of personal information revealed in a live chat conversation can help ensure that you don’t miss a sale opportunity by providing a real-time response when the customer needs to know more.

Time is of the essence.

57% of customers will abandon a purchase if they don’t get a quick answer to their question. By mimicking the sales style of an in-store purchase through conversation, you can quickly resolve any uncertainty about the purchase, increasing the likelihood that the customer will make a purchase.

Real conversations can give you a new level of customer insight.

Today’s advanced analytics tools have opened up a black box of valuable data for businesses, including insights into customer demographics, how visitors behave, and how people respond to marketing. But there are more ways to gain insights into your customers than just the data you click through these analytics tools and collect. One of the quickest ways to gain a deeper understanding of your store’s intentions, purchasing motivations, and expectations is to ask your customers important questions and get answers in real conversations.

Live chat helps businesses provide excellent service while encouraging customers to convert through conversation.

The honest, qualitative feedback you get from live chat conversations can reveal opportunities you might not have noticed otherwise. It can inspire new product enhancements or help you fine-tune your marketing messages to resonate better with your prospects.

Feedback helps us optimize our store for more sales.

When customers ask questions or share their frustrations, they often do not express their opinions as a minority opinion rather than a majority opinion. Most angry customers choose to remain silent and not buy anymore. That is why feedback from these customers is important, because many other customers will experience the same problem, so you can collect and improve this feedback first.

Live chat allows you to receive feedback on any page of your store, making it easy for anyone to resolve questions in real time. And the ability to request this real-time feedback through live chat can also be a huge help in identifying the root cause of issues that are raised multiple times. For example, if two or three people stop buying one of your products because they are checking the size details, you can update the product description with more detailed size information for future buyers.

Enable conversations that support e-commerce.

Live chat brings back to the forefront the ‘conversation with customers’ that has supported businesses so far, creating a stronger connection between businesses and customers and ultimately increasing sales.

Chat and messaging allow you to drive sales and resolve frustrating issues by engaging with your customers on the channels they already use and prefer, at the right time and in the right context. With Shopify Chat, you can manage all your chats efficiently and conveniently through Shopify Ping, while still getting the best of one-on-one conversations. So, start talking to your customers for free today!