The retail landscape has changed and gaining a competitive edge is extremely difficult for shops nowadays. With big product choice becoming universally expected and the market-ruling belief that prices must be low, there is little left to compete on.
The challenges
The problems are many: abandoned carts, crushing competition, customers who have become very fickle and unwilling to spend hours comparing and accordingly weighting product features. Solving these problems calls for a complete paradigm shift, and putting the shoppers’ needs back in the focus. To remain competitive, successful stores have to show people a simple path to follow, and provide them with more engaging ways to express what they’re looking for. Retailers should make constant attempts to see and address pain points or obstacles keeping customers from finding the products they need, quickly and conveniently. Research shows that 83% of online shoppers require some degree of customer support while making a purchase (eConsultancy)[1].