Co-browsing for the Retail Sector

Few industries have embraced digitalization to the extent of retail, with one-fifth of global sales taking place online in 2023. The growing preference for online shopping is driven by the globalization of markets, the expansion of digital platforms and the undeniable convenience factor. Whilst there are a lot of upsides to digital sales, not least of which is the cost savings from downsizing a brick-and-mortar portfolio, moving the sales process to a virtual environment comes with an opportunity cost and a significant increase in competition.

In a traditional retail environment, sales representatives could engage with customers, ask salient questions and explore preferences and opinions before recommending suitable products. The personal nature of the engagement also presented opportunities for upselling or add-on sales, depending on the salesperson’s ability. Migrating to a digital platform eliminates all of that. Everyone gets the same experience, and keyword optimization in an online catalogue replaces the art of selling.

With convenience high on the priority list for most online shoppers, friction is often met with abandonment. Complex checkout processes, poor mobile experiences, the need to create accounts before purchase, and hidden costs such as shipping contribute to an industry average 70% abandonment rate.

With the removal of traditional geographic boundaries, the online retail environment has become incredibly competitive, with users influenced by ease of use, UI and price. For commoditized products, this leaves little room for manoeuvre, For more complex engagements, it can act as a barrier to sales.

Co-browsing technology offers several benefits for retail organisations, from improving the online sales experience to enhanced post-purchase and account support. The more complex or expensive the purchase, the greater the opportunity to add value.

A common criticism of online retail is that it replaces the personal shopping experience with a mechanical process. Co-browsing represents an opportunity to bring personalization back. Online sales assistants can help customers navigate the options, make recommendations and explore complementary products to increase average order values.

For complex technical sales, co-browsing can deliver interactive, one-to-one product demonstrations. Showing customers how to configure or assemble a product, pre- or post-purchase, can improve the customers’ understanding and provide a differentiated experience. This can reduce product return rates and ensure customers get maximum value from their purchases.

Co-browsing has an important role to play in reducing shopping cart abandonment and increasing online conversion rates. If customers experience friction towards the end of their purchase journey they are increasingly likely to abandon the process and seek an alternative supplier. In a co-browsing situation, the agent can immediately address any uncertainty and guide the customer to completion.

Co-browsing is also used in post-purchase support and general account management, delivering an enhanced customer experience, and establishing trust whilst improving customer loyalty and net promoter scores (NPS). For high-volume purchases, co-browsing can help agents navigate billing enquiries and talk customers through delivery schedules and account statements if required.

Cobrowse.io is uniquely positioned to support retail organizations across all their digital platforms. Full support for Web, Android, iOS, Windows and MacOS is augmented by Universal Cobrowse - enabling users to browse, navigate, annotate and control 3rd party websites and applications, plus PDFs and other 3rd party content.

A fully-customizable, white-label solution Cobrowse.io can be configured to provide a consistent, branded experience across all platforms. Branding goes beyond a change of background colour and adding a logo. The SDK allows for a complete rebranding of the UI to deliver a familiar environment that reflects your brand values and fosters greater trust in your customers.

Mobile camera sharing provides another level of post-purchase support, where customers can use the camera on their device to show in real time what they are seeing. This is a significant advantage for customers who have purchased items that require on-site assembly or configuration, improving the user experience, reducing returns, and encouraging adoption.