How Chat And Voice-Related Tech Is Changing Retailer-Customer Interactions

There is no shortage of companies, white papers, studies and advice blogs aimed at helping retailers write perfect emails to their customers before and after they visit stores (Google “email marketing” if you don’t believe us.) Yet email isn’t the only avenue available to companies trying to communicate with customers outside of stores. Retailers and brands now have more online and mobile communications tools at their disposal than ever before — mobile messaging; text, voice and video chat; and even website and in-app content and community forums. These tools enable more direct, real-time communication with customers than email could ever hope to offer. “There are various factors driving this trend,” Adam Pressman, principal in A.T. Kearney’s digital transformation practice told Retail Dive in an email. “Timeliness, scale and costs/value are all in play. Also, with e-commerce continuing to grow, it’s now necessary to support interactions outside of the store in order to succeed. It’s no longer a nice-to-have capability.” Read more at Retail Dive.