ATG, the leading provider of e-commerce solutions, today announced the results of a consumer survey that analyzes the perceptions and preferences of buyers towards live online help services, such as Click to Call and Click to Chat, when buy online With the Christmas shopping period just around the corner, the results of the survey offer retailers important data on the type of assistance consumers are looking for, and how, by offering that assistance, they can increase the results of online sales.

The study highlights that 64% consider live online help as an important element in web pages, only behind the ease of navigation (70%) and reasonable prices (66%). An impressive 81.4% of consumers indicate that having access to live online help services would be, at best, very useful. The respondents say that Click to Call would help them make sure that their questions are correctly understood by the representative of online commerce, and at the same time would involve quick answers over the phone. Buyers value Click to Chat because it allows them to do other things online while they wait to receive a written response.

Despite popular demand for live online help, the study shows that only a fraction of respondents have tested it today. 30.5% have used Click to Chat and 31% have used Click to Call at some time. Even so, the report indicates that these low percentages of use are due to lack of availability, since 82.5% of respondents indicated that Click to Call would be useful when making an online purchase, along with the 58% that also indicates it from Click to Chat.

Frank Lord, ATG Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa, comments on the results of the study, “The online channel is already a well-established sales channel, but the results of this survey show that consumers are demanding more options for online services. customer service, beyond a simple telephone number 900. Individuals want the option of using live help by voice or chat to get answers to their questions about products, delivery information and returns before making the purchase. With more and more people doing their Christmas shopping online, companies need to give more options to their customers and consider how Click to Call and Click to Chat can give better support to their overall e-commerce strategy.