What is assisted selling?

What is assisted selling?

Assisted selling is the retail strategy where store associates provide valuable advice and answer any questions customers may have about a product to encourage a sale. It has become necessary to implement this strategy in store as consumers tend to browse online for products they are interested in before visiting a physical store to finalise their shopping decision. Stores such as Sephora & Furniture Village are perfect examples of how assisted selling works as store associates are instantaneously able to answer queries, check stock and browse catalogues with the customer until a purchase is made.

Yoobic claims that 81% of shoppers now conduct online research before making a purchase. Therefore, if customers are armed with their own research and comparisons they found online, it can be very difficult for store associates to be able to provide more expert knowledge that they don’t already know. This breaks down any chance of assisted selling and can even discourage the shopper from buying any products from the brand out of fear that it might not be right for them.

According to Retail Revolution, 56% of UK consumers expect the store associate to be as informed as them when they come in store and expect them to be able to give advice and information about the full catalogue of products - those that are available in the store as well as online. It is therefore imperative that store associates must be fully informed of any and all products in your catalogue that they may be asked about. This is obviously a feat within itself, which is why assisted selling must be aided by retail technology that can deliver all the knowledge a store associate might need in the palm of their hand straight away.

What are the benefits of assisted selling tech in retail?

·      Provides informed store associates

As previously mentioned, assisted selling allows your employees to provide useful information to a customer when asked. Their expert opinion coupled with information about all the products and colourways available allows for the perfect consultation that provides shoppers with all the knowledge they need to purchase and empowers the store associate to sell confidently.

·      Increases conversion

Providing expert advice confidently and reassuringly is what assisted selling does best. Customers that speak to a store associate and are given all the information they need to make a purchase are more likely to follow through with it. Orquest suggests that companies that use assisted selling strategies can multiply conversions by up to 16 times. 

·      Creates up-sell & cross-sell opportunities

If store associates know what a customer is looking for, they can also find other products that might interest them using the catalogue. Having all the information readily available will help convince shoppers why they need additional products or a different version than they had previously considered. Even if they decide not to buy at this point, your store associates have made them aware of relevant products in case they change their mind and complete at home or when they return in the future.

·      Builds strong relationships with customers

Assisted selling tactically places store associates as the go-to experts on a brand’s products. It turns store associates into brand ambassadors while also ensuring the brand itself is represented as knowledgeable and trustworthy. A great customer experience with trusted store associates is likely to improve repeat custom and retention and may mean that customers will ask expert store associates for overall product recommendations, which will allow them to promote branded products in store over competitors.

·      Reduces returns

Allowing shoppers to discuss their questions and concerns before buying will ultimately lead to fewer returns. Assisted selling gives store colleagues the chance to recommend the right products for a customer so that when they buy they know precisely what they have got, reducing the costs that may be accumulated from customer returns.

Is it the same as clienteling?

Assisted selling and clienteling are different. Assisted selling is focused on answering questions, making recommendations and relieving doubts to ensure customers feel comfortable that they are getting exactly what they want, whereas clienteling focuses on personalising the shopping experience for each customer. However, assisted selling works best when used in conjunction with clienteling techniques to improve the overall customer experience and strengthen the bond between customer and store.

What makes Red Ant’s assisted selling tech so unique?

While most assisted selling platforms give employees access to product information and inventory, there remains a disconnect between providing information on what the customer has seen and what the customer wants. To bridge this gap, Red Ant’s assisted selling software integrates your customer data to allow store associates to cross- and upsell as part of assisted selling, merging your clienteling strategies and assisted sales with ease. This means customers who have shopped with a store before will be provided with a bespoke experience whereby store associates can see and discuss previous products the customer has bought and cross-sell much more confidently. 

Additionally, due to Red Ant’s technology being both agnostic and headless, store associates can use the software on any handheld device and finalise the sale wherever they are. Our assisted selling technology also allows for store associates to be recognised for the sale if a customer leaves and buys a recommended product online, ensuring staff are motivated to upsell without fear of missing out and the customer does not feel pressured into buying something right away.

Why choose Red Ant?

At Red Ant, we view our clients as partners. We are invested in helping their stores flourish rather than just selling them the software to do so. As an employee-owned company, we do better if our clients do better, guaranteeing our commitment to helping your stores succeed. We make sure RetailOS supports and empowers your retail operations for the long term. By ensuring our retail platform is updated and improved to meet the needs of our clients, retailers can be reassured that the solutions we provide are up to date, forward-thinking and future proof. Our award-winning tech is proven to maximise sales, deliver exceptional customer service and drive operational performance.

Our omnichannel retail platform brings essential retail apps together with your existing systems, content, and data into a single colleague hub and is informed by retail data analytics. With everything in one place, RetailOS permits your store associates more time to do what they're best at – delivering brilliant customer service.

Take the first step and contact us for a demo today.