Dixons Carphone, a European electronics retailer, has launched TouchCommerce’s TouchChat engagement solution to ensure online support for customers during their journey to make a purchase.

The chat solution will be available on the Currys and PC World Web sites Currys.co.uk and PCWorld.co.uk. By tapping this online capability, which is accessible across mobile, tablet and desktop platforms, Dixons Carphone can also gain real-time customer analytics to present relevant content to the right audience at the right time.

“Engaging with our online customers at the right moment, through the right channels is absolutely critical,” said Jeremy Fennell, ecommerce director at Dixons Carphone, Hemel Hempstead, England.

“In planning our live chat program, we were seeking a partnership to support our keen customer-centric values,” he said. “The TouchCommerce approach aligns well with our objectives, as it extends beyond licensing software and focuses on continually adapting the program to maximize efficiency in order to provide our customers with the very best support and experience online.”

Communication is key
The Currys and PC World Web sites claim to regularly receive high traffic numbers, and the new chat program will ensure that its busy customers will be further supported during a critical decision-making point in their customer journey and will feel confident about the technology purchases they are making.

The TouchChat product uses a patented engagement layer, which allows the deployment of a chat window and any other form of digital customer engagement across the omnichannel environment.

Unlike a secondary browser that some chat programs use, the layer aims to mimic the design of the customer’s Web site and persists as consumers navigate through the site. The step helps TouchCommerce’s clients to keep in mind contextually driven content.

Meanwhile, the underlying TouchCommerce RightTouch platform analyzes usage patterns to further improve the online retail experience for its clients and provide customers with the needed support.

Numbers to show
TouchCommerce’s solution has proven to be beneficial for retailers.

After implementing TouchCommerce’s mobile chat and guide functions, Total Gym Fitness has found that its mobile customers are five times more likely to engage with mobile guides on the smartphone in the early website navigation phase.

The guides are a survey-like tool used to direct customers to products they are more likely to purchase based on their exercising needs. The tool serves the purpose to encourage engagement more so than conversion and also enables more personalized experiences for customers. Through these software innovations, Total Gym can maintain a friendlier platform, prompting users to return to the site (see story).

“We are excited to partner with Dixons Carphone on this live chat program,” said Bernard Louvat, president/CEO of TouchCommerce. “This multichannel effort is tailored to address today’s increasing demand for personalized self-service, mobile engagement, and a seamless shopping experience in the omnichannel environment.

“Retail organizations that approach these trends with innovative, integrated strategies are poised to deliver great results,” he said.

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon is an editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York