Serving up live chat sales pitches in search results

A new Internet search application is designed to instantly engage searching shoppers in an online conversation with a sales rep. A test by LivePerson, FindWhat.com and marketing services firm Online Solutions found 8.8% of shoppers entered a live chat session attached to search results, Joel Skretvedt, president of Online Solutions, tells InternetRetailer.com.

The application places a live chat button next to listings in Internet search results, enabling shoppers to instantly inquire about products and services from an e-retailer’s sales representatives. Live chat enables shoppers to type questions into a pop-up window text box, then receive written answers from an online sales rep or customer service agent. It’s designed to let shoppers and agents engage in ongoing real-time communication.

“We’re trying to be more proactive in reaching customers,” Skretvedt says. The test was conducted recently with customers of high-tech consumer products retailer TechnoScout.com, where Skretvedt formerly served as director of Internet marketing and operations. He has since founded Richmond, VA-based Online Solutions, which plans to test linking live chat to Internet search results for other retailers.

Skretvedt notes that the live chat test was intended to see if consumers would enter a live chat session attached to search results, but not to test sales conversion rates. He says the click-through rate of 8.8% compares favorably with the minimum click-through rate of 10% typically associated with the top three listings in search results. Although he could not give a sales conversion rate for the test, he estimates that it was comparable with sales conversion rates associated with live chat sessions that originate on web sites.