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Is AR Chat the New Retail Battleground?

Augmented reality or AR has been growing in popularity and has continued to evolve, even since the days of Google Glass and Pokémon Go. Technology has progressed enough to make AR available on mobile phones and ripe for commerce. Retailers are taking advantage of the popularity of messaging to offer conversational commerce to consumers. Now, retailers are combining messaging with the advances of AR to create yet another innovative way to engage with consumers called AR Chat.

The use of text messaging via SMS, Facebook Messenger, and web chat is on the rise as consumers look for more convenient ways to engage with their favorite brands. In this post, we’ll take a look at how messaging has become a retail must-have and discuss what kind of impact AR will have on the messaging movement.

AR Chat – A Must-Have Retail Tool

Messaging has been changing the face of commerce. This hasn’t been a stealth transition by any means. Consumers have been forthcoming about their need for more convenient ways to engage with companies.

Frustration with today’s channels has played out with consumers screaming into their cell phones at hold music, and repeatedly pressing zero to get out of phone tree purgatory when they need help from a retailer. In the worst case, consumers don’t bother to pick up the phone or write an email and instead jump sites to choose a retailer that is easier to do business with.

Savvy retailers have recognized AR Chat as an opportunity; offering interactions on more convenient, mobile channels such as SMS and social media. Two-way engagement with customers on messaging platforms such as social media has been a focus for retailers as shoppers turn to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, not only to discuss things among their community, but to engage with brands as well.

Digital engagement isn’t just taking place on social media platforms and isn’t just seen as a novel, one-time thing. In the report, The Future of Customer Conversations, research shows that 65 percent of consumers have engaged with brands over SMS or messaging apps, while 70 percent have done so at least twice in the previous month.

Retailers’ strategy to use digital channels to increase engagement has paid off in big ways. Offering digital channels has made it easy for consumers to handle pre-sales questions and post-sales service with the touch of a button. These asynchronous conversations happen anywhere and anytime that is convenient for the consumer. From increasing conversion rates to improving customer satisfaction and driving repeat customers, messaging has been a win for both consumers and brands.

Uniting AR and Messaging for a Better Customer Experience

While messaging is already a highly personalized experience for consumers, AR Chat enhances the shopping experience by adding an additional layer of personalization and customization. With AR, shoppers can view objects, like a chair or rug in their living room, allowing them to “try before they buy”.

According to AR Insider, as more and more consumers interact with brands through messaging, augmented reality will help them visualize a product, bring more dimension to the conversation, and increase sales. Some brands, like design and home renovation company, Houzz, credits AR for increased engagement with their products. According to an article in Techcrunch, AR helped increase dwell time, with users spending 2.7 times more in the app compared to those who did not use AR.

Increased engagement onsite or in-app translates to a consumer who is more heavily vested in your product. In fact, Houzz credits AR for an 11% increase in a consumer’s likelihood to buy. The convenience of messaging, coupled with the personalization of AR leads to an increase in sales.

Enhanced Messaging for Retailers with Quiq

Quiq supports a number of enterprise retailers, such as Overstock.com, Pier 1, Tailored Brands, and Office Depot to name a few. These particular retailers are a perfect example of how brands can take full advantage of all that messaging can provide. These etailers have implemented messaging and have increased efficiency, improved engagement, and made substantial impacts to their bottom line because of it.

For example, both Overstock and Office Depot offer Apple Business Chat on the Quiq business messaging platform. This rich messaging channel allows these retailers to present their products in ways that go beyond simple SMS/text exchanges, including the ability to engage AR within a messaging conversation. Rich messaging enables brands to present product pickers, schedule appointments, and process payments all within the messaging conversation.

With Quiq, messaging conversations are transaction-enabled, meaning customers can browse and buy products, all without leaving the conversation.  Customers have a seamless experience on the channel they prefer.

Quiq’s retail clients have quickly realized the value of messaging for customer experience and have been reaping the financial benefits that conversational commerce provides. Join some of the most successful brands in their use of messaging. Schedule a demo with Quiq to explore how our platform can enhance your brand experience.

Video: Authentication and Payments

Accessing financial records, certain account information, and other sensitive data requires you to authenticate your customer’s identity. Quiq enables you to authenticate your customer’s identity without asking them to leave the messaging experience across all of our supported channels.

View this short video to see how you can even complete transactions with the confidence of having an authenticated customer. Let’s get started. Schedule a demo today.

Video: Asynchronous Conversation

Offering asynchronous conversation to your customers let’s them engage with you when it’s convenient for them on the digital channels that matter to them the most. Deliver real-time service for asynchronous conversations across all of Quiq’s supported channels from web chat, Facebook, Apple Business Chat, and more. Quiq’s desktop provides a single view of these channels for employees along with advanced features that provide insights, like icons that alert the agent of the customer’s sentiment, for a more successful conversation.

Manage customer conversations across multiple digital channels with the efficiency you need to keep your contact center running smoothly and your customers happy. View this short video to see how Quiq makes multi-channel business messaging easy and efficient for your company and customers. We’re waiting to answer any questions you have. Schedule a demo today.

The Future of Digital Channels for Business Messaging

A couple of years ago, we were focused on educating the market on messaging and if messaging was right for their company. Fast forward to today and we’re working with over 120 clients such as Overstock.com, Pier 1, and Brinks Home Security. These brands have improved customer interactions with connected conversations and they are setting a new standard for the customer experience.

Messaging will continue to shape the way companies and customers engage as a growing number of consumers expect companies to be available through multiple digital channels. New research reveals that 70% of consumers have communicated with a business over text messaging or webchat 2 or more times in the last month.

The accessibility of messaging has been the primary driver for consumers adopting text as a preferred method to contact a company. As we mentioned in our post “7 Reasons Why Customers Want to Text You”, 97% of smartphone owners regularly use text messaging, making it the most widely-used basic feature or app.

The proliferation of smartphones, tablets, apps, and social networking has brought us to our current reality, where consumers readily look for and expect messaging as an option to engage with a company. It’s the convenience, faster response, ease, and familiarity that makes these digital channels the preferred way to engage.

Download a complimentary copy of “The Future of Customer Conversations”. You’ll get a deeper look into consumer expectations around messaging and how your company can prepare to seize this opportunity.

Podcast: Is Messaging the Next Brand Channel?

Today’s digital and mobile environment is driving customer preferences to quickly evolve and affect how consumers choose to engage with brands. The capabilities of messaging are rapidly advancing to give brands more ways to have rich and meaningful conversations with their customers.

Quiq’s CEO, Mike Myer, is featured on this Heard on the Street podcast episode of StreetFight with Mike Boland.  Listen in and hear them discuss how they are seeing brands adopt and use messaging, as well as why messaging becoming the primary channel of communication for brands may be closer than it seems.

LISTEN TO THIS INFORMATIVE PODCAST

Apple Business Chat Gains Popularity in Contact Centers

Learn how Brinks Home Security’s contact center is taking advantage of rich messaging with Apple Business Chat to set themselves apart and to set the standard for customer experience in their industry. The latest iOS update streamlines access for Apple Business Chat from any clickable phone number. Learn why business messaging is gaining popularity in the contact center space.

Read this TechTarget article:
Apple contact center chat adds rich media, improved UX

Apple iOS Feature Chat Suggest Brings Messaging to Google Search

Brinks Home Security speaks about their decision to use Chat Suggest, a game-changing new iOS13 Apple Business Chat feature. Chat Suggest makes it even easier for consumers to message with businesses directly by providing the option to ‘Message’ after clicking the business phone number from within Google Search results.

Read more about how this new feature is changing the way businesses and consumer engage and how Brinks is leading the way in digital customer engagement.

Read this MediaPost article:
Brinks Taps Apple iOS Chat Feature On Google Search

Quiq’s Business Messaging Platform

Why Use Quiq?

Create a personalized experience for your customers across all of the digital channels they already use. Channels like SMS /Text messaging, Live Chat, Facebook, Twitter, and your own app are the places your customers already spend their time. With all of these combined into a single business messaging platform, you can make it easy to engage with your company.

View the short video above to see how Quiq is transforming customer conversations. Then let’s talk so we can show you what this would look like for your business!

Podcast: How Asynchronous Messaging Is Disrupting Customer Communications

“It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.”

Customer communications are changing and moving beyond traditional phone and email channels to an asynchronous messaging channel.  In listening to this conversation, the future of the contact center is clear: “You can either be an early adopter or a follower.”

Quiq’s CEO, Mike Myer, is featured on this Execs in the Know podcast episode of Customer Driven with Chad McDaniel.  Listen in and hear them discuss the following:

– Shift in preference of consumer adoption within self-service channels
– Which industries are successfully adopting these technologies
– Complex transactions and messaging channels
– Is it better to be an early adopter?

LISTEN TO THIS INFORMATIVE PODCAST

How Asynchronous Messaging Is Disrupting Customer Communications

Research Report: The Future of Customer Conversations

Conversations with customers are evolving and businesses are adapting to this fast changing landscape.  With over 70% of respondents saying they have engaged with a business over text messaging or web chat, all organizations need to be ready.

Check out this research report and see how businesses use messaging to increase conversion rates and improve customer satisfaction.

DOWNLOAD THIS RESEARCH REPORT

The Future of Customer Conversations