Boost Conversions with Live Chat in E-commerce Web Design

We are used to instant gratification.

If we stand in line at a store for too long, we will likely go elsewhere. We begin to feel upset if we wait too long for food at a restaurant. If we wait an entire year between seasons of our favorite TV show, we grow impatient— and may end up down a rabbit hole of fan fiction.

Instant gratification has especially hit e-commerce. Customers don’t want to wait for answers and products when they can easily find similar products elsewhere with less time and effort. For example, the optimal page load speed for website pages is less than four seconds if you’d like to maximize your conversions.

It’s time to add a competitive edge to your website.

Adding live chat to your e-commerce web design allows your customers to have their cake and eat it, too.

In other words, they can get personalized, immediate help with little effort.

The best part is that you’ll see live chat pay for itself through increased conversions and happier customers.

Let’s look at how live chat works and the best strategies for adding it to your website.

What Is Live Chat in E-commerce?

Live chat in e-commerce refers to the integration of real-time chat functionality on your online store, enabling website visitors to communicate with your support team and receive instant assistance, thereby building trust.

You embed the chat window directly on your e-commerce website. Typically, when visitors enter your website, they will see a welcome message in the live chat, encouraging them to ask a question.

Visitors are welcome to ask questions or provide comments at any time while browsing through the site. That message enters the system, where the most knowledgeable or first available customer service agent can respond.

Image from Burn Right Products

The Relationship between Live Chat and AI

Live chat is not a chatbot.

When a customer talks with a chatbot, AI generates the answers.

With live chat, the customer is talking with a live agent in real-time.

However, even though a customer is speaking with a live representative, that doesn’t mean AI doesn’t have a role to play. AI has made live chat much easier for companies to handle at scale.

Here are just a few ways AI improves the live chat experience:

• AI automatically forwards the message to the correct department based on keywords in the customer’s message.
• AI greets the customers before the live agent begins responding, so customers always receive an immediate response.
• AI tracks and groups website visitors to help customer service better understand that customer.
• AI can suggest auto-generated responses that customer service can provide to respond even faster.

Ways to Use Live Chat in E-commerce Conversion Rate Optimization

Live chat isn’t just a support tool—it’s a conversion tool. Used the right way, it helps guide shoppers from curiosity to confidence to checkout. Here are some of the most effective ways to use live chat in your e-commerce strategy:

• Customer Support: Answer questions instantly to build trust and keep customers moving forward.
• Lead Generation: Capture contact info mid-conversation to follow up and nurture leads.
• Collecting Feedback: Gather real-time insights to enhance your customer experience.
• Product Recommendations: Help shoppers find what they need—and suggest more they’ll love.
• Closing Sales: Directly guide customers to checkout within the chat to reduce drop-off.

Live chat turns hesitation into momentum. Whether it’s answering a quick question or walking someone through checkout, it’s all about showing up at the right moment—and making that moment count.

6 Benefits of Live Chat in E-commerce Website Design

What edge does live chat have over other customer service options, like chatbots, phone support, and in-person support? While each channel has a place, live chat offers something a little more unique.

About 46% of customers prefer live chat over email or social media. In addition, customers you chat with on live chat are 82% more likely to purchase your e-commerce products.

Here are the top six benefits of using live chat in the online shopping experience.

1. Offers Real-Time Support

Live support improves the customer experience because they receive instantaneous answers.

If you have tried emailing a company’s customer support, you are probably familiar with the message, “We will reply between three to five business days.”

It’s perfectly fine if you’re researching hiking boots for summer, which is three months away. That’s not so fine if your swimsuit rips a week before your beach vacation and you want to order a new one today.

Not everyone has three to five business days to wait for a response. Some people don’t even have an hour to sit on hold for a phone response. Live chat provides another option for individuals who require immediate assistance, offering real-time support.

2. Provides Personalized Experiences

Personalization defines our current culture. AI has enabled personalization on a whole new level by analyzing vast amounts of data and adjusting content and experiences based on that data.

Just think about watching Netflix. No two people’s Netflix home screens look the same. Each person receives personalized recommendations and highlights based on their past viewing history. You can find that same level of personalization across the internet.

While you might offer support in different ways, such as an FAQ page or Chatbot, those methods aren’t personalized. They can be helpful for common questions, but the responses are the same for everyone.

Live chat allows a person to analyze the query, adjust their response to any details they might notice, and offer personalized solutions.

3. Allows Convenient Communication

Live chat is usually available on each page of an e-commerce website. This allows customers to ask questions, regardless of their location within your website.

Are you browsing clothing and wondering if a similar style is available? Live chat is available.

Are you checking the About page and wondering if the e-commerce store also has a physical location? Live chat is available.

There’s no need to open an email or pull out your phone. You can type in your response without interrupting your browsing experience.

4. Increases Customer Satisfaction

The average customer satisfaction rate from LiveChat, a leading live chat tool, is 69.3%. Several factors contribute to this high satisfaction rate. For instance, the average wait time for reaching an agent with LiveChat is 3 minutes and 37 seconds. That’s pretty appealing when compared to the hours on hold that many customers experience with phone support.

Customers walk away satisfied because it’s fast, convenient, and personalized — basically, the whole package.

5. Increases Customer Engagement

When someone says, “I’ll think about it,” we all know that’s usually code for they will forget about it.

Engagement is crucial for a sale because once you lose that engagement, you probably will lose the sale. That engagement starts with being able to address questions quickly. About half of adults will not complete a purchase if they can’t immediately find the answer to their question.

Salespeople want customers to remain engaged from the moment they step onto your website until they make a purchase. If the customer leaves, there’s a good chance a competitor will swoop in and close the deal.

Your live chat can help keep people on your website. Customers can use it to ask questions and receive personalized recommendations.

You can also run the entire buyer’s journey from one tool. For instance, you can connect with a visitor over chat, recommend products, convince them to make a purchase, and then process the sale all within the live chat.

6. Offers a Cost-Efficient Option

Live chat tends to cost less than phone support. If you have a live chat, you can reduce traffic to your call center by addressing many questions directly through live chat. You also require less technology, time, and workforce to run live chat.

For example, when an agent takes a call in a call center, they’re on that call until it ends. However, with live chat, agents can simultaneously answer multiple chats, thereby increasing productivity. You can also have a mix of AI-generated and personalized responses, which again speeds up the process and reduces costs.

Examples of LiveChat Success in E-commerce Web Design

LiveChat has a long history of success that supports its claim to conversions.

Here is a glimpse at LiveChat’s power from successful businesses’ eyes and why it should be part of your e-commerce web design. These success stories come directly from LiveChat, the best live chat platform for e-commerce brands.

Jason experienced a 40–50% Conversion increase from Live Chat

My friend Jason runs a mid-sized online store at FirePlaceBlowersOnline. When he added LiveChat, he wasn’t expecting a massive change. But the results were hard to ignore:

Roughly 40–50% of visitors who used chat ended up buying.

The rest of his traffic? About 5% converted.

That’s not a minor improvement—it’s an entirely different story.

Why? Because people get immediate answers.

No forms.

No waiting.

Just real help when it matters most.

Sephora Increases Order Value by 25%

Sephora adopted LiveChat in 2021 in response to the lockdown. It was a way to remain connected to customers. Live chat helped the company stay in business and operate smoothly. Customers could access live support and recommendations without entering a physical store.

As a result, Sephora held a 90% customer satisfaction rate, a 25% increase in average order value, and 1.7% of profits coming directly from Live chat.

Provide Your Customers with the Help They Need

Keeping up with customer support, inquiries, and visitors is exhausting. As you grow, that exhaustion may feel overwhelming.

LiveChat helps you keep up with increased traffic, allowing you to grow without compromising the incredible quality of your customer support.

Let’s boost your website conversions through LiveChat.

Contact us to learn how to receive a free 14-day trial of LiveChat and 10% off your first payment.