Why Retailers are Benefiting from Checkout via Link

<h2>The Age of Conversational Commerce</h2>With more than <a href="https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/live-chat-statistics/">85% of businesses</a> expected to offer live chat support by next year, customer demand has made it vital for online retailers to provide more ways to engage with their shoppers. Initially, these live chats were thought of as an avenue for customers to quickly ask questions (i.e., how do I change the address of my order or can I be notified when this product is back in stock?) Now, it's no longer sufficient for these chats to be informational, they also have to be actionable.Enter conversational commerce.Back in 2015, <a href="https://medium.com/chris-messina/conversational-commerce-92e0bccfc3ff#.7o7uk01vn">Chris Messina described</a> it as, “conversational commerce is about delivering convenience, personalization, and decision support while people are on the go, with only partial attention to spare.”The emphasis on delivering these experiences is critical to conversational commerce that actually addresses customer needs. Shoppers need ways to not only discover products on the go, but actually complete these purchases as well.So, how are retailers able to go beyond the informational support channels and actually deliver these actionable experiences to their shoppers?<h2>Introducing Checkout via Link</h2>Whether shoppers reach out via phone, email, or the beloved live chat option, retailers can now provide them a secure payment method that is sent directly to their device. With Checkout via Link, retailers build the order on the backend and send a link directly to the shopper. The shopper is then prompted to enter their payment information and complete the order.How it Works for Retailers<ul><li>Build orders on behalf of your customers directly within your shopping cart platform or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and generate payment links.</li><li>Render a one-time payment page with pre-filled order information and transaction data for your customers to securely complete their purchases.</li><li>Accept data from a variety of input methods (cart, custom forms, order ID, etc.) to pre-populate order information.</li></ul>Checkout via Link not only gives you the ability to meet growing customer expectations in regards to support channels, but it also brings multiple benefits for retailers themselves.<h3>Key Benefits</h3>Move your support team out of payment card industry (PCI) scope<ul><li>When shoppers enter their own payment data securely into checkout, you can simplify and reduce your PCI compliance scope.</li></ul>Get indemnification protection<ul><li>Bolt indemnifies all Checkout via Link orders so that you can focus on providing your customers a new way to complete purchases without worrying about potential fraud losses or liability.</li></ul>Expand your storefront anywhere your customers are<ul><li>Turn support channels (phone, email, or live chat) into revenue opportunities by progressing already engaged customers to the final step of checkout.</li></ul>Regardless of the support channel that customers use, it’s now more important than ever to give shoppers the most effective ways to complete their purchases. Going back to thinking about the term “conversational commerce” at its simplest form—the word “conversational'' implies communication that goes back and forth.When live chats only reply with lists to FAQ documents or pre-populated generic responses that don’t get to the root of customer needs, that’s not the most effective conversation. In an age where customer demands continue to grow and customers are constantly on the go, support channels need to meet shoppers where they are. This means enabling shoppers to complete their purchases quickly and securely with Checkout via Link.