Marks & Spencer has teamed up with Go Instore and Appointedd to launch M&S Video Expert, a live-video service.
The M&S Video Expert service, powered by Go Instore, enables staff from furniture and beauty departments at the chain’s White City, London branch to connect to customers shopping from home, offering convenience and flexibility alongside the service.
It combines the chain’s staff with Go Instore’s live-video services and Appointedd’s online booking and scheduling platform. The service allows shoppers to have one-to-one consultations with staff from the comfort of their home and on demand via product pages on the website, informing their purchases before choosing to complete either online or in-store.
The additional booking feature means customers can pre-book two-way personalised video calls with an in-store expert at a time of their convenience to discuss how furniture and beauty products will best fit their needs.
The service also enables the retailer’s staff to deliver one-to-many interactive ‘StoreStream’ sessions on its website, which allows an unlimited number of customers to join a live stream to learn more about the products as they are browsing. This allows it to reach a much wider audience, all whilst maintaining customer service as customers levels are able to chat and ask questions in real time.
‘The past year has accelerated many of the trends and shopping patterns we were seeing pre-crisis and we have responded by building a shopping experience that’s fit for the future, enabling customers to shop the way that they want. Our M&S Live Expert service helps us to offer our customers flexible, easy and rewarding shopping experiences whether they choose to shop online, in-store, or both,’ says Clive Hudson, Marks & Spencer 10x digital store programme manager.
‘Connecting staff to online customers is increasing our conversion rates by up to 40% and receiving 92% consumer satisfaction scores.’
‘We have seen too many household brands disappearing from our high streets due to little to no response to changing consumer behaviours. The combination of our one-to-many and one-to-one solutions means Marks & Spencer customers can enjoy the entire purchasing journey from the comfort of their own homes. From initial shop-window browsing all the way through to personal consultations with an expert, Marks and Spencer is adapting to a permanent change in shopping habits and preparing for the future of retail,’ says Andre Hordagoda, Go Instore co-ceo.
