Guided Selling – the way to go to increase your sales

What is Guided Selling?

Guided Selling brings potential buyers together with the appropriate products or services. Simply put, it is a software that acts as a digital sales advisor to guide consumers to the perfect product. In contrast to the conventional filter options, the focus is on the individual support of the customer during the buying process. A task that is taken over by the sales staff in stationary retail.

Guided Selling was developed in the course of digitization. An increasing number of customers use the Internet research and to buy products. In the case of goods requiring explanation – such as laptops, cars and e-bikes – the lack of technical know-how of users is a problem. A feeling of overload quickly arises, which leads to the discontinuation of the buying process.

For goods that do not require explanation – such as clothing, decoration and cosmetics – Guided Selling helps potential buyers to orient themselves in the abundance of products and product categories. Instead of having to manually search a huge product database for suitable items, the user receives a tailor-made selection of relevant options. 

How does Guided Selling work?

Guided Selling is a process that is realized with the help of software. Artificial intelligence is at the heart of this project. At Neocom, we work with a highly developed and proven AI technology to enable the process to run smoothly. This is divided into the following phases: 

Create knowledge base
The basis of the software is your product catalogue. In a first step, this is processed into a virtual database and linked to the Guided Selling system.

Include user requirements
Now the user is asked about personal needs. This is done with the help of a clear UI, which guides step by step through the selection options. Your potential customer will be given the opportunity to specify and expand their requirements. The user must recognise at a glance which purpose the respective selection option fulfils. To ensure this, we use icons and easy-to-understand phrases.

Evaluation of the results
Our software then translates your prospective buyer's requirements into technical specifications. This process is more complex than the manual filtering of search results and allows the compilation of an individual selection. For example, a customer wants to buy a laptop and selects "traveling" as the main application environment when recording their requirements. The algorithm of our software processes this information and puts models with handy dimensions and a long battery life in the foreground.

Presentation of the right products
The presentation of suitable products follows. This is done by means of a ranking list. The difference to conventional filtering lies in the number of influencing factors. If no product meets all the user's requirements, our algorithm calculates suitable alternatives.

Conclusion of the purchase
In Guided Selling, the final phase is of particular importance. It aims to transform the user from a prospective customer to a paying customer. At Neocom, we rely on objectivity, transparency and clarity to encourage users to buy your products. Our software lists the appropriate products, displays the essential features of the articles as a list and transfers the customer seamlessly to the respective product page. 

What are the advantages of Guided Selling?

Guided Selling allows your customers to make an informed buying decision. This is reflected in the following advantages: 

Decreasing numbers of returns
Returns are usually based on a discrepancy between the customer's expectations and the product's performance. A Guided Selling system counteracts this. It asks the user about his requirements and wishes. These are not only compared, but interpreted. In this way, the customer finds exactly the item that meets his requirements.

Increasing the customer loyalty
In brick-and-mortar retail, the sales pitch is not only used to generate deals. The personal connection to the customer and the associated trust also play a role. In digital sales, Guided Selling replaces the real sales advisor. This leads to an increasing loyalty of your customers and paves the way for increasing sales in the long term.

Higher conversion rate
A well-structured and professionally programmed Guided Selling system guides your customers through your product range in a targeted manner. Thanks to the simplified navigation, your customers save time and nerves. This positive experience encourages users to stay on your site and return.

Meaningful customer data
Guided Selling not only processes users' buying requirements and decisions, but also compiles them into an overview. You get a comprehensive insight into the behaviour, requirements and needs of your target group. Knowledge that enables you to create a customer-focused sales and marketing strategy.

The application proves to be forward-looking and suggests that the systems are developing further and allow new applications. In the end, companies and customers benefit from this at the same time. If you want to learn, how your business can benefit from Guided Product Discovery, just book a personalized demo with us.