8 best live chat apps for ecommerce stores in 2024

Customer satisfaction is the core of any company’s success or failure. Whether it be service-oriented or product-based, reaching out to customers, answering their queries, and providing assistance is all that customers need. 

Just imagine yourself in a clothing store where you are searching for a specific size, but no one is there to assist you. Anyone's reaction would be one of annoyance and inconvenience.

88% of online shoppers choose to purchase online because they can do it 24/7. Reflecting this trend, online stores are increasing with each passing day, as is the demand from customers. From smartphones to laptops and from clothing to kitchen items, you can find a multitude of online stores. These stores are supported by teams who handle all types of customer queries, maintain the website for a smooth experience, and continuously add new products to the store. 

No matter, how many people are handling the e-commerce store, the most crucial department is customer support. Assisting customers, resolving issues, and handling orders are all done by customer support. However, when no one is handling customer queries and assistance, the store may not be able to run for long. 

What if you are running an ecommerce store and your customers need some assistance or need to ask about your products or services? The more quickly you respond, the better. Perhaps that is why texts get a response rate that is 209% higher than calls, as no one has the time to wait and hold for long on the phone. That is why live chat for e-commerce is being used widely in most online stores.

So, what is live chat for e-commerce? What are the benefits of live chat for e-commerce? We're discussing all of it in this blog, so without further ado, let’s get started.

What is live chat for ecommerce?

Live chat for ecommerce is a popup window that appears as soon as you visit an ecommerce website. The purpose of live chat for ecommerce is to handle customer queries as soon as they inquire. 

And it's also powered by both human agents and automation. Some ecommerce stores choose to outsource this service to agencies, combining the efficiency of chatbots with human expertise to ensure timely responses to customer queries and complaints, enhancing the overall shopping experience. 

The benefits of live chats for e-commerce

According to a survey, 63% of customers are likely to return to the website offering live chat, while 77% of customers are more likely to purchase.

Those numbers are very positive. It makes sense, customers interact with businesses often — why not make it easier for them to do so? When it comes to ecommerce stores, you can expect a high volume of (queries and sometimes complaints too) from customers. The quicker you respond the better it is. This is how your customers can leave happily without giving negative reviews about your store. 

Whether you are starting a new ecommerce store or running it without integrating live chat for an ecommerce website, make sure to integrate it for a seamless customer experience. We've listed some of the benefits of deploying live chat for ecommerce website. 

Instantly connect customers with support

Customers are always in a rush and can’t wait for long to get their answers to queries and support. One of the benefits of live chat for ecommerce websites is they can interact with the support instantly. No waiting and no queues, just instant replies. 

Once the customers visit an ecommerce website with live chat, they only have to click on the chat button and connect with the support instantly. 

Compared to telephone support, live chat seems more appealing and seamless for customers. Some businesses also provide support through AI chatbots to provide instant replies. 

Quick response means more sales

The more you keep your customers waiting, the more likely you’ll be losing sales. If a customer wants to ask about a product with specific features, a quick reply will help convince the customer to buy the product instantly. But, if you are unable to respond instantly, the customer may leave the website without purchasing. 57% of customers do not purchase if they are unable to find the answers. 

However, deploying live chat on the ecommerce website will help customers to reach out more conveniently. It is also helpful in generating more sales and lowering the chances of abandoning the cart. 

Cost-effective compared to phone calls

The benefits of live chat for ecommerce websites are not just limited to quick responses. It is a cost-effective solution to provide customer support compared to phone calls. If you are using email or phone to provide support to customers, it can lead to late responses and you may need to employ more people to cover the phones to cover your working hours.

Studies have revealed that ecommerce live chat support is 50% more cost-effective than phone calls. One of the benefits of live chat support is that customer representatives can talk to several customers simultaneously. Without remembering what question was asked, the agent can look at the past chat and continue offering support. 

Build customer's trust 

Running any kind of business- small or large — requires customer trust. The same applies to an ecommerce store where customers are looking for signs that the store is trustworthy and reliable, since they can no longer rely on the brick and mortar location. Live chat support on an ecommerce website can make customers feel like a real shopping experience from the nearest store. 

79% of customers feel more satisfied if live chat support is available on ecommerce websites. If you are running an ecommerce store, live chat support is an easy action to build trust among customers.

Retain more customers 

Not every person visiting your ecommerce website is there to purchase. However, ecommerce live chat support can help retain customers as the studies show 63% of customers are likely to return to the website with live chat. 

Another benefit of using ecommerce live chat software is that you can connect with customers before they buy. During the interaction, you can collect data from customers and reconnect with them after they leave the website.

If you are using ecommerce live chat support, you can also offer add-on products that can benefit them. For instance, if a customer is purchasing a smartphone from your store, you can offer them an earbud or fast charger at a discounted rate. Thus offering customers complementary goods can increase sales and help grow revenue. 

Personalised experience 

Live chat for ecommerce websites can be easily integrated with your CRM. Customer support can switch between multiple windows and view purchase history and other information regarding customers. This helps reduce the time to give support. 

In addition, the support agent can also view the customer’s purchase history as well as their queries. Instead of asking repeatedly from customers the same questions, the agent can assist them without annoying them or making them wait for long. It also becomes easy for support to provide recommendations based on purchase history. 

Increase customer engagement

Live Chat for ecommerce websites provides seamless communication. Customers can reach out to the support team by just clicking the chat window. Whether the query is related to product purchase, changing shipping address, or returning the product, a support agent can provide instant support to customers. 

If customers are facing a problem regarding checkout or making payments, live agents can provide instant solutions. This helps in increased customer engagement and reduces time for waiting. 

Helps collect feedback

Live chat tools for ecommerce can be helpful in collecting feedback from customers. For instance, at the end of a conversation, the live chat can send an automated message about surveying the quality of support. By collecting the feedback, you can improve your customer support and measure customer satisfaction. 

One of the benefits of live chat for ecommerce is that you don’t have to deploy additional resources to collect feedback. Thus, live chat support for ecommerce websites is a cost-effective solution to enhance customer experience and collect feedback. 

Best live chat software for ecommerce websites

After reviewing the benefits of live chat support for ecommerce websites, you may know how effective it is. From customer retention to customer engagement and timely customer support to increasing sales, live chat software for ecommerce websites is essential. 

When it comes to choosing the best live chat software for ecommerce websites, there is a wide range of tools available. We've spent time curating a list of the best live chat tools for ecommerce you can consider the best option for your business. 

1. Trengo

Whether you’re looking to boost sales, improve response time, or provide a personalised experience, Trengo as a live chat software for ecommerce makes it easy. Never let your customers wait for too long and use the Trengo live chat to respond back in no time.

Trengo makes your customers feel special by reaching out first before they can type in the message. Greet your customers and provide them with the prompts they need to keep interaction smooth, frictionless, and friendly. Let the chatbots handle the queries and frequently asked questions. Never miss the query and hand over the support task to AI chatbots. 

View the full profile of customers and check previous conversations and purchase history right from the inbox. Handle queries and other requests without letting your customers wait for long or answering queries related to their problems. 

Trengo allows you to track visitors and connect with them while they are exploring the website, signing up for a newsletter, or searching for a desired product. This is exactly how you'll never let your customers leave without checking out, solve customer problems, fix issues immediately, and make it easy for customers to checkout without friction. 

Features

• Allows integration with top ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento;
• Create chat campaigns that engage visitors with page-specific messages;
• Use auto-responses, templates, and macros for swift replies to common queries;
• Stay responsive with a mobile app.

Pricing

• Offers free trial
• Starts from only $19/month

Best for: Overall ecommerce stores.

2. DelightChat 

DelightChat is one of the best live chat tools to help you deal with customers from a single screen. Without worrying about complex setups, you can integrate DelightChat with self-service tools to help you set up in minutes. Unlike other live chat ecommerce tools, you don’t have to watch tutorials, demos, or read any resources to integrate. 

DelightChat is simple to use and with user-friendly interface. It seamlessly integrates with the Shopify store in a few minutes and starts communicating with your customers without any guesswork. 

Pros

• It provides automated responses to faqs and AI-powered assistance;
• DelightChat offers a customizable chat widget;
• It allows businesses to track conversations across different channels.

Cons

• Currently, DelightChat integrates only with Shopify;
• It's more expensive relative to other available alternatives.

Pricing

• Starts at $49/month
• Offers 14-days trial

Best for: Shopify ecommerce stores.

3. Richpanel

Richpanel is another best live chat software for ecommerce businesses to provide support to customers seamlessly. The tool allows you to manage, track, and resolve customer queries in just a matter of minutes. It supports multiple channels including Instagram, email, WhatsApp, and Facebook. 

Say no to repeat requests and personalise the experience according to customer’s preferences. The live chat tool for ecommerce gives a lot of features to take support to the next level. Whether it be assigning tickets, setting reminders, sharing screenshots, or tagging members, manage single-handedly on Richpanel. 

Richpanel can also help you to set roles and assign permission to different team members. Stay aligned and track your customer’s query from a single dashboard. It is also available on both iOS and Android devices to manage support.

Pros

• It also allows customers to see and track their orders;
• It can reduce the workload on support staff by 30%;
• You can also customise the branding to match your website.

Cons

• You may need an extra tool for daily team collaboration alongside Richpanel;
• Richpanel's basic plan limits users to processing a maximum of 1,000 orders per month.

Pricing

Starts at $29/month

‍Best for: Stores trying to process orders within the app.

4. Gorgias

With plenty of live chat tools for ecommerce, Gorgias is worth mentioning in the list of best ecommerce live chat software. Without switching tabs or windows, you can view customer’s data all in one place during the conversation. It allows you to renew subscriptions, refund payments, and edit orders without leaving the helpdesk. 

Gorgias not only provides seamless support to the customers but also helps you to increase sales by providing a personalised shopping experience. With a live chat tool for ecommerce, you can also track sales driven by support agents.

Pros

• Show detailed customer information alongside each support ticket;
• Gorgias offers automated order management;
• You can also setup chat campaigns and welcome messages,

Cons

• Works only for ecommerce businesses;
• Users experience technical problems due to frequent updates.

Pricing

Starts at $10/month

Best for: Small to medium-sized ecommerce businesses.

5. eDesk

If you are looking for the best live chat software for an ecommerce website, try eDesk trusted by retailers worldwide. Keep your support team free from clutter and let them manage all the queries and requests from a single dashboard. 

eDesk does not require any additional add-ons and allows you to integrate the entire stack ensuring scalability of your ecommerce operations. Whether it be Shopify, Gmail, WooCommerce, Etsy, Amazon, or WhatsApp, connect it seamlessly without paying extra. 

Pros

• Easy to use with a centralised inbox;
• Comes with a great layout and design;
• eDesk comes with a very good customer support.

Cons

• Could run into some issues while setup'
• Lack of shortcuts.

Pricing

• Starts at $199/month
• Offers 14-days free trial

Best for: Businesses with large budgets.

6. LiveChat

One of the most popular and trusted live chat tools for ecommerce, LiveChat provides everything you need in a single place. Turn your website visitors into customers with more than 200 integrations available on platforms like Shopify, UPS Delivery Status, and Facebook Messenger. 

Pros

• Monitor chats with customers;
• Use pre-made responses, product displays, and templated messages with buttons;
• Conduct customer satisfaction surveys and ratings during chats.

Cons

• Mobile app has technical issues;
• There's a limit on queue size for customers, with extra requests sent to other channels.

Pricing

• Starts at $20/month
• Offers 14-days free trial

Best for: Medium-sized stores looking for detailed reports.

7. Olark

Don’t frustrate your customers and allow them to talk to you without any friction. Olark is a live chat support software for ecommerce websites to talk to customers in real time, inquire about their queries, reply to questions, and gather feedback. 

Unlike other live chat software, Olark allows you to send pre-chat forms to start a conversation and gather all the information required. Increase your sales by offering special deals and promos. 

If you haven’t collected and used the data before to increase sales, now is the time. Get easy access to customers’ data, save conversations, and send chat data to other sales tools. 

Bonus: Freshchat

Freshchat is a tool to help you with customer support and offers a smooth experience whether it is agent-assisted or self-serve. 

Pros

• Combine tickets and assign them to specific agents;
• Gives detailed analytics and predictions;
• Customise according to your business requirements.

Cons

• User interface can be difficult to use;
• Some users report issues with data syncing.

Pricing

• Starts at $19/month
• Free version available

Best for: Stores looking for free live chat software.

8. Formilla

When looking for a live chat tool for ecommerce and boosting sales, Formilla is worth considering. The live chat tool for ecommerce allows you to track real-time visitors, the region from where they visited, and the operating system they are using. 

With Formilla, you can create fully automated chatbots that work 24/7. So if your support agents are away, chatbots will help handle common requests, reduce support time, and interact with customers by learning from past behavior. 

Formilla is also available on iOS and Android devices. You will get instant notification whenever someone visits your website. Enjoy giving customer support with seamless, smooth, and hurdle-free live chat software for ecommerce.

Pros

• See your website's live traffic, including visitor locations by country and region;
• Set up 24/7 Custom Chat Bots to auto-qualify leads;
• Schedule meetings, and manage usual requests.

Cons

• Most of their main features comes at higher plans;
• Doesn’t comes with powerful automation features.

Pricing

• Starts at $13.99/month
• Free version available for one agent

Best for: Shopify stores.

9. Manifest

Manifest AI is a GPT-powered assistant, tailored for Shopify stores, enhancing the shopping experience for customers. It actively engages buyers throughout their decision-making process, offering personalized and intelligent interactions. This tool boosts online engagement, responding to unique customer queries and guiding them in their purchase decisions. Ideal for Shopify stores, Manifest AI is a crucial tool for improving customer interaction and aiding in the shopping journey.

Pros:

• Offers personalized shopping experiences using GPT-powered AI.
• Enhances customer engagement in Shopify stores.
• Aids in the pre-purchase journey by handling custom queries.

Cons:

• Primarily designed for Shopify, but can integrate with other e-commerce platforms or customer support tools.
  

Pricing

• Starts from $39/month with 1000 GPT messages/month and includes a 14-day free trial.

Pick the live chat software that will support your ecommerce business

The rise of ecommerce websites is a bit of concern for small and medium-sized businesses. Especially when it comes to startups, retaining customers, boosting sales, and keeping in touch with them is quite challenging. 

However, technological advancements and automation will surely give some respite. Live chat for ecommerce websites is quite prevalent as it is a cost-effective solution compared to phone calls. It not only provides timely support, but also helps in retaining customers, increasing sales, and tracking behaviour. Relying on old and traditional way of providing support will surely put you behind the competitors. 

Get in touch with a free demo to see how your ecommerce business can benefit from this. And we'll try Trengo’s chatbot for your ecommerce business.