AI-driven guided selling software is proven to increase sales, transform online customer experience and enhance brand reputation.
Olten, 8 September 2022: ShoeAI, the AI-driven guided selling software vendor, has joined forces with the British Footwear Association (BFA) in a bid to support the Association’s membership through the cost-of-living crisis and looming financial contraction.
Having been inducted into the BFA’s community of approved Partners, ShoeAI can provide solutions to the Association’s Members, who span ecommerce businesses, bricks-and-mortar retailers, suppliers, wholesalers and emerging brands.
Timo Steitz, ShoeAI’s Founder and CEO, explains: “A perfect storm of post-pandemic footwear overordering followed by unprecedented falls in online demand as the cost-of-living crisis bites has left many footwear brands and retailers with falling sales and high inventories.
“That’s why it’s the perfect time to team up with the BFA. Now we’re a Partner, all its member companies can choose ShoeAI confident that, following our BFA audit and due diligence, our guided selling software is a reliable tool to drive their sales growth.”
Polly Lythall, Business Development Manager at the BFA, adds “The BFA exists to support members and connect them with partners who can help them succeed. ShoeAI is an impressive solution that assists retailers in accelerating their digital sales. As UK households cut spending in the months ahead, our members will benefit from solutions that improve their customers’ experience and foster brand loyalty. We’re delighted to partner with this innovative company that supports those selling footwear online.”
The footwear industry is experiencing an overstock crisis, with many retailers slashing orders or making significant discounts to tackle weak customer spending. ShoeAI’s solution offers an alternative strategy: sell more.
ShoeAI achieves this by ‘guided selling’: as well as making sure that the customer finds the perfect fit for shoes that are in stock – a difficult task for an online retailer – sellers get insights into customer behaviour and can boost conversions by as much as 300%. With the average e-commerce conversion at 2% – a tenth of the average in-store conversion rate – an online sales assistant like Shoe AI fills some of that gap.
Drawing on machine learning capabilities, ShoeAI’s software improves the customer experience making shoppers three times more likely to buy shoes online. Customers are queried about shoes they already own, their size and shoe preferences, leading them through a six-step process that replicates the in-store experience that concludes with recommendations on shoes that are in stock in the right size.
“Because customers are much more likely to buy a pair of shoes in a shop with a human assistant, this process is as close to a real-life experience as possible,” concludes Polly. “It’s a great solution and our new partnership with ShoeAI ensures our members will benefit.”
