American Eagle among the top retailers adopting the industry’s first 1:1 live video shopping platform to deliver a complete in-store experience online
GhostRetail™ emerged from stealth mode today to unveil the first 1:1 live video shopping platform that creates a complete in-store experience online, driving significant, scalable growth for enterprise retailers through a personalized, guided, and seamless co-shopping experience. The platform, available now, is designed for large enterprise retailers looking to augment their in-store and e-commerce sales channels with personalized live video co-shopping. Fortune 500 brands including American Eagle (AEO Inc), Authentic Brands Group (ABG), Canada Goose, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) and others are either live in market or finalizing implementation of GhostRetail’s white-label platform to launch ahead of the end-of-year shopping season.
Read More: SalesTechStar Interview With Rachel Obstler, Head Of Product At Heap
With its scalable, flexible and seamless architecture, GhostRetail augments in-store and e-commerce channels for enterprise brand manufacturers, retail chains, direct-to-consumer merchants, and direct marketers. It enables them to drive top- and bottom-line growth, increasing a brand’s current ecommerce conversions by 7x, by eliminating friction in the online purchase process through live, in-person sales consultations and integrations that create a seamless experience from discovery through checkout. GhostRetail also opens new opportunities for brands to activate influencer communities and extend traditional sales forces as it can be used in-store, in studios, and at home.
Guided by the experiences of early adopter merchants and their customers, the platform enables unique capabilities including real-time live 1:1 streaming video, real-time user behavior and haptic feedback, fully integrated product catalog searches, in-app wallet and checkout, appointment-based co-shopping, associate/customer ratings, in-app barcode scanning, and branded lounges.
“The pandemic has accelerated the personalization of the ecommerce experience,” said Karen Peters, SVP, Global Retail Operations – AEO Inc. “The need for real human interaction on digital channels has never been greater and the American Eagle brand’s AE Live app, powered by GhostRetail, provides an innovative, cohesive shopping experience that enables our brand ambassadors to connect with our customer community in a way that is fun, engaging and will help to drive traffic.”
Coresight Research Founder and CEO Deborah Weinswig said, “During the pandemic, we’ve watched a massive shift in consumer shopping behaviors take place. In the next stage of this shift to online shopping, live commerce offers an innovative approach to replicate the in-store experience for online shoppers. Platforms like GhostRetail will become the integrated backbone for any retailer who wants to capitalize on what is essentially a new channel that combines a high quality in-store experience with the convenience of e-commerce. GhostRetail’s interaction between the customer and sales associate offers a solution that keeps the customer in a single interface throughout the entire experience. In addition, it offers sales associates a phenomenal opportunity to engage with consumers in new ways in new channels.”
Read More: Bluedot’s Latest State Of What Feeds Us Report Uncovers Rise In Mobile Ordering, A Failing…
GhostRetail Co-founder and COO Jimmy Furlano, said, “Retailers are at an inflection point right now, needing to transform to keep pace with consumers’ changing behavior while maximizing the value of every penny they spend. We designed GhostRetail specifically for that purpose, by blending the offline and online channels using the two-way video and influencer guidance shoppers seek out to create a human connection. Then we took it a step further to integrate key retail back-end processes inside the app for a seamless approach that drives conversions up.”
GhostRetail Board Chairman Adam Arviv said, “GhostRetail has brought a unique solution to market — first — during an incredibly explosive time in the retail industry. Seeing it in action is looking at an experience that aligns not only with how the world wants to shop, but also with how large enterprise retailers want to drive revenue growth. We’re excited by the opportunity to capitalize on it and build value for the long term.”
Retailers using GhostRetail’s purpose-built platform can:
- Personalize online shopping – with sales associates interacting with shoppers over live video anywhere, any time.
- Achieve higher conversion rates – with live nurturing that emulates the in-store experience, ensures that shoppers complete online purchases and incentivizes associates to upsell / cross-sell.
- Realize immediate productivity gains – by adding virtual live video 1:1 selling to existing sales channels without incremental staff or marketing budget.
- Give shoppers the ability to speak live with product experts – offering uninterrupted sessions with sales associates that remove impersonal barriers associated with traditional ecommerce purchases.
- Provide unparalleled ease and convenience for every customer type – with an immersive, interactive live co-shopping experience from discovery through checkout.
- Establish deeper brand connections with consumers – by providing a warm and friendly virtual store environment that feels comfortable and easy to navigate.
- Make online shopping a delightful experience – by humanizing their brand with personable communication in a medium they enjoy, with associates they trust, focused exclusively on their needs.
