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Conversational Commerce Metrics
Conversational Commerce Metrics

Your Support Team Drives More Revenue Than You Think: Conversational Commerce Metrics

Your chat might be closing more sales than your checkout page. Here’s how to measure it.
0 min read . By Tina Donati

TL;DR:

  • Support chats can now be directly tied to revenue. Brands are measuring conversations by conversion rate, average order value (AOV), and GMV influenced.
  • AI resolution rate is only valuable if the answers are accurate and helpful. A high resolution rate doesn’t matter if it leads to poor recommendations — the best AI both deflects volume and drives confident purchases.
  • Chat conversion rates often outperform traditional channels. Brands like Arc’teryx saw a 75% lift in conversions (from 4% to 7%) when AI handled high-intent product questions.
  • Shoppers who chat often spend more. Conversations lead to higher AOVs by helping customers understand products, explore upgrades, and discover add-ons — not just through upselling, but smarter guidance.

Conversational commerce finally has a scoreboard.

For years, CX leaders knew support conversations mattered, they just couldn’t prove how much. Conversations lived in that gray area of ecommerce where shoppers got answers, agents did their best, and everyone agreed the channel was “important”… 

But tying those interactions back to actual revenue? Nearly impossible.

Fast forward to today, and everything has changed.

Real-time conversations — whether handled by a human agent or powered by AI — now leave a measurable footprint across the entire customer journey. You can see how many conversations directly influenced a purchase. 

In other words, conversational commerce is finally something CX teams can measure, optimize, and scale with confidence.

Why measuring conversational commerce matters now

If you want to prove the value of your CX strategy to your CFO, your marketing team, or your CEO, you need data, not anecdotes.

Leadership isn’t swayed by “We think conversations help shoppers.” They want to see the receipts. They want to know exactly how interactions influence revenue, which conversations drive conversion, and where AI meaningfully reduces workload without sacrificing quality.

That’s why conversational commerce metrics matter now more than ever. This gives CX leaders a way to:

  • Quantify the revenue influence of conversations
  • Understand where AI improves efficiency — and where humans add the most value
  • Make informed decisions on staffing, automation, and channel investment
  • Turn CX into a profit center instead of a cost center

These metrics let you track impact with clarity and confidence.

And once you can measure it, you can build a stronger case for deeper investment in conversational tools and strategy.

The 4 metric categories that define conversational commerce success

So, what exactly should CX teams be measuring?

While conversational commerce touches every part of the customer journey, the most meaningful insights fall into four core categories: 

  1. Automation performance
  2. Conversion & revenue impact
  3. Engagement quality
  4. Discounting behavior

Let’s dive into each.

Automation performance metrics

If you want to understand how well your conversational commerce strategy is working, automation performance is the first place to look. These metrics reveal how effectively AI is resolving shopper needs, reducing ticket volume, and stepping into revenue-driving conversations at scale.

The two most foundational metrics?

1. Resolution rate: Are AI-led conversations actually helpful?

Resolution rate measures how many conversations your AI handles from start to finish without needing a human to take over. On paper, high resolution rates sound like a guaranteed win. It suggests your AI is handling product questions, sizing concerns, shade matching, order guidance, and more — all without adding to your team’s workload.

But a high resolution rate doesn’t automatically mean your AI is performing well.

Yes, the ticket was “resolved,” but was the customer actually helped? Was the answer accurate? Did the shopper leave satisfied or frustrated?

This is where quality assurance becomes essential. Your AI should be resolving tickets accurately and helpfully, not simply checking boxes.

At its best, a strong resolution rate signals that your AI is:

  • Confidently answering product questions
  • Guiding shoppers to the right SKU, variant, shade, size, or style
  • Reducing cart abandonment caused by confusion
  • Helping pre-sale shoppers convert faster

When resolution rate quality goes up, so does revenue influence.

You can see this clearly with beauty brands, where accuracy matters enormously. bareMinerals, for example, used to receive a flood of shade-matching questions. Everything from “Which concealer matches my undertone?” to “This foundation shade was discontinued; what’s the closest match?” 

Before AI, these questions required well-trained agents and often created inconsistencies depending on who answered.

Once they introduced Shopping Assistant, resolution rate suddenly became more meaningful. AI wasn’t just closing tickets; it was giving smarter, more confident recommendations than many agents could deliver at scale, especially after hours. 

BareMinerals' AI Agent recommends a customer a foundation that matches their skin tone

That accuracy paid off. 

AI-influenced purchases at bareMinerals had zero returns in the first 30 days because customers were finally getting the right shade the first time.

That’s the difference between “resolved” and resolved well.

2. Zero-touch tickets: How many tickets never reach a human?

The zero-touch ticket rate measures something slightly different: the percentage of conversations AI manages entirely on its own, without ever being escalated to an agent.

This metric is a direct lens into:

  • Workload reduction
  • Team efficiency
  • Cost savings
  • AI’s ability to own high-volume question types

More importantly, deflection widens the funnel for more revenue-driven conversations.

When AI deflects more inbound questions, your support team can focus on conversations that truly require human expertise, including returns exceptions, escalations, VIP shoppers, and emotionally sensitive interactions.

Brands with strong deflection rates typically see:

  • Shorter wait times
  • Higher CSAT
  • Lower support costs
  • More AI-influenced revenue

Conversion and revenue impact metrics

If automation metrics tell you how well your AI is working, conversion and revenue metrics tell you how well it’s selling.

This category is where conversational commerce really proves its value because it shows the direct financial impact of every human- or AI-led interaction.

1. Chat Conversion Rate (CVR): How often do conversations turn into purchases?

Chat conversion rate measures the percentage of conversations that end in a purchase, and it’s one of the clearest indicators of whether your conversational strategy is influencing shopper decisions.

A strong CVR tells you that conversations are:

  • Building confidence
  • Removing hesitation
  • Guiding shoppers toward the right product

You see this clearly with brands selling technical or performance-driven products. 

Outdoor apparel shoppers, for example, don’t just need “a jacket” — they need to know which jacket will hold up in specific temperatures, conditions, or terrains. A well-trained AI can step into that moment and convert uncertainty into action.

Arc’teryx saw this firsthand. 

Arc'teryx uses Shopping Assistant to enable purchases directly from chat

Once Shopping Assistant started handling their high-intent pre-purchase questions, their chat conversion rate jumped dramatically — from 4% to 7%. A 75% lift. 

That’s what happens when shoppers finally get the expert guidance they’ve been searching for.

2. GMV influenced: The revenue ripple effect of conversations

Not every shopper buys the moment they finish a chat. Some take a few hours. Some need a day or two. Some want to compare specs or read reviews before committing.

GMV influenced captures this “tail effect” by tracking revenue within 1–3 days of a conversation.

It’s especially powerful for:

  • High-consideration purchases (like outdoor gear, home furniture, equipment)
  • Products with many options, specs, or configurations
  • Shoppers who need reassurance before buying

In Arc’teryx’s case, shoppers often take time to confirm they’re choosing the right technical gear.

Yet even with that natural pause in behavior, Shopping Assistant still influenced 3.7% of all revenue, not by forcing instant decisions, but by providing the clarity people needed to make the right one.

3. AOV from conversational commerce: Do conversations lead to bigger carts?

This metric looks at the average order value of shoppers who engage in a conversation versus those who don’t. 

If the conversational AOV is higher, it means your AI or agents are educating customers in ways that naturally expand the cart.

Examples of AOV-lifting conversations include:

  • Recommending complementary gear, tools, or accessories
  • Suggesting upgraded options based on needs
  • Helping shoppers understand the difference between product tiers
  • Explaining why a specific product is worth the investment

When conversations are done well, AOV increases not because shoppers are being upsold, but because they’re being guided. 

4. ROI of AI-powered conversations: The metric your leadership cares most about

ROI compares the revenue generated by conversational AI to the cost of the tool itself — in short, this is the number that turns heads in boardrooms.

Strong ROI shows that your AI:

  • Does the work of multiple agents
  • Drives new revenue, not just ticket deflection
  • Provides accurate answers consistently, at any time
  • Delivers a high-quality experience without expanding headcount

When ROI looks like that, AI stops being a “tool” and starts being an undeniable growth lever.

Related: The hidden power and ROI of automated customer support

Engagement metrics that indicate purchase intent

Not every metric in conversational commerce is a final outcome. Some are early signals that show whether shoppers are interested, paying attention, and moving closer to a purchase.

These engagement metrics are especially valuable because they reveal why conversations convert, not just whether they do. When engagement goes up, conversion usually follows.

1. Click-Through Rate (CTR): Are shoppers acting on the products your AI recommends?

CTR measures the percentage of shoppers who click the product links shared during a conversation. It’s one of the cleanest leading indicators of buyer intent because it reflects a moment where curiosity turns into action.

If CTR is high, it’s a sign that:

  • Your recommendations are relevant
  • The conversation is persuasive
  • The shopper trusts the guidance they’re getting
  • The AI is surfacing the right product at the right time

In other words, CTR tells you which conversations are influencing shopping behavior.

And the connection between CTR and revenue is often tighter than teams expect.

Just look at what happened with Caitlyn Minimalist. When they began comparing the results of human-led conversations versus AI-assisted ones over a 90-day period, CTR became one of the clearest predictors of success. Their Shopping Assistant consistently drove meaningful engagement with its recommendations — an 18% click-through rate on the products it suggested.

That level of engagement translated directly into better outcomes:

  • AI-driven conversations converted at 20%, compared to just 8% for human agents
  • Many of those clicks led to multi-item purchases
  • Overall, the brand experienced a 50% lift in sales from AI-assisted chats compared to human-only ones

When shoppers click, they’re moving deeper into the buying cycle. Strong CTR makes it easier to forecast conversion and understand how well your conversational flows are guiding shoppers toward the right products.

AI Agent recommends a customer with jewelry safe for sensitive skin

Discounting behavior metrics

Discounting can be one of the fastest ways to nudge a shopper toward checkout, but it’s also one of the fastest ways to erode margins. 

That’s why discount-related metrics matter so much in conversational commerce. 

They show not just whether AI is using discounts, but how effectively those discounts are driving conversions.

1. Discounts offered: Are incentives being used strategically or too often?

This metric tracks how many discount codes or promotional offers your AI is sharing during conversations. 

Ideally, discounts should be purposeful — timed to moments when a shopper hesitates or needs an extra nudge — not rolled out as a one-size-fits-all script. When you monitor “discounts offered,” you can ensure that incentives are being used as conversion tools, not crutches.

This visibility becomes particularly important at high-intent touchpoints, such as exit intent or cart recovery interactions, where a small incentive can meaningfully increase conversion if used correctly.

2. Discounts applied: Are those discounts actually influencing the purchase?

Offering a discount is one thing. Seeing whether customers use it is another.

A high “discounts applied” rate suggests:

  • The offer was compelling
  • The timing was right
  • The shopper truly needed that incentive to convert

A low usage rate tells a different story: Your team (or your AI) is discounting unnecessarily.

This metric alone often surprises brands. More often than not, CX teams discover they can discount less without hurting conversion, or that a non-discount incentive (like a relevant product recommendation) performs just as well.

Understanding this relationship helps teams tighten their promotional strategy, protect margins, and use discounts only where they actually drive incremental revenue.

How CX teams use these metrics to make better decisions

Once you know which metrics matter, the next step is building a system that brings them together in one place.

Think of your conversational commerce scorecard as a decision-making engine — something that helps you understand performance at a glance, spot bottlenecks, optimize AI, and guide shoppers more effectively.

In Gorgias, you can customize your analytics dashboard to watch the metrics that matter most to your brand. This becomes the single source of truth for understanding how conversations influence revenue.

Here’s what a powerful dashboard unlocks:

1. You learn where AI performs best (and where humans outperform)

Some parts of the customer journey are perfect for AI: repetitive questions, product education, sizing guidance, shade matching, order status checks. 

Others still benefit from human support, like emotional conversations, complex troubleshooting, multi-item styling, or high-value VIP concerns.

Metrics like resolution rate, zero-touch ticket rate, and chat conversion rate show you exactly which is which.

When you track these consistently, you can:

  • Identify conversation types AI should fully own
  • Spot where AI needs more training
  • Allocate human agents to higher-value conversations
  • Decide when humans should step in to drive stronger outcomes

For example, if AI handles 80% of sizing questions successfully but struggles with multi-item styling advice, that tells you where to invest in improving AI, and where human expertise should remain the default.

2. You uncover what shoppers actually need to convert

Metrics like CTR, CVR, and conversational AOV reveal the inner workings of shopper decision-making. They show which recommendations resonate, which don’t, and which messaging actually moves someone to purchase.

With these insights, CX teams can:

  • Refine product recommendations
  • Improve conversation flows that stall out
  • Adjust the tone or structure of AI messaging
  • Draft stronger scripts for human agents
  • Identify recurring questions that indicate missing PDP information

For instance, if shoppers repeatedly ask clarifying questions about a product’s material or fit, that’s a signal for merchandising or product teams. 

If recommendations with social proof get high engagement, marketing can integrate that insight into on-site messaging. 

Conversations reveal what customers really care about — often before analytics do.

3. You prove that conversations directly drive revenue

This is the moment when the scorecard stops being a CX tool and becomes a business tool.

A clear set of metrics shows how conversations tie to:

  • GMV influenced
  • AOV lift
  • Revenue generated by AI
  • ROI of conversational commerce tools

When a CX leader walks into a meeting and says, “Our AI Assistant influenced 5% of last month’s revenue” or “Conversational shoppers have a 20% higher AOV,” the perception of CX changes instantly.

You’re no longer a support cost. You’re a revenue channel.

And once you have numbers like ROI or revenue influence in hand, it becomes nearly impossible for anyone to argue against further investment in CX automation.

4. You identify where shoppers are dropping off or hesitating

A scorecard doesn’t just show what’s working, it surfaces what’s not.

Metrics make friction obvious:

Metric Signal

What It Means

Low CTR

Recommendations may be irrelevant or poorly timed.

Low CVR

Conversations aren’t persuasive enough to drive a purchase.

High deflection but low revenue

AI is resolving tickets, but not effectively selling.

High discount usage

Shoppers rely on incentives to convert.

Low discount usage

You may be offering discounts unnecessarily and losing margin.

Once you identify these patterns, you can run targeted experiments:

  • Test new scripts or flows
  • Adjust product recommendations
  • Add social proof or benefit framing
  • Reassess discounting strategies
  • Rework messaging on key PDPs

Compounded over time, these moments create major lifts in conversion and revenue.

5. You create a feedback loop across marketing, merchandising, and product

One of the biggest hidden values of conversational data is how it strengthens cross-functional decision-making.

A clear analytics dashboard gives teams visibility into:

  • Unclear or missing product information (from repeated questions)
  • Merchandising opportunities (from your most popular products)
  • Landing page or PDP improvements (from drop-off points)
  • Messaging that resonates with real customers (from AI messages)

Suddenly, CX isn’t just answering questions — it’s informing strategy across the business.

CX drives revenue when you measure what matters

With the right metrics in place, CX leaders can finally quantify the impact of every interaction, and use that data to shape smarter, more profitable customer journeys.

If you're ready to measure — and scale — the impact of your conversations, tools like Gorgias AI Agent and Shopping Assistant give CX teams the visibility, accuracy, and performance needed to turn every interaction into revenue.

Want to see it in action? Book a demo and discover what conversational commerce can do for your bottom line.

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By Tina Donati

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Featured articles

Food & Beverage Self-Service

How Food & Beverage Brands Can Level Up Self-Service Before BFCM

Before the BFCM rush begins, we’re serving food & beverage CX teams seven easy self-serve upgrades to keep support tickets off their plate.
By Alexa Hertel
0 min read . By Alexa Hertel

TL;DR:

  • Most food & beverage support tickets during BFCM are predictable. Subscription cancellations, WISMO, and product questions make up the bulk—so prep answers ahead of time.
  • Proactive CX site updates can drastically cut down repetitive tickets. Add ingredient lists, cooking instructions, and clear refund policies to product pages and FAQs.
  • FAQ pages should go deep, not just broad. Answer hyper-specific questions like “Will this break my fast?” to help customers self-serve without hesitation.‍
  • Transparency about stock reduces confusion and cart abandonment. Show inventory levels, set up waitlists, and clearly state cancellation windows.

In 2024, Shopify merchants drove $11.5 billion in sales over Black Friday Cyber Monday. Now, BFCM is quickly approaching, with some brands and major retailers already hosting sales.

If you’re feeling late to prepare for the season or want to maximize the number of sales you’ll make, we’ll cover how food and beverage CX teams can serve up better self-serve resources for this year’s BFCM. 

Learn how to answer and deflect customers’ top questions before they’re escalated to your support team.

💡 Your guide to everything peak season → The Gorgias BFCM Hub

Handling BFCM as a food & beverage brand

During busy seasons like BFCM and beyond, staying on top of routine customer asks can be an extreme challenge. 

“Every founder thinks BFCM is the highest peak feeling of nervousness,” says Ron Shah, CEO and Co-founder of supplement brand Obvi. 

“It’s a tough week. So anything that makes our team’s life easier instantly means we can focus more on things that need the time,” he continues. 

Anticipating contact reasons and preparing methods (like automated responses, macros, and enabling an AI Agent) is something that can help. Below, find the top contact reasons for food and beverage companies in 2025. 

Top contact reasons in the food & beverage industry 

According to Gorgias proprietary data, the top reason customers reach out to brands in the food and beverage industry is to cancel a subscription (13%) followed by order status questions (9.1%).

Contact Reason

% of Tickets

🍽️ Subscription cancellation

13%

🚚 Order status (WISMO)

9.1%

❌ Order cancellation

6.5%

🥫 Product details

5.7%

🧃 Product availability

4.1%

⭐ Positive feedback

3.9%

7 ways to improve your self-serve resources before BFCM

  1. Add informative blurbs on product pages 
  2. Craft additional help center and FAQ articles 
  3. Automate responses with AI or Macros 
  4. Get specific about product availability
  5. Provide order cancellation and refund policies upfront
  6. Add how-to information
  7. Build resources to help with buying decisions 

1) Add informative blurbs on product pages

Because product detail queries represent 5.7% of contact reasons for the food and beverage industry, the more information you provide on your product pages, the better. 

Include things like calorie content, nutritional information, and all ingredients.  

For example, ready-to-heat meal company The Dinner Ladies includes a dropdown menu on each product page for further reading. Categories include serving instructions, a full ingredient list, allergens, nutritional information, and even a handy “size guide” that shows how many people the meal serves. 

The Dinner Ladies product page showing parmesan biscuits with tapenade and mascarpone.
The Dinner Ladies includes a drop down menu full of key information on its product pages. The Dinner Ladies

2) Craft additional Help Center and FAQ articles

FAQ pages make up the information hub of your website. They exist to provide customers with a way to get their questions answered without reaching out to you.   

This includes information like how food should be stored, how long its shelf life is, delivery range, and serving instructions. FAQs can even direct customers toward finding out where their order is and what its status is. 

Graphic listing benefits of FAQ pages including saving time and improving SEO.

In the context of BFCM, FAQs are all about deflecting repetitive questions away from your team and assisting shoppers in finding what they need faster. 

That’s the strategy for German supplement brand mybacs. 

“Our focus is to improve automations to make it easier for customers to self-handle their requests. This goes hand in hand with making our FAQs more comprehensive to give customers all the information they need,” says Alexander Grassmann, its Co-Founder & COO.

As you contemplate what to add to your FAQ page, remember that more information is usually better. That’s the approach Everyday Dose takes, answering even hyper-specific questions like, “Will it break my fast?” or “Do I have to use milk?”

Everyday Dose FAQ page showing product, payments, and subscription question categories.
Everyday Dose has an extensive FAQ page that guides shoppers through top questions and answers. Everyday Dose

While the FAQs you choose to add will be specific to your products, peruse the top-notch food and bev FAQ pages below. 

Time for some FAQ inspo:

3) Automate responses with AI or macros

AI Agents and AI-powered Shopping Assistants are easy to set up and are extremely effective in handling customer interactions––especially during BFCM.  

“I told our team we were going to onboard Gorgias AI Agent for BFCM, so a good portion of tickets would be handled automatically,” says Ron Shah, CEO and Co-founder at Obvi. “There was a huge sigh of relief knowing that customers were going to be taken care of.” 

And, they’re getting smarter. AI Agent’s CSAT is just 0.6 points shy of human agents’ average CSAT score. 

Obvi homepage promoting Black Friday sale with 50% off and chat support window open.
Obvi 

Here are the specific responses and use cases we recommend automating: 

  • WISMO (where is my order) inquiries 
  • Product related questions 
  • Returns 
  • Order issues
  • Cancellations 
  • Discounts, including BFCM related 
  • Customer feedback
  • Account management
  • Collaboration requests 
  • Rerouting complex queries

Get your checklist here: How to prep for peak season: BFCM automation checklist

4) Get specific about product availability

With high price reductions often comes faster-than-usual sell out times. By offering transparency around item quantities, you can avoid frustrated or upset customers. 

For example, you could show how many items are left under a certain threshold (e.g. “Only 10 items left”), or, like Rebel Cheese does, mention whether items have sold out in the past.  

Rebel Cheese product page for Thanksgiving Cheeseboard Classics featuring six vegan cheeses on wood board.
Rebel Cheese warns shoppers that its Thanksgiving cheese board has sold out 3x already. Rebel Cheese  

You could also set up presales, give people the option to add themselves to a waitlist, and provide early access to VIP shoppers. 

5) Provide order cancellation and refund policies upfront 

Give shoppers a heads up whether they’ll be able to cancel an order once placed, and what your refund policies are. 

For example, cookware brand Misen follows its order confirmation email with a “change or cancel within one hour” email that provides a handy link to do so. 

Misen order confirmation email with link to change or cancel within one hour of checkout.
Cookware brand Misen follows up its order confirmation email with the option to edit within one hour. Misen 

Your refund policies and order cancellations should live within an FAQ and in the footer of your website. 

6) Add how-to information 

Include how-to information on your website within your FAQs, on your blog, or as a standalone webpage. That might be sharing how to use a product, how to cook with it, or how to prepare it. This can prevent customers from asking questions like, “how do you use this?” or “how do I cook this?” or “what can I use this with?” etc. 

For example, Purity Coffee created a full brewing guide with illustrations:

Purity Coffee brewing guide showing home drip and commercial batch brewer illustrations.
Purity Coffee has an extensive brewing guide on its website. Purity Coffee

Similarly, for its unique preseasoned carbon steel pan, Misen lists out care instructions: 

Butter melting in a seasoned carbon steel pan on a gas stove.
Misen 

And for those who want to understand the level of prep and cooking time involved, The Dinner Ladies feature cooking instructions on each product page. 

The Dinner Ladies product page featuring duck sausage rolls with cherry and plum dipping sauce.
The Dinner Ladies feature a how to cook section on product pages. The Dinner Ladies 

7) Build resources to help with buying decisions 

Interactive quizzes, buying guides, and gift guides can help ensure shoppers choose the right items for them––without contacting you first. 

For example, Trade Coffee Co created a quiz to help first timers find their perfect coffee match: 

Trade Coffee Co offers an interactive quiz to lead shoppers to their perfect coffee match. Trade Coffee Co

Set your team up for BFCM success with Gorgias 

The more information you can share with customers upfront, the better. That will leave your team time to tackle the heady stuff. 

If you’re looking for an AI-assist this season, check out Gorgias’s suite of products like AI Agent and Shopping Assistant. 

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min read.

What is Conversational AI? The Ecommerce Guide

Learn about the different types of conversational AI and its benefits for ecommerce.
By Gorgias Team
0 min read . By Gorgias Team

TL;DR:

  • Conversational AI combines natural language processing, machine learning, and generative AI to create human-like interactions
  • For ecommerce, it automates customer service, drives sales through personalized recommendations, and scales support 24/7
  • Key types include chatbots, voice assistants, and AI agents that handle both support and sales tasks
  • Implementation requires defining clear goals, choosing an ecommerce-ready platform, and connecting your tech stack

Conversational AI changes how ecommerce brands interact with customers by enabling natural, human-like conversations at scale, helping reduce customer churn. 

Instead of forcing shoppers through rigid menus or making them wait for support, conversational AI understands questions, detects intent, and delivers instant, personalized responses. 

This technology powers everything from customer service chatbots to voice assistants, helping brands automate repetitive tasks while maintaining the personal touch customers expect. 

For ecommerce specifically, it means handling order inquiries, providing product recommendations, and recovering abandoned carts — all without adding headcount.

What is conversational AI?

Conversational AI is a type of artificial intelligence that allows computers to understand, process, and respond to human language through natural, two-way conversations. This means your customers can ask questions in their own words and get helpful answers that feel like they're talking to a real person.

Unlike basic chatbots that only recognize specific keywords, conversational AI actually understands what your customers mean. It can handle typos, slang, and complex questions that have multiple parts. The AI learns from every conversation, getting better at helping your customers over time.

Think of it as having a super-smart team member who never sleeps, never gets frustrated, and remembers every detail about your products and policies. This AI team member can chat with customers on your website, answer questions through social media, or even handle phone calls.

What are the key components of conversational AI?

Conversational AI works because several smart technologies team up to understand and respond to your customers. Each piece has a specific job in making conversations feel natural and helpful.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is the foundation that breaks down human language into pieces a computer can understand. This means when a customer types "Where's my order?" the AI can identify the important words and grammar structure.

Natural Language Understanding (NLU) figures out what the customer actually wants. This is the smart part that realizes "Where's my order?" means the customer wants to track a shipment, even if they phrase it differently like "I need to check my package status."

Natural Language Generation (NLG) creates responses that sound human and helpful. Instead of robotic answers, it crafts replies that match your brand's voice and provide exactly what the customer needs to know.

The dialog manager keeps track of the entire conversation. This means if a customer asks a follow-up question, the AI remembers what you were just talking about and can give a relevant answer.

Your knowledge base stores all the information the AI needs to help customers. This includes your return policy, product details, shipping information, and any other facts your team would use to answer questions.

How does conversational AI work?

Conversational AI follows a simple three-step process that happens in seconds. Understanding this process helps you see why it's so much more powerful than old-school chatbots.

1) It processes input across voice and text with NLP

When a customer sends a message or asks a question, the AI first needs to understand what they're saying. For text messages from chat, email, or social media, the system breaks down the sentence into individual words and analyzes the grammar.

For voice interactions like phone calls, the AI uses speech recognition to turn spoken words into text first. Modern systems handle different accents, background noise, and natural speech patterns without missing a beat.

2) It detects intent and context with NLU

Once the AI has the customer's words, it needs to figure out what they actually want. The system looks for the customer's intent — their goal or what they're trying to accomplish.

For example, when someone asks "Can I return this sweater I bought last week?" the AI identifies the intent as wanting to make a return. It also pulls out important details like the product type and timeframe.

The AI also uses context from earlier in the conversation. If the customer mentioned their order number earlier, the AI remembers it and can use that information to help with the return request.

3) It generates responses with NLG

After understanding what the customer wants, the AI creates a helpful response. It might pull information from your knowledge base, personalize the answer with the customer's specific details, or generate a completely new response using generative AI.

The system also checks how confident it is in its answer. If the AI isn't sure about something or if the topic is too complex, it knows to hand the conversation over to one of your human agents.

What are the types of conversational AI?

Different types of conversational AI work better for different situations in your ecommerce business. Understanding these types helps you choose the right solution for your customers and team.

Chatbots handle scripted and AI-driven chat

Chatbots are the most common type you'll see on websites and messaging apps. Early chatbots followed strict scripts — if a customer's question didn't match the script exactly, the bot would get confused and give unhelpful answers.

Modern AI-powered chatbots understand natural language and can handle much more complex conversations. The best systems combine both approaches: using simple rules for straightforward questions and AI for everything else.

These chatbots work great for answering common questions about shipping, returns, and product details. They can also help customers find the right products or guide them through your checkout process.

Voice assistants manage speech-based requests

Voice assistants bring conversational AI to phone support and other voice channels. These aren't the old phone trees that made customers press numbers to navigate menus.

Instead, customers can speak naturally and get helpful answers right away. Voice assistants can look up order information, explain your return policy, or even process simple requests like address changes.

This works especially well for customers who prefer calling over typing, or when they need help while their hands are busy.

Read more: How Cornbread Hemp reached a 13.6% phone conversion rate with Gorgias Voice

AI agents and copilots assist teams and customers

AI agents are the most advanced type of conversational AI. Unlike chatbots that mainly provide information, AI agents can actually take action on behalf of customers.

These systems connect to your other business tools like Shopify, your shipping software, or your returns platform. This means they can do things like:

  • Process returns: Start a return and send the customer a shipping label
  • Update orders: Change a shipping address or add items to an existing order
  • Handle refunds: Issue refunds for eligible orders automatically
  • Manage subscriptions: Skip shipments or update subscription preferences

Copilots work alongside your human agents, suggesting responses and pulling up customer information to help resolve issues faster.

Read more: How AI Agent works & gathers data

What are the benefits of conversational AI for ecommerce?

Conversational AI delivers real business results for ecommerce brands. The benefits go beyond just making your support team more efficient — though that's certainly part of it.

24/7 availability means you never miss a sale or support opportunity. Customers can get help at 2 a.m. or during holidays when your team is offline. This is especially valuable for international customers in different time zones.

Instant responses prevent cart abandonment and customer frustration, improving first contact resolution. When someone has a question about sizing or shipping, they get an answer immediately instead of waiting hours or days for an email response.

Personalized interactions at scale drive higher average order values. The AI can recommend products based on what customers are browsing, their purchase history, and their preferences, just like your best salesperson would.

Cost efficiency comes from handling repetitive questions automatically. Your human agents can focus on complex issues, VIP customers, and revenue-generating activities instead of answering the same shipping questions over and over.

Multilingual support helps you serve global customers without hiring native speakers for every language. The AI can communicate in dozens of languages, opening up new markets for your business.

What are the most valuable conversational AI use cases for ecommerce?

Certain moments in the shopping experience create the biggest opportunities for conversational AI to drive results. Focus on these high-impact use cases first.

Pre-purchase questions are your biggest conversion opportunity. When someone is looking at a product but hasn't bought yet, quick answers about sizing, materials, or compatibility can close the sale. The AI can also suggest complementary products or highlight features the customer might have missed.

Order tracking makes up the largest volume of support tickets for most ecommerce brands. Customers want to know where their package is, when it will arrive, and what to do if there's a delay. AI handles these WISMO requests instantly by pulling real-time tracking information.

Returns and exchanges can be complex, but AI excels at the initial screening. It can check if an item is eligible for return, explain your policy, and start the return process. For straightforward returns, customers never need to wait for human help.

Cart recovery works best when it's immediate and personal. AI can detect when someone abandons their cart and reach out through chat or email with personalized messages, discount offers, or answers to common concerns that prevent purchases.

Post-purchase support keeps customers happy after they buy. The AI can send order confirmations, provide care instructions, suggest related products, and handle simple issues like address changes.

How do you implement conversational AI in an ecommerce tech stack?

Getting started with conversational AI doesn't require a complete overhaul of your systems. The key is starting with clear goals and building your capabilities over time.

Step 1: Define goals and KPIs for automation

The best automation opportunities are found in your tickets. Look for questions that come up repeatedly and have straightforward answers. Common examples include order status, return policies, and basic product information.

Set realistic goals for your first phase. You might aim to automate 30% of your tickets or reduce average response time by half. Track metrics like:

  • Automation rate: Percentage of tickets resolved without human intervention
  • Customer satisfaction: How happy customers are with AI interactions
  • Revenue impact: Sales influenced by AI recommendations or cart recovery

Step 2: Choose an ecommerce-ready AI platform

Not all conversational AI platforms understand ecommerce needs. Look for a platform that integrates directly with Shopify and your other business tools. This connection is essential for pulling real-time order data, customer history, and product information.

Your platform should come with pre-built actions for common ecommerce tasks like order lookups, return processing, and subscription management. This saves months of custom development work.

Make sure you can control the AI's behavior through clear guidance and rules. You need to be able to set your brand voice, define when to escalate to humans, and update the AI's knowledge as your business changes.

Step 3: Connect Shopify and key tools, then iterate

Start your implementation by connecting your Shopify store to give the AI access to order and customer data. Don’t forget to integrate the rest of your tech stack like shipping software, returns platforms, and loyalty programs.

Launch with a few core use cases like order tracking and basic product questions. Monitor the AI's performance closely and gather feedback from both customers and your support team. Use this data to refine the AI's responses and gradually expand its capabilities. 

The best approach is iterative — start small, learn what works, and build from there.

What are the challenges and risks of conversational AI?

While conversational AI offers significant benefits, you need to be aware of potential challenges and plan for them from the start.

Accuracy concerns arise when AI systems provide incorrect information or "hallucinate" facts that aren't true. Prevent this by using platforms that ground responses in your verified knowledge base and product data rather than generating answers from scratch.

Brand voice consistency becomes critical when AI represents your brand to customers. Set clear guidelines for tone, style, and messaging. Test the AI's responses regularly to ensure they align with how your human team would handle similar situations.

Data privacy requires careful attention since conversational AI handles sensitive customer information. Choose platforms with strong security measures, data encryption, and compliance with regulations like GDPR. Look for features like automatic removal of personal information from conversation logs.

Over-automation can frustrate customers when complex issues require human empathy and problem-solving. Design clear escalation paths so customers can easily reach human agents when needed. Train your AI to recognize when a situation is beyond its capabilities.

Integration complexity can slow down implementation if your chosen platform doesn't work well with your existing tools. This is why choosing an ecommerce-focused platform with pre-built integrations is so important.

Turn conversations into revenue with conversational AI

The brands winning with conversational AI start with clear goals, choose the right platform, and iterate based on real performance data. They don't try to automate everything at once. They focus on high-impact use cases that deliver real results.

Ready to see how conversational AI can transform your ecommerce support and sales? Book a demo with Gorgias — built specifically for ecommerce brands.

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LLM-Friendly Help Center

How to Make Your Help Center LLM-Friendly

Your Help Center doesn’t need a rebuild. It just needs a smarter structure so AI can find what customers ask about most.
By Holly Stanley
0 min read . By Holly Stanley

TL;DR:

  • You don’t need to rebuild your Help Center to make it work with AI—you just need to structure it smarter.
  • AI Agent reads your content in three layers: Help Center, Guidance, and Actions, following an “if / when / then” logic to find and share accurate answers.
  • Most AI escalations happen because Help Docs are vague or incomplete. Start by improving your top 10 ticket topics—like order status, returns, and refunds.
  • Make your articles scannable, define clear conditions, link next steps, and keep your tone consistent. These small tweaks help AI Agent resolve more tickets on its own—and free up your team to focus on what matters most.

As holiday season support volumes spike and teams lean on AI to keep up, one frustration keeps surfacing, our Help Center has the answers—so why can’t AI find them?

The truth is, AI can’t help customers if it can’t understand your Help Center. Most large language models (LLMs), including Gorgias AI Agent, don’t ignore your existing docs, they just struggle to find clear, structured answers inside them.

The good news is you don’t need to rebuild your Help Center or overhaul your content. You simply need to format it in a way that’s easy for both people and AI to read.

We’ll break down how AI Agent reads your Help Center, finds answers, and why small formatting changes can help it respond faster and more accurately, so your team spends less time on escalations.

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How AI Agent uses your Help Center content

Before you start rewriting your Help Center, it helps to understand how AI Agent actually reads and uses it.

Think of it like a three-step process that mirrors how a trained support rep thinks through a ticket.

1. Read Help Center docs

Your Help Center is AI Agent’s brain. AI Agent uses your Help Center to pull facts, policies, and instructions it needs to respond to customers accurately. If your articles are clearly structured and easy to scan, AI Agent can find what it needs fast. If not, it hesitates or escalates.

2. Follow Guidance instructions

Think of Guidance as AI Agent’s decision layer. What should AI Agent do when someone asks for a refund? What about when they ask for a discount? Guidance helps AI Agent provide accurate answers or hand over to a human by following an “if/when/then” framework.

3. Respond and perform

Finally, AI Agent uses a combination of your help docs and Guidance to respond to customers, and if enabled, perform an Action on their behalf—whether that’s changing a shipping address or canceling an order altogether.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Email thread between AI Agent and customer about skipping a subscription.
AI Agent skipped a customer’s subscription after getting their confirmation.

This structure removes guesswork for both your AI and your customers. The clearer your docs are about when something applies and what happens next, the more accurate and human your automated responses will feel.

A Help Center written for both people and AI Agent:

  • Saves your team time
  • Reduces escalations
  • Helps every customer get the right answer the first time

What causes AI Agent to escalate tickets, and how to fix it

Our data shows that most AI escalations happen for a simple reason––your Help Center doesn’t clearly answer the question your customer is asking.

That’s not a failure of AI. It’s a content issue. When articles are vague, outdated, or missing key details, AI Agent can’t confidently respond, so it passes the ticket to a human.

Here are the top 10 topics that trigger escalations most often:

Rank

Ticket Topic

% of Escalations

1

Order status

12.4%

2

Return request

7.9%

3

Order cancellation

6.1%

4

Product - quality issues

5.9%

5

Missing item

4.6%

6

Subscription cancellation

4.4%

7

Order refund

4.1%

8

Product details

3.5%

9

Return status

3.3%

10

Order delivered but not received

3.1%

Each of these topics needs a dedicated, clearly structured Help Doc that uses keywords customers are likely to search and spells out specific conditions. 

Here’s how to strengthen each one:

  • Order status: Include expected delivery timelines, tracking link FAQs, and a clear section for “what to do if tracking isn’t updating.”
  • Return request: Spell out eligibility requirements, time limits, and how to print or request a return label.
  • Order cancellation: Define cut-off times for canceling and link to your “returns” doc for shipped orders.
  • Product quality issues: Explain what qualifies as a defect, how to submit photos, and whether replacements or refunds apply.
  • Missing item: Clarify how to report missing items and what verification steps your team takes before reshipping.
  • Subscription cancellation: Add “if/then” logic for different cases: if paused vs. canceled, if prepaid vs. monthly.
  • Order refund: Outline refund timelines, where customers can see status updates, and any exceptions (e.g., partial refunds).
  • Product details: Cover sizing, materials, compatibility, or FAQs that drive most product-related questions.
  • Return status: State how long returns take to process and where to check progress once a label is scanned.
  • Order delivered but not received: Provide step-by-step guidance for checking with neighbors, filing claims, or requesting replacements.

Start by improving these 10 articles first. Together, they account for nearly half of all AI Agent escalations. The clearer your Help Center is on these topics, the fewer tickets your team will ever see, and the faster your AI will resolve the rest.

How to format your Help Center docs for LLMs

Once you know how AI Agent reads your content, the next step is formatting your help docs so it can easily understand and use them. 

The goal isn’t to rewrite everything, it’s to make your articles more structured, scannable, and logic-friendly. 

Here’s how.

1. Use structured, scannable sections

Both humans and large language models read hierarchically. If your article runs together in one long block of text, key answers get buried.

Break articles into clear sections and subheadings (H2s, H3s) for each scenario or condition. Use short paragraphs, bullets, and numbered lists to keep things readable.

Example:

How to Track Your Order

  • Step 1: Find your tracking number in your confirmation email.
  • Step 2: Click the tracking link to see your delivery status.
  • Step 3: If tracking hasn’t updated in 3 days, contact support.

A structured layout helps both AI and shoppers find the right step faster, without confusion or escalation.

2. Write for “if/when/then” logic

AI Agent learns best when your Help Docs clearly define what happens under specific conditions. Think of it like writing directions for a flowchart.

Example:

  • “If your order hasn’t arrived within 10 days, contact support for a replacement.”
  • “If your order has shipped, you can find the tracking link in your order confirmation email.”

This logic helps AI know what to do and how to explain the answer clearly to the customer.

3. Clarify similar terms and synonyms

Customers don’t always use the same words you do, and neither do LLMs. If your docs treat “cancel,” “stop,” and “pause” as interchangeable, AI Agent might return the wrong answer.

Define each term clearly in your Help Center and add small keyword variations (“cancel subscription,” “end plan,” “pause delivery”) so the AI can recognize related requests.

4. Link to next steps

AI Agent follows links just like a human agent. If your doc ends abruptly, it can’t guide the customer any further.

Always finish articles with an explicit next step, like linking to:

  • A form
  • Another article
  • A support action page

Example: “If your return meets our policy, request your return label here.”

That extra step keeps the conversation moving and prevents unnecessary escalations.

5. Keep tone consistent

AI tools prioritize structure and wording when learning from your Help Center—not emotional tone. 

Phrases like “Don’t worry!” or “We’ve got you!” add noise without clarity.

Instead, use simple, action-driven sentences that tell the customer exactly what to do:

  • “Click here to request a refund.”
  • “Fill out the warranty form to get a replacement.”

A consistent tone keeps your Help Center professional, helps AI deliver reliable responses, and creates a smoother experience for customers.

LLM-friendly Help Centers in action

You don’t need hundreds of articles or complex workflows to make your Help Center AI-ready. But you do need clarity, structure, and consistency. These Gorgias customers show how it’s done.

Little Words Project: Simple formatting that boosts instant answers

Little Words Project keeps things refreshingly straightforward. Their Help Center uses short paragraphs, descriptive headers, and tightly scoped articles that focus on a single intent, like returns, shipping, or product care. 

That makes it easy for AI Agent to scan the page, pull out the right facts, and return accurate answers on the first try.

Their tone stays friendly and on-brand, but the structure is what shines. Every article flows from question → answer → next step. It’s a minimalist approach, and it works. Both for customers and the AI reading alongside them.

Little Words Project Help Center homepage showing six main categories: Orders, Customization, Charms, Shipping, Warranty, and Returns & Exchanges.
Little Words Project's Help Center uses short paragraphs and tightly scoped articles to boost instant answers.

Dr. Bronner’s: Making tools work for the team

Customer education is at the heart of Dr. Bronner’s mission. Their customers often ask detailed questions about product ingredients, packaging, and certifications. With Gorgias, Emily and her team were able to build a robust Help Center that helped to proactively give this information.

The Help Center doesn't just provide information. The integration of interactive Flows, Order Management, and a Contact Form automation allowed Dr. Bronner’s to handle routine inquiries—such as order statuses—quickly and efficiently. These kinds of interactive elements are all possible out-of-the-box, no IT support needed.

Dr. Bronner's Help Center webpage showing detailed articles, interactive flows, and order management automation for efficient customer support.
The robust, proactively educational Help Center, integrated with interactive flows and order management via Gorgias, streamlines detailed and routine customer inquiries.

Read more: How Dr. Bronner's saved $100k/year by switching from Salesforce, then automated 50% of interactions with Gorgias 

Ekster: Building efficiency through automation and clarity

Ekster website and a Gorgias chat widget. A customer asks "How do I attach my AirTag?" and the Support Bot instantly replies with a link to the relevant "User Manual" article.
Gorgias AI Agent instantly recommends a relevant "User Manual" article to a customer asking, "How do I attach my AirTag?", demonstrating how structured Help Center content enables quick, instant issue resolution.

When Ekster switched to Gorgias, the team wanted to make their Help Center work smarter. By writing clear, structured articles for common questions like order tracking, returns, and product details, they gave both customers and AI Agent the information needed to resolve issues instantly.

"Our previous Help Center solution was the worst. I hated it. Then I saw Gorgias’s Help Center features, and how the Article Recommendations could answer shoppers’ questions instantly, and I loved it. I thought: this is just what we need." —Shauna Cleary, Head of Ecommerce at Ekster

The results followed fast. With well-organized Help Center content and automation built around it, Ekster was able to scale support without expanding the team.

“With all the automations we’ve set up in Gorgias, and because our team in Buenos Aires has ramped up, we didn’t have to rehire any extra agents.” —Shauna Cleary, Head of Ecommerce at Ekster

Learn more: How Ekster used automation to cover the workload of 4 agents 

Rowan: Clean structure that keeps customers (and AI) on track

Rowan’s Help Center is a great example of how clear structure can do the heavy lifting. Their FAQs are grouped into simple categories like piercing, shipping, returns, and aftercare, so readers and AI Agent can jump straight to the right topic without digging. 

For LLMs, that kind of consistency reduces guesswork. For customers, it creates a smooth, reassuring self-service experience. 

Rowan's Help Center homepage, structured with six clear categories including Piercing Aftercare (19 articles), Returns & Exchanges, and Appointment Information.
Rowan’s Help Center uses a clean, categorized structure (Aftercare, Returns, Shipping) that lets customers and AI Agents jump straight to the right topic.

TUSHY: Balancing brand voice with automation

TUSHY proves you can maintain personality and structure. Their Help Center articles use clear headings, direct language, and brand-consistent tone. It makes it easy for AI Agent to give accurate, on-brand responses.

TUSHY bidet customer help center webpage showing categories: Toilet Fit, My Order, How to Use Your TUSHY, Attachments, Non-Electric and Electric Seats.
Explore articles covering Toilet Fit, My Order, How to Use Your TUSHY, and various Bidet Attachments, all structured for easy retrieval and use.
“Too often, a great interaction is diminished when a customer feels reduced to just another transaction. With AI, we let the tech handle the selling, unabashedly, if needed, so our future customers can ask anything, even the questions they might be too shy to bring up with a human. In the end, everybody wins!" —Ren Fuller-Wasserman, Senior Director of Customer Experience at TUSHY

Quick checklist to audit your Help Center for AI

Ready to put your Help Center to the test? Use this five-point checklist to make sure your content is easy for both customers and AI to navigate.

1. Are your articles scannable with clear headings?

Break up long text blocks and use descriptive headers (H2s, H3s) so readers and AI Agent can instantly find the right section.

2. Do you define conditions with “if/when/then” phrasing?

Spell out what happens in each scenario. This logic helps AI Agent decide the right next step without second-guessing.

3. Do you cover your top escalation topics?

Make sure your Help Center includes complete, structured articles for high-volume issues like order status, returns, and refunds.

4. Does each article end with a clear next step or link?

Close every piece with a call to action, like a form, related article, or support link, so neither AI nor customers hit a dead end.

5. Is your language simple, action-based, and consistent?

Use direct, predictable phrasing. Avoid filler like “Don’t worry!” and focus on steps customers can actually take.

By tweaking structure instead of your content, it’s easier to turn your Help Center into a self-service powerhouse for both customers and your AI Agent.

Make your Help Center work smarter

Your Help Center already holds the answers your customers need. Now it’s time to make sure AI can find them. A few small tweaks to structure and phrasing can turn your existing content into a powerful, AI-ready knowledge base.

If you’re not sure where to start, review your Help Center with your Gorgias rep or CX team. They can help you identify quick wins and show you how AI Agent pulls information from your articles.

Remember: AI Agent gets smarter with every structured doc you publish.

Ready to optimize your Help Center for faster, more accurate support? Book a demo today.

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min read.
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Create powerful self-service resources
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Further reading

Ecommerce Tech Stack

A User-Friendly Guide to Ecommerce Tech Stacks

By Ryan Baum
24 min read.
0 min read . By Ryan Baum

Today, a wide range of software solutions exist to help ecommerce business owners better manage every aspect of their online store. However, creating the ideal technology stack for an ecommerce store is often easier said than done. To help you put together a tech stack that’s best suited for your unique business needs, we’ll review some of the top ecommerce tools on the market today, grouped by category. 

First, we’ll walk through what you need to know about building a powerful, easy to use ecommerce tech stack — without breaking the bank. 

What is an ecommerce tech stack? 

An ecommerce tech stack is the collection of digital tools, software applications, and platforms that an online store owner uses to run their business. These tools work together to optimize day-to-day tasks — across sales, marketing, customer service, order fulfillment and returns, payment processing, and other key areas — and reveal customer insights that can fuel growth.

If you’re curious about an ecommerce brands’ tech stack, try searching on builtwith.com, which scans the back-end of any website to see what technology it uses.

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Factors to consider as you build your ecommerce technology stack 

Today, ecommerce store owners have a broad range of solutions to choose from when it comes time to build their ecommerce tech stack. However, an abundance of options can also make selecting the best solutions a challenge. Here are the most important factors to consider: 

How to build an ecommerce tech stack: Look at cost, compatibility, ease of use, and customer support.

Cost

An ecommerce tech stack can consist of anywhere from 3-5 core tools to more than 20, depending on the size of your operations and how you approach the process. It’s vital to set a budget and keep it in mind as you weigh different solutions and plan tiers. If possible, balance it against the return on investment (ROI) for the particular tool or feature set (more on that later). 

Compatibility

Ideally, you’ll create a digital ecosystem of tools that integrate seamlessly and transfer data quickly and reliably. The ecommerce tools you consider should allow you to combine the features of multiple solutions, either through direct integrations or third-party integration tools. 

Ease of use

While all ecommerce solutions come with some degree of a learning curve, it's a good idea to prioritize user-friendly tools that are easy to install, set up, and use. Look for a knowledge base with tutorials and FAQs; expert-led training options can also help.

Customer support

Make sure the support solution aligns with your business hours and the channels you prefer, like email, phone, or live chat. Choosing a solution that’s backed by excellent customer support means you’ll have a reliable source of assistance if or when issues arise. 

Determining the order of tool additions 

Building the right tech stack, complete with all the tools and features your store could possibly need, doesn’t happen overnight. It’s best to focus on testing and approving the tools you truly need for your day-to-day operations. That way, you know that any other software or hardware you’re considering should integrate nicely with your must-have tools. 

For starters, an online store hosting platform will be the cornerstone of your ecommerce tech stack. From there, it’s up to you to decide which tools you add next. 

We’ve seen that many ecommerce store owners choose to prioritize their sales and marketing tools — after all, many of the other solutions on our list won't offer much value if your online storefront isn't attracting customers or ready to manage payments. Big picture solutions or add-ons, like the top tier of a user analytics tool or premium page themes, can come later on. 

Ensuring compatibility between tools 

When it comes to building the best possible ecommerce tech stack, integrations are key. Choosing apps that sync with one another allows information to flow seamlessly between them, cutting down on manual labor and user error and letting you get the most out of your stack. 

Most software platforms have an integrations or apps page where they list their official integrations. For instance, the Gorgias Apps page has a categorized, searchable database of the 80+ apps that integrate with its platform. For apps that don’t directly integrate, a tool like Zapier lets you easily set up workflows between them and doesn’t require much tech expertise to use. 

Look for integrations when choosing your ecommerce tools.

An email marketing platform that connects with your order fulfillment platform, for example, can enable you to send automated order tracking updates to your customers personalized with their name. A customer service solution that integrates with your social media marketing solution, meanwhile, can allow you to turn your social media channels into customer service channels.

A connected ecosystem provides far more value and functionality in the long run. By looking for compatibility between tools ahead of time, you can build an ecommerce tech stack that’s much more than the sum of its parts. 

Balancing your tech stack budget against potential ROI

Fortunately, the money you invest into building tech stack doesn’t disappear into thin air — it will offer real value and unlock revenue opportunities. As you consider the cost of different tools, it’s a good idea to weigh it against the potential ROI of each tool. 

At a high level, you can determine the potential ROI of each tool by weighing the expenses for a given time period — such as monthly subscription costs, licensing fees, additional users, and training or setup fees — against the potential gains. It can be tough to put the positive value of using a new tool into figures, however, consider gains like increased sales or reduced labor costs to start. 

We recommend creating an optimistic estimate (lowest cost and highest return) and pessimistic estimate (highest cost and lowest return) to get closer to an accurate number. For example, if your optimistic estimate suggests that an email marketing tool will increase your store's cash flow by 10%, then you could factor this estimated ROI into how much of your budget is allotted for this tool.

Ecommerce store hosting platforms

The first solution that you will need to choose before you can get your ecommerce store up and running is a hosting platform. Hosting platforms allow you to build a custom ecommerce website — regardless of your coding experience — using simple drag-and-drop commands. 

Plug-n-play hosting platforms also offer services such as website hosting, website security, and payment processing on your behalf. If you would like to get started building your own ecommerce store using an ecommerce store hosting platform, here are the top platforms to consider:

Shopify

Arguably the most recognizable ecommerce store hosting platform, Shopify has certainly earned its reputation as a go-to choice for e-commerce sites. With Shopify, business owners are able to create attractive online stores in a matter of minutes by choosing from a broad variety of starting templates, then adding additional design elements and features from Shopify's ever-expanding library. 

Business owners can also integrate thousands of additional features into their online store by making use of the Shopify App Store — a store that sells thousands of third-party apps designed to integrate with Shopify websites.

Pros

  • Mobile-ready
  • Choose from thousands of third-party app integrations on the Shopify App Store

Unique features

  • Integrated payment processing
  • 24/7 live customer support

Check out Shopify’s integration with Gorgias.

BigCommerce

Like Shopify, BigCommerce is a web development solution that allows ecommerce business owners to create their own online stores within a no-code environment before offering a full suite of web hosting services that includes site security and payment processing. 

With that said, there are a few features that set BigCommerce and Shopify apart. For one, BigCommerce offers a long list of built-in sales features that don't require any additional installation, ensuring that you are ready to start moving products the moment your store goes live. Another nice feature of BigCommerce is that BigCommerce does not charge any transaction fees regardless of the plan that you choose.

Pros

  • The ability to add an unlimited number of product variants
  • Designed for scalability

Unique features

  • Wide range of built-in sales features
  • No transaction fees on any plan

Check out BigCommerce’s integration with Gorgias.

Magento

Magento differs from Shopify and BigCommerce in the fact that it is an open-source platform that is free to download and use. In order to build a website using Magento, though, you are going to need a certain degree of coding experience. The tradeoff for this steeper learning curve is that Magento allows you to build sites that are much more customized than what you could build using Shopify or BigCommerce. Magento also offers hosting services and a broad range of third-party integrations that can be purchased as add-ons.

Pros

  • Unlimited customization options providing you know how to code
  • Comprehensive answers to just about any question can be found on the Magento Forum

Unique features

  • Detailed analytics and reporting
  • Enhanced product browsing (i.e. the ability for customers to zoom in on product images, the ability to display stock availability, and the ability to display multiple pricing tiers)

Check out Magento’s integration with Gorgias.

Ecommerce marketing tools

According to data from The Drum, the total amount of money spent on digital ads increased 41% in the first half of 2021. If you want to keep up with econnerce industry competition that is increasingly spending more on advertising, it is essential to develop the right marketing strategy for your online store — and a big part of creating an effective marketing strategy is choosing the right ecommerce marketing tools. 

From providing insights about your visitors, to helping you conduct keyword research, to helping you manage your email and PPC campaigns, there are a lot of capabilities that come with developing the right ecommerce marketing tool tech stack.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a SaaS solution that automates the process of creating and managing email and SMS campaigns. With Klaviyo, you start out with pre-built campaign workflows that you can customize into your own email or SMS campaigns. From there, Klaviyo allows you to create automated triggers and segmented lists for your campaigns that will completely automate the process of sending the right messages to the right customers at the right times.

Pros

  • An incredibly wide range of pre-built email workflows to choose from
  • A convenient analytics dashboard that displays key campaign data

Unique features

  • Multiple automation triggers such as cart abandonment, price drop, back-in-stock, and more
  • A large library of integrations to pull data from other ecommerce tools and platforms into Klaviyo

Check out Klaviyo’s integrations here. 

Postscript

Postscript is a tool that integrates with Shopify stores in order to provide store owners with the ability to create and manage SMS marketing campaigns from one centralized dashboard. 

Given that SMS messages have a 98% open rate according to data from TechJury, SMS can be a powerful medium to manage, and Postscript provides all of the tools you need to develop and oversee effective SMS marketing campaigns: detailed reporting, tools for growing and managing your SMS subscriber list, and beyond.

Pros

  • Create up to 65 different automation triggers
  • Segment your subscribers using 40 segmentation filters, including historical Shopify data, SMS activity, data from app integrations, area codes, and more

Unique features

  • Create multiple "text-to-join" keywords
  • Create QR codes that can be used to opt-in to your subscriber list

Check out Postscript’s integrations here. 

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free analytics service offered by Google that is designed to provide real-time insights regarding how users find and use your website. With Google Analytics, you can see where your traffic is coming from, the pages that they visit, how much time they spend on each page, detailed demographics of your website visitors, and beyond. This detailed customer data helps you optimize your online store and marketing campaigns alike. 

Google Analytics can also connect with any ecommerce platform and offers an incredibly wide range of other integrations as well.

Pros

  • Excellent data visualization features
  • Create custom data reports

Unique features

  • Perform keyword research using Google Analytics's Search Console
  • Segment your website visitors and leads for more personalized and targeted campaigns

Learn how to set up and integrate with Google Analytics here. 

Canva

Canve is a simple, powerful design platform where anyone can design marketing assets for their website, social media, and more. While most designers prefer more powerful design tools, Canva’s extensive template library and simple drag-and-drop editing features make it the perfect choice for small business owners and single-person marketing teams. 

Pros

  • Easy to use, regardless of technical or design skills
  • Great free model

Unique features

  • A large template library with pre-sized images for Instagram stories, Facebook banners, and so much more
  • Great collaboration features to help facilitate brainstorming and feedback 

Ecommerce social media management

With billions of engaged users all over the globe, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are ripe with marketing opportunities. In addition to solutions for marketing to your social media audience, ecommerce social media management tools can also provide benefits such as automating the process of managing your social profiles and enabling you to turn your social media profiles into customer service channels. 

Sprout Social 

Sprout Social is an all-in-one social media management tool that offers features like social listening tools for gleaning key insights from your social media audiences, automation tools for automatically scheduling and publishing posts, a centralized inbox for responding to comments and direct messages across multiple platforms, and rich analytics for gauging the results of your social media efforts. If you're looking for a single solution to empower your store's social media strategy, Sprout Social is a wonderful option to consider.  

Pros

  • Offers a variety of powerful tools and features in a single solution 
  • Intuitive and easy to use 

Unique features 

  • Social listening tools automatically track and extract key insights from social conversations about your brand 
  • Publishing and scheduling tools enable you to schedule posts for automatic publishing across all major social media platforms 

Check out Sprout Social’s integrations here. 

Gorgias

Gorgias's comprehensive customer service platform offers powerful social media management features such as the ability to respond to direct messages, comments, and mentions across platforms from a single dashboard, track sales generated by individual support agents via social media app, and create macros that streamline your day-to-day social media interactions. 

Pros

  • Powerful, user-friendly social media features and integrations built specifically for online stores
  • Offers a broad range of customer support tools to make Instagram, Facebook, and more part of a stellar customer experience

Unique features 

  • A centralized, user-friendly dashboard for managing social interactions across platforms 
  • Customizable rules and macros powered by customer sentiment detection

Check out all of Gorgias’s integrations here. 

Recart 

With over 146 million active users in the United States alone, Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging platforms in existence. With Recart, ecommerce store owners are able to take advantage of this app's popularity by creating automated Facebook Messenger marketing campaigns. Recart also offers tools for helping you grow your Facebook Messenger subscriber list, as well as SMS marketing and list-building features.  

Recart offers great marketing and cart abandonment features.
Source: Recart

Pros

  • Makes it incredibly easy to build opt-in popups and automated marketing flows 
  • Offers a range of useful Facebook Messenger marketing campaign templates 

Unique features 

  • Enables you to create cart abandonment reminders, welcome series, sales promotions, and a range of other automated Facebook Messenger campaigns 
  • Provides customizable, fast-loading opt-in popups for growing your subscriber lists 

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Check out Recart's integrations here.

Ecommerce customer relationship management (CRM) tools

Creating an optimized customer experience is a vital goal for all types of retailers, and ecommerce stores are certainly no exception. With ecommerce CRM tools, you can ensure that you are managing your all-important customer relationships in a way that is well-organized and largely automated, freeing you up to focus on other important tasks.

Attentive

Attentive is an SMS and email marketing solution designed to help store owners scale their subscriber lists and engage with those lists in a more personalized manner via enhanced segmentation and targeting. If you would like an all-in-one solution to SMS and email marketing, Attentive can offer everything you need to start building your subscriber lists and generating impactful campaigns.

Pros

  • Makes it easy to ensure compliance with SMS and email marketing regulations
  • Strategic guidance and resources designed to help store owners optimize their SMS and email campaigns

Unique features

  • A design editor that allows you to easily create various sign-up units for your website, social media platforms, emails, and product packaging/in-person marketing initiatives
  • Build custom integrations using Attentive's Public APIs and developer resources

Check out Attentive’s integrations here. 

Ecommerce sales tools

Ecommerce technologies designed to help you optimize your store's conversion rate and grow its sales can be highly beneficial. Ecommerce sales tools are able to provide a number of capabilities, such as helping you create the ideal sales funnel for your site, helping your sales staff perform customer outreach, and providing you with a wealth of customer data that you can leverage to boost your website's sales.

Certainly

With Certainly, ecommerce store owners can create AI assistants that will guide their site's visitors to recommended products, walk customers through the checkout process, present customers with upsell opportunities, assist with returns, and more. These AI assistants also gather loads of valuable data during their conversations with customers that you can use to optimize the customer experience on your site.

Pros

  • Create AI-assistant-guided sales funnels for your site
  • Access much more detailed customer data that is acquired via customer conversations with your AI assistants

Unique features

  • Certainly Webhook Builder allows you to completely customize your AI assistants
  • A wide range of pre-made templates to speed up your time to market

Check out Certainly’s integrations here. 

EasyCall

Even in today's digital age, contacting customers by phone remains a lucrative sales strategy. With EasyCall, sales teams are able to manage every aspect of phone-based customer outreach from a single centralized dashboard. EasyCall also makes it easy for customers to get in touch with you by making it simple for you to create a business phone number and web-based call center.

Pros

  • EasyCall can easily integrate with almost any CRM tool
  • An intuitive call center tool allows for effortless collaboration between your sales and customer support teams

Unique features

  • Create a web-based call center without the need to purchase any hardware
  • Make international calls without paying international calling fees

Check out EasyCall’s integrations here. 

Ecommerce automation tools

Automating time-consuming tasks such as managing email marketing campaigns or building new features into your website can free you and your team up to focus on other responsibilities. If you would like to leverage the power of automation on your website, here are two great automation e-commerce solutions to consider.

Alloy 

Alloy is a no-code automation solution for ecommerce stores that allows you to create triggers and automated flows with ease. Alloy is designed to integrate with a wide range of ecommerce tools and platforms so your system is ready to go when a specific event occurs within your store or one of the apps that you rely on, like a sale, customer message, page view, and more.

Pros

  • Plenty of customizable triggers, conditions, and executable actions to select from 
  • Capable of integrating with over 100 different ecommerce tools and platforms 

Unique features 

  • Offers a variety of pre-built workflows in addition to the ability to create your own, customized workflows 
  • Centralizes data from multiple applications and customer touchpoints 

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Check out Alloy's integration with Gorgias. 

Omnisend 

Omnisend is a tool that allows ecommerce store owners to create automated SMS and email marketing campaigns. In addition to templates to help get you started, Omnisdend also offers precision targeting and list segmentation tools, customizable triggers for launching automated campaigns, and in-depth reporting on the results that your SMS and email campaigns generate.

Pros

  • Easy to set up and use 
  • Affordable pricing plans with a completely free plan that offers up to 500 emails per month 

Unique features 

  • A broad range of customizable email and SMS templates to choose from 
  • Automated list segmenting automatically divides your subscriber lists into targeted list segments 

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Check out Omnisend's integration with Gorgias. 

Mesa

Mesa offers a wide range of automation solutions, including automating customer returns, order tracking, creating customer support tickets, and beyond. With Mesa's large library of pre-built automation workflows and its no-code workflow editor, you can build and customize just about any automation you can imagine — regardless of your coding experience.

Pros

  • Makes it easy to build customized automations using only drag-and-drop commands
  • A well-regarded support team for helping you make the most of Mesa's many features

Unique features

  • A no-code workflow editor that allows you to customize Mesa's pre-built automations or create your own automation from scratch
  • A vast selection of pre-built automation workflows

Check out Mesa’s integration page here. 

Ecommerce shopping cart tools

Once you successfully direct a customer to the checkout page of your online shop, the battle is still far from over. In fact, the average cart abandonment rate across all industries is right at 70% according to data from Baymard Institute. Thankfully, utilizing the right ecommerce shopping cart tools can help you optimize your customers' checkout experience and keep your cart abandonment rate as low as possible.

Shopaccino

One-part shopping cart tool, one-part plug-n-play ecommerce platform, Shopaccino allows you to turn any website into an ecommerce store by providing features such as payment processing, campaign tracking, inventory management, and more. If you are looking for an all-in-one solution for creating and managing your online shop but would rather use your existing website, then Shopaccino is a great option to consider.

Pros

  • Provides the ability to turn any existing website into a fully functional ecommerce store
  • Provides APIs for connecting any ERP, accounting system, or other software solution

Unique features

  • A large selection of free responsive themes to help you get started building your online store
  • Automatically or manually generate coupon discount codes

Check out Shopaccino’s integrations here. 

Ecwid

Ecwid is a tool that makes it easy to add products and a checkout page to any website or social media profile. Like Shopaccino, Ecwid can be used to turn your existing website into a fully operational online store. Ecwid also makes it easy to sell across multiple sales channels and platforms, including in-person, on your website, or on your social media profiles.

Pros

  • Easily add products and a checkout page to any existing website or social media profile
  • Completely free to use

Unique features

  • In addition to turning any website or social media profile into a point-of-sale, Ecwid also allows you to easily process and manage in-person sales and accept credit/debit card payments on the go or at your brick-and-mortar location
  • Provides automated marketing features such as automated abandoned cart emails and automated PPC advertising

Check out Ecwid’s integrations here. 

Ecommerce web development tools

For brand-new stores, most of the tools listed in other sections will be enough to . However, as you grow, you may need additional web development frameworks to help you customize your store, improve efficiencies, and offer the customer experience your shoppers deserve.

Front-end web development

Front-end web development programming languages help you develop, design, and deploy your ecommerce website. They help make your website more interactive, eye-catching, and user-friendly. The main front-end programming languages are:

Back-end web development

If front-end web development is the aesthetics of the house, back-end web development is the plumbing, electricity, and everything else that operates behind the scenes to power the house’s — or your website’s — functionality. 

Back-end development is usually custom-built, and requires a few elements:

  • Operating system: Windows, Linux, or macOS
  • Web server: Apache, Nginx, Microsoft-IIS
  • Databases: MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB by Amazon, Firebase database by Google, PostgreSQL
  • Storage: Amazon Web Services (AQS) S3, Firebase Storage by Google
  • Scripting language: Ruby on Rails, Java, Python, Scala, PHP, Spring, Groovy on Grails

If you’re interested in learning more about technical stacks for ecommerce, consider reading more about some of the most popular:

And if this section on web development went over your head, don’t be alarmed. Most stores get away with simple no-code tools until they mature enough to hire outsourced or in-house developers to support. 

Ecommerce payment processing software

The ability to securely and conveniently accept payments from customers is a vital capability for any online store. Thankfully, these payment processing solutions make it easy for you to provide your customers with multiple payment processing options: Think of them like payment gateways that connect your store to flows of funds.

Shopify POS 

Shopify POS is a point-of-sale solution designed specifically for Shopify stores. It boasts a variety of advantages for Shopify users, including the ability to sync inventory, payments, and orders across multiple Shopify stores, create discounts and loyalty programs, and offer customers flexible shopping options like local pickup, local delivery, and ship-to-customer. 

Pros

  • Easy and powerful integration with the Shopify platform 
  • Provides useful inventory management tools in addition to payment processing 

Unique features 

  • Allows you to process payments online, in store, or on your social media channels 
  • Lets you create detailed customer profiles for use in loyalty and rewards programs 

Check out Shopify POS's integrations here.

PayPal

Once integrated into your online store, PayPal allows you to accept both credit/debit card payments as well as payments that are made using the customer's own PayPal account. PayPal also offers convenient point-of-sale devices that enable you to accept credit, debit, and PayPal payments at your brick-and-mortar location.

Pros

  • Robust security ensures that your customers' sensitive financial data doesn't fall into the wrong hands
  • PayPal speeds up the checkout process for customers with an existing PayPal account, making it much easier for your customers to complete their purchase and thus reducing your cart abandonment rate

Unique features

  • PayPal Checkout allows customers to complete their checkout without having to fill in information such as credit card numbers and shipping addresses
  • PayPal Marketing Solutions provides insights into how your customers are shopping

Learn how to integrate with PayPal here. 

Square

Like PayPal, Square offers both ecommerce and in-person payment processing solutions. While Square is best known for its point-of-sale devices that make in-person payment processing secure and convenient, Square can also be integrated with your online store to allow you to easily accept credit/debit card payments.

Pros

  • Slightly lower fees than PayPal and other payment processing solutions
  • Exceptional point-of-sale devices for in-person sales, including a free card reader

Unique features

  • 24/7 live chat support
  • Square offers a feature that allows customers to book appointments with your company through its website

Check out Square’s integrations here. 

Recharge

Recharge is a subscription billing platform for Shopify stores that allows store owners to sell subscription-based products and services. If you are selling subscription-based goods such as replenishable goods or subscription boxes, Recharge can help you manage the complex billing in a way that is easy and largely automated.

Pros

  • Detailed analytics and reporting
  • ReCharge is the only Shopify Plus partner designed specifically for subscriptions

Unique features

  • A gifting function that allows customers to gift a subscription to another person
  • Upsell workflows to help increase your average order value

Check out Recharge’s Tech Partners list of best-in-class integrations here. Or, see the full integrations directory. 

Ecommerce customer service software

Excellent customer service is a key pillar of ecommerce success. With these ecommerce customer service software solutions, you can integrate live chat customer support into your website, create automated chatbots for handling common questions and customer support issues, and automate other time-consuming elements of customer support.

Gorgias

Gorgias is an all-in-one customer service solution built specifically for merchants in the ecommerce industry. 

The tool provides live chat customer support capabilities and self-service options such as a dedicated help center and knowledge base. This platform also offers a wide range of automations and macros for automating much of your customer service responsibilities. If you are looking for a comprehensive solution to ecommerce customer service that will save your customer support team time and resources and give your customers the help they need, Gorgias is an excellent solution.

Pros

  • Gorgias centralizes all of your multichannel support tickets in one place, allowing your customer support team to edit orders, modify subscriptions, and refund payments without leaving the helpdesk
  • Can connect with Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento stores to bring your products and shopper history right into the helpdesk

Unique features

  • Live chat customer support with the ability to automatically message customers first during key events
  • Macros and rules that allow you to automate customer service tasks such as providing shipment updates or creating customer support tickets

Check out all Gorgias integrations here. 

Stella Connect

Stella Connect is a tool designed to help business owners manage remote customer support teams. With Stella Connect, you can manage your entire customer support team from one centralized dashboard, or integrate with Gorgias for an even more robust solution for remote teams. You can also schedule one-on-one meetings with customer support agents, provide agents with real-time customer feedback and more, making Stella Connect an excellent choice for business owners who rely on remote workers as their customer support staff.

Pros

  • Centralizes and streamlines all aspects of remote customer support team management
  • Provides detailed customer data that you can use to improve your customer support performance

Unique features

  • Create and implement automated customer support workflows
  • Create rewards and incentive programs for customer support agents

Check out Stella Connect’s integrations here. 

Still not satisfied? Check out our list of the best:

Ecommerce chat tools 

Installing chat tools on your website is one of the best ways to boost order value while making customer support more convenient for your customers. In fact, nearly 80% of businesses say offering live chat features has positively impacted sales, revenue, and customer loyalty.

Chat solutions for ecommerce stores can come in two different forms: live chat and automated chatbots. Implementing a live chat solution lets customers connect with a live support agent via a chat widget on your website. Chatbots, meanwhile, are AI-powered chat tools that auto-reply to common customer questions and issues according to rules you create and macros and resources you build ahead of time. 

In both cases, ecommerce chat tools can be a powerful way to make your support channels more accessible to customers while reducing the workload of your support team. Here are the tools that can help you do it.

Gorgias 

Gorgias offers a fast-loading and easy-to-install live chat widget that lets customers easily connect with a support agent any time they visit your website. In addition to live chat widgets built into your ecommerce store, Gorgias also gives you the power of live chat support via Facebook Messenger and SMS. For common questions and issues, Gorgias offers rules and macros that can be used to create automated responses, allowing you to quickly address the questions your brand receives most and turn them into sales opportunities.

Pros

  • Gorgias's fast-loading live chat widget won't slow down your website 
  • Your live chat support agents can manage conversations across multiple platforms from a single dashboard  

Unique features 

  • Provides support agents easy access to key details, like shopper history and inventory levels, during any live chat conversation 
  • Allows you to automatically trigger live chat campaigns based on a variety of events and customer actions 
  • Includes customer sentiment tools to automatically sort chat-based requests by priority and keep tickets organized 

Learn more about the Gorgias live chat tool here. 

Ada  

Ada is a solution that provides AI-powered chatbots for customer experience, sales, and support purposes. In addition to automated customer support chatbots that are able to address common questions and issues, Ada offers chatbots that will proactively engage customers when they visit your store. These proactive outbound messaging chatbots can be used to automatically deliver timely content to customers that is personalized based on their actions and interests.  

Pros

  • No-code automation and one-click integrations make Ada easy to set up and use
  • Chatbots deliver personalized responses based on customer data that feel like an interaction with an actual human agent 

Unique features 

  • Intent and sentiment detections for delivering relevant, personalized responses 
  • Capable of automatically routing customer inquiries to your sales or customer support team 

Check out Ada's integration with Gorgias. 

Still not satisfied? Check out our lists of the best:

Ecommerce returns and shipping tools

Managing returns and shipping is a hassle that most online store owners would rather do without. Fortunately, there are high-quality tools available that allow you to automate many of the responsibilities associated with handling shipping and returns. By providing customers with self-service return options, automatically sending out shipping updates, and more, the following two tools can go a long way toward streamlining the logistics side of your business.

ReturnLogic

ReturnLogic is designed to automate the entire returns process by enabling you to create automated return workflows, automatically updating your inventory, and making it easy for you and your customers alike to track the status of returns. ReturnLogic also provides complete visibility to your customer support team, making it easy for them to access a customer's purchase history and issue refunds and returns.

Pros

  • Creates a completely transparent returns process that is easier for both your customers and support agents to navigate
  • Provides analytics on your returns that you can use to lower your return rate

Unique features

  • Barcode scanner functionality that allows you to update the status of a returned item with a simple scan
  • 3PL and ERP integrations that allow you to seamlessly connect ReturnLogic with your existing inventory management systems or logistics provider

Check out ReturnLogic’s integrations here. 

Wonderment

Wonderment is an order-tracking platform that seeks to reduce customer support tickets regarding order status by providing customers with automated shipping updates. With Wonderment, you can automate shipping notifications via email or SMS, send internal notifications regarding delayed or lost orders, and create custom, fully-branded shipping alerts.

Pros

  • Seamless and customizable shipping update automation options
  • Helps stores be more proactive about resolving issues that could otherwise lead to customer support tickets

Unique features

  • View the status of all of your shipments from one dashboard
  • Integrates with Klaviyo, making it easy to send customized and automated shipping update emails

Check out Wonderment’s integrations here. 

Loop Returns 

Encouraging exchanges for returned products rather than refunds is a great way to reduce the often substantial impact that product returns have on a store's bottom line. With Loop Returns, online store owners can create a customized product return portal where customers can return their purchases and manage exchanges without needing to contact the support team, among other helpful features. 

Loop Returns offers great return and exchange management features.
Source: Loop

Pros

  • Customizable product return portals allow customers to manage returns themselves and reduce your support team's workload 
  • Meaningful metrics provide insight into your returns and refunds and identify supply chain, positioning, and other issues 

Unique features 

  • Enables customers to automatically apply the value of their return to any order using the "Shop Now" feature
  • Allows you to apply variable bonus credits to customers who choose to exchange their returned product

Check out the Loop Returns integration with Gorgias.

ShipBob 

More of a logistics service provider than an application, ShipBob is a service that allows ecommerce store owners to ship their products in bulk to ShipBob warehouses across the country. Once you've delivered your products, ShipBob then takes over all inventory management and order fulfillment responsibilities on behalf of your online store — picking, packing, and shipping products to customers as they're ordered. 

Pros

  • ShipBob completely eliminates the burden of order fulfillment, including managing product returns 
  • Strategically located warehouses allow you to offer faster shipping to locations across the country 

Unique features 

  • Includes built-in reports and analytics that provide a window into product performance 
  • Offers a comprehensive help center that will help you master the platform and resolve any issues that you might experience 

Check out ShipBob's integration with Gorgias. 

AfterShip 

Providing customers with the ability to easily track their shipments is one of the most important parts of creating an optimized post-purchase experience. With AfterShip, you can create customized order tracking pages that allow customers to follow the location and status of their orders on your website. AfterShip's user-facing dashboard also enables you and your staff to easily monitor purchases and returns. 

Pros

  • Simplifies the tracking of purchases and returns for both your staff and your customers 
  • Plenty of customization options make it easy to create tracking pages that are on-brand and optimized for your store theme

Unique features 

  • Provides a range of automated post-purchase workflow templates, such as shipping notifications 
  • Provides detailed analytics around your shipping performance and post-purchase experience 

Check out AfterShip's integration with Gorgias.

Add Gorgias to your ecommerce tech stack to give your customers the top-notch service that keeps them coming back

From boosting your sales to streamlining the customer support process, creating a tech stack for your ecommerce store that is complete with the best ecommerce solutions can offer a wide range of advantages. At Gorgias, we are committed to helping our clients improve the quality of their customer support while at the same time making their entire customer support process more efficient with our industry-leading ecommerce customer support solutions. 

See for yourself how Gorgias can help you provide your customers with the service they deserve — try out Gorgias today!

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Apps and Integrations
How To Offer Free Shipping

How to Offer Free Shipping and Lift Revenue

By Jordan Miller
10 min read.
0 min read . By Jordan Miller

Free shipping has become so ubiquitous in ecommerce that shoppers now expect it. 

According to a survey conducted by Forbes, 77% of respondents abandoned their cart because they were unhappy with the shipping options. 84% made a purchase because it qualified for free shipping. 

Free shipping isn’t always an option for ecommerce stores though, especially for those with small margins or where shipping is expensive for every order. 

These are the best strategies for how to offer free shipping, even if you’re unsure it’s something your business can afford. 

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Is offering free shipping in ecommerce worth the cost?

Free shipping has become a key differentiator in a very crowded ecommerce ecosystem, with 75% of customers now expecting it on all orders. 

Offering free shipping can drive more revenue for your business, encourage repeat business, decrease cart abandonment, and even pull customers away from your competition. 

Let’s be clear: Offering free shipping for all products is not sustainable for most businesses. But free shipping is not all-or-nothing. Below, explore why providing free shipping in some capacity is worth the expense for your business. 

Benefits of free shipping for ecommerce companies

Encourage customers to become repeat buyers

One survey found that 90% of consumers consider free shipping to be the primary factor driving them to shop with online retailers more frequently. And, according to Gorgias, repeat shoppers generate 300% more revenue than first-time shoppers, on average.

Repeat customers generate 300% more revenue than first-time shoppers, on average.
Source: Gorgias

When customers are online shopping, they remember easy experiences, which includes not having to pay for shipping when they find something they love. A stress-free experience (without unpleasant surprises at checkout) creates loyal customers who want to shop with your business long term. 

📚 Recommended reading: Learn why customer experience is a largely untapped revenue stream for most ecommerce brands. 

Incentivize higher average order volume (AOV)

On top of that, some free shipping models encourage customers to place larger orders, generating more revenue per customer.

Take the minimum order value model (what you might call the Amazon not-Prime model), where shipping only becomes free once the cart reaches a certain subtotal. Depending on which study you prefer, at least 84% — and perhaps as many as 93% of customers — have added items to their cart to qualify for free shipping, increasing average transaction value and potentially total revenue per customer.

Sway customers away from competitors

When you offer free shipping and a competitor doesn’t, that single difference can pull new customers your way — and away from the competition. When 90% of consumers consider free shipping their top incentive and a full 60% of them expect free shipping no matter what, offering it is a huge differentiator for your customer base. 

📚Recommended reading: 7 Strategies for Creating a Customer-Centric Post-Purchase Experience

Decrease cart abandonment

One firm determined the overall rate of cart abandonment in ecommerce stores is north of 75%, and unexpected charges (including shipping charges) at checkout are the top culprit.

Reasons for cart abandonment during checkout.
Source: Baymard

In other words, providing free shipping — and keeping other unexpected fees out of the checkout process — will reduce cart abandonment and increase conversion rate for typical ecommerce businesses.

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Is your online store ready to offer free shipping?

Making the decision to implement free shipping isn’t always as simple as flipping a switch. It takes careful planning and even more careful execution. Consider the following factors to help you understand the cost of free shipping for your business and decide if it’s the right move for you.  

Understand how much shipping costs your ecommerce business

The demand for free shipping has changed the way that small businesses choose to operate. For example, writer Amanda Mull at The Atlantic reveals how free shipping priorities (and algorithms favoring the vendors who offer it) have hurt numerous small business owners on Etsy. 

If you’re operating on razor-thin margins and you’re already struggling to be price-competitive, pivoting to an always-free shipping model might not be feasible. Even if your margins are healthy, for many smaller ecommerce retailers, blanket free shipping isn’t sustainable or feasible—nor are the extra costs that come with it.

Next steps: How to calculate shipping costs for your business 

On a spreadsheet, compile the shipping costs for every product you sell — from the smallest and lightest to the largest and bulkiest — to all four corners of the US (if you’re a US-based store) and anywhere you ship internationally. 

This cost will differ based on your preferred shipping carrier, too. Compare rates between FedEx, UPS, and USPS to see who has the most affordable option — we’ve linked shipping calculators for each above. Once you have these numbers, calculate your average shipping cost. Then, multiply it by the average number of orders you get in one month. 

You’ll also want to look at your best-selling items and calculate how much it costs to ship them, as you’ll likely be sending these out more often than other items in your catalog. 

Don’t worry about exact numbers here. The goal is to get a ballpark number to compare with your monthly revenue. If your estimated shipping costs will put you in the red, free shipping may not be the best option (even with the bump in orders). If this is the case, consider qualified or flat-rate shipping instead — more on both below. 

📚 Recommended reading: Our list of shipping best practices for ecommerce businesses.

Consider flat-rate shipping instead

Offering a flat-rate shipping charge is one way to give customers a low-cost shipping option without absorbing the entire cost yourself. 

Even if you can’t afford free shipping, charging one flat shipping cost for all orders on your site incentivizes larger orders. And, if you can keep the flat rate low, it can convince customers who just want to make a small order to convert. 

Set up flat rate shipping in Shopify

Setting up flat rate shipping is quick and easy if you use Shopify: Here’s how to do it.

Determine your free shipping limit

Most brands can’t support universally-free shipping. That’s why a qualified free shipping option based on factors like order size or location is such a good option. 

The most straightforward way to offer qualified free shipping is to set a minimum order amount. But in terms of your bottom line, this minimum threshold needs to be high enough that you aren’t losing money on most transactions.

Here’s a formula for calculating your free shipping threshold:

The formula to calculate your free shipping threshold.

Free shipping threshold = (Average shipping cost per order / gross profit margin percentage as a decimal) + average value of an order

Free shipping threshold = ($10 / .30) + $50

Free shipping threshold = $83.33

The result you get from this formula is the average amount at which free shipping won’t create a loss for you.

Now in some cases that figure will be too high to be all that relevant. “Free shipping on orders $350+” can make sense for some retailers, but not those with an average ticket of $50.

Fit Small Business gives additional formulas for calculating a minimum threshold that still operates at a loss. 

Consider free shipping for returns

Customers hate paying for return shipping. If you can afford it, letting shoppers return an item for free is a great way to avoid driving them away. It also can create repeat business, low-effort experiences, and encourage loyalty. 

Of course, free returns leave you vulnerable to expensive spammers and order spikes. So, tighten up your return policy and try to incentivize exchanges over returns to protect lost revenue.

Find other ecommerce differentiators besides free shipping

Ecommerce is a wide field, and your business is competing for only a small slice of the market. Look for differentiators with lower cost pressures and high levels of impact that may be unique to your industry or market.

Free shipping isn’t the only thing that matters. Fast delivery also makes a difference in many industries and markets. Can you outmaneuver your competition by offering next-day shipping, even at a premium price? Perhaps your customers will be willing to pay for faster service if it isn’t available elsewhere.

Here are a few other areas you might explore in search of other ecommerce differentiators:

  • Unique services
  • Ecosystem effects (think Apple: “Our products all work better together, so stick with us across our catalog”)
  • Value-adds (freebies, discounts on future orders, etc.)
  • Multiple shipping and delivery options, including fast or flat rate
  • Eco-friendly shipping or packaging approaches

Similarly, you may not be able to prioritize free shipping until you figure out other logistics like inventory management, order management, order fulfillment, order tracking, and returns management.

How to offer free shipping on a budget

If you’re ready to put together your free shipping strategy, use these tips to craft a program that’s enticing to online shoppers without destroying your bottom line.

1) Increase product prices to absorb the cost of shipping

According to research from the Baymard Institute, 48% of shoppers abandoned their cart because the extra costs were too high. People like the transparency of seeing one price without getting surprised by additional fees at checkout. 

Speaking generally, most customers would prefer to pay $50 for an item that ships free than spend $45 on the same item, only to discover an additional $5 charge for shipping in their shopping carts. Even though you’re passing shipping costs onto the customer in other ways, you still give buyers the perception of lower costs overall. 

Consider raising your prices to include shipping costs to limit surprises at checkout and increase transparency. 

2) Offer a “free shipping for orders over” model to incentivize higher AOVs

Offering free shipping when a customer reaches a minimum price threshold can be a powerful strategy for raising ticket value.

Customers will frequently add more items to reach that threshold, increasing average order value (AOV), overall revenue, and your business’s order volume as a whole.

To make it easy for customers to see how close they are to free shipping, add an app to your ecommerce store (like the Essential Free Shipping Bar for Shopify stores) that shows progress visually. For example, Gorgias customer OLIPOP makes it easy for folks to see how many more packs of soda they need to purchase to get free shipping. 

 

Offer a subscription product to increase customer lifetime value (LTV) and offset the cost of free shipping.
Source: OLIPOP

This is also a great way to build upselling into your strategy. When customers are looking for additional items to meet the free shipping threshold, consider showing items that pair well at checkout. This automation is easy to add via the app store if you’re on Shopify, and you can see how OLIPOP sneaks in suggestions in the screenshot above.  

If you’re going to offer completely free shipping, make sure you use it as a marketing tool and make it very clear to shoppers. For example, Woxer uses a banner at the top of its site to announce that it offers free shipping across the US no matter the order total.

Advertise free shipping on your ecommerce website to increase conversion rate.
Source: Woxer

A cohesive and realistic shipping strategy is highly valuable to any company that ships products to people because it is part of your brand image.

📚 Recommended reading: Our guide to creating an ecommerce shipping and fulfillment strategy. 

3) Offer subscription-based products to increase LTV

In a survey conducted by Salesforce for CFO, more than half of survey respondents said that 40% of their revenue was made up of subscriptions. 

A subscription format is powerful because it ensures repeat purchases and raises the overall lifetime value (LTV) of customers who opt in. If you choose to become part of the subscription economy, you could choose to offer free shipping on subscriber orders only. That way you limit the amount of free shipping you give, and further incentivize shoppers to sign up for a subscription. 

4) Limit free shipping to certain items, customers, or locations

Stores with wide product catalogs that include many low-dollar items may not be able to offer blanket free shipping. But, you can limit free shipping to certain high-dollar product categories, select items within those categories, people who live within a certain distance, or VIP customers.

How to offer free shipping affordably as an ecommerce brand. 5 strategies (listed below).

Here are a few approaches you can use to limit free shipping: 

  • Shoppers must reach a designated spend threshold
  • Free shipping is limited to members (like Amazon Prime or Madewell Insider) 
  • Free shipping is limited to shoppers with a certain number of points in a loyalty program (a service like LoyaltyLion can help you manage this) 
  • Shipping costs are location based (For example, US only if your store is located there) 
  • Products that cost over a certain dollar amount automatically qualify 

5) Partner with a third-party logistics company to offer free (sometimes two-day) shipping at scale

Partnering with a third-party logistics company allows you to split inventory across multiple fulfillment centers throughout the nation. That means they’ll end up closer to customers’ homes, which reduces shipping costs because of location proximity, and means that you can offer faster shipping for less cost. 

ShipBob is a great option for this, as they’re a trusted global fulfillment company.  

Take care of your shoppers with the Gorgias + ShipBob integration. Sync shipping data with your helpdesk, reduce tab-shuffling, and help you improve customer experience during fulfillment. 

6) Optimize your packaging for cost

Shipping fees are calculated based on item weight, size, speed, and distance to destination. And the size and weight of your packaging contribute to that cost. Cutting down on the dimensions of your packaging where possible and using lighter-weight mailers can lower the cost of each package. 

📚Recommended reading: 8 Tips to Minimize Shipping Costs and Maintain Quick Delivery

7) Create a limited-time free shipping offer

There’s nothing quite as powerful as a ticking timer, whether it’s a 15% off coupon that’s only good for the next hour or a sale that only lasts for the weekend. Discounts are powerful, but free shipping can be just as enticing.

Consider adding free shipping promotions to existing promotional events such as holiday sales, store anniversary sales, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and other seasonal events pertinent to your industry and market.

Time-limited holiday sales can be effective, but they also tend to be some of your busiest sales windows in any given year. If you could use some additional help with your logistics this upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday, check out our complete guide to BFCM logistics.

📚Recommended reading: The 12 Best Shipping Software Tools for Ecommerce Stores

Provide world-class customer service with Gorgias

Free shipping is often one key to a world-class customer experience in ecommerce. But whatever you choose to do with your shipping policies, you absolutely must pair it with world-class customer service and support. Customers will appreciate your free shipping, but they’ll love you (and show it through repeat business) when you outpace the competition in terms of customer service.

Gorgias is an all-in-one customer service and helpdesk platform built for ecommerce businesses like yours. It integrates with a variety of different apps, like LoyaltyLion, Attentive, and Klaviyo. We operate at the speed of ecommerce, empowering you to serve and scale like never before. We also offer support for logistics like free shipping and order management, largely thanks to our many ecommerce integrations.

Ready to see what Gorgias can do? Get started for free right now!

Fulfillment and Returns
Best Bigcommerce Apps

Best BigCommerce Apps to Boost Sales in 2025

By Jordan Miller
24 min read.
0 min read . By Jordan Miller

TL;DR:

  • BigCommerce apps extend store functionality and automate tasks to help you grow faster
  • This guide covers top apps across marketing, customer service, analytics, reviews, subscriptions, and utilities
  • Gorgias is the leading customer service app for BigCommerce stores, automating support and turning conversations into sales
  • Choose apps based on your specific needs, budget, and integration requirements
  • Most apps offer free trials so you can test before committing

BigCommerce's app ecosystem offers hundreds of tools to extend your store's functionality beyond its built-in features. The right apps help you automate repetitive tasks, improve customer experience, and drive more revenue. This guide covers the top BigCommerce apps across key categories including marketing, customer service, analytics, reviews, subscriptions, and site utilities. Each app includes pricing details, key features, and ideal use cases to help you make informed decisions. Whether you're looking to automate support, boost marketing performance, or optimize your analytics, there's an app that fits your needs.

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Why use BigCommerce apps?

BigCommerce provides solid built-in functionality, but apps unlock capabilities that would take months to build in-house. Apps extend functionality by adding features like subscription billing, advanced analytics, or AI-powered chat that aren't native to the platform. They help you automate repetitive tasks like sending review requests, updating inventory across channels, or routing support tickets.

The best apps offer seamless integration with BigCommerce through native APIs, pulling in customer data, order history, and product catalogs automatically. This means your tools work together rather than in silos. Apps also provide customization options to match your brand and workflows without requiring developer resources.

Most importantly, apps provide scalability — they grow with your business. Here are the core benefits:

  • Enhanced functionality to extend what your store can do
  • Improved efficiency by automating repetitive tasks
  • Customization to tailor your store to your brand
  • Seamless integration with BigCommerce and other tools
  • Scalability to grow with your business

Best BigCommerce apps for marketing and growth

Marketing apps help you attract, engage, and convert shoppers into loyal customers. Data from 14,000 brands shows how automation tools turn customer conversations into sales opportunities, demonstrating how the right apps drive measurable revenue. Here are the top marketing apps for BigCommerce stores.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a top marketing automation app for ecommerce stores. It offers features to help you optimize your email marketing campaigns and SMS marketing flows.

Klaviyo's marketing platform is built specifically for ecommerce. Its advanced segmentation lets you target customers based on purchase history, browsing behavior, and predicted lifetime value. The platform's predictive analytics help you identify customers at risk of churning or ready to make their next purchase.

Klaviyo's integration with BigCommerce pulls in real-time customer data, enabling highly personalized campaigns that drive conversions. You can automatically trigger emails based on cart abandonment, price drops, or back-in-stock notifications. We prefer Klaviyo over its competitor, Mailchimp, because of Klaviyo's superior SMS offerings and better segmentation features.

Main features:

  • Advanced email marketing automation with behavioral triggers
  • SMS marketing with two-way communication
  • Segmentation and targeting for personalized campaigns based on customer actions and predicted behavior
  • Predictive analytics for churn risk and customer lifetime value
  • Comprehensive analytics and reporting dashboard
  • Large library of pre-built templates and flows

Ideal for:

  • Brands wanting to automate email and SMS campaigns
  • Stores needing advanced segmentation and personalization
  • Merchants focused on data-driven marketing decisions

Klaviyo is free for up to 250 contacts, and paid plans start at $20/month.

Are you a Gorgias user? See how Klaviyo integrates with Gorgias.

Privy

Privy is a conversion optimization platform that helps you capture leads and reduce cart abandonment through targeted popups and email campaigns. The platform excels at exit-intent technology, displaying offers at the exact moment a shopper is about to leave your site. Privy's drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to create on-brand popups without any coding knowledge.

The platform includes gamification features like spin-to-win popups that increase engagement and email list growth. Privy's email marketing capabilities let you follow up with captured leads through automated welcome series and cart abandonment campaigns. Built-in A/B testing helps you optimize popup performance over time.

Main features:

  • Email marketing to generate leads with targeted campaigns
  • Exit-intent trigger popups to reduce cart abandonment
  • A/B testing to optimize campaign performance
  • Segmented targeting based on behavior, location, and cart value
  • Gamification features like spin-to-win popups
  • Drag-and-drop popup editor

Ideal for:

  • Stores wanting to reduce cart abandonment
  • Brands looking to grow email lists quickly
  • Merchants needing simple, no-code popup tools

Pricing:

  • Free plan available
  • Starter plan at $30/month
  • Growth plan at $45/month (includes SMS)

Justuno

Justuno is a conversion optimization platform with advanced targeting and personalization capabilities. Unlike basic popup tools, Justuno lets you create sophisticated targeting rules based on visitor behavior, traffic source, geolocation, and more. The platform's product recommendation engine suggests relevant items based on browsing history and cart contents.

Justuno's analytics dashboard provides detailed insights into popup performance, conversion rates, and revenue attribution. You can run multiple campaigns simultaneously with different targeting rules for different customer segments. The platform's exit-intent technology captures abandoning visitors with personalized offers before they leave.

Main features:

  • Conversion popups to capture leads and improve conversions
  • Email list growth tools with advanced targeting
  • Exit-intent technology to engage abandoning visitors
  • Personalized promotions based on visitor behavior
  • Segmentation by page views, referral sites, geolocation, and device type
  • Product recommendations based on browsing history

Ideal for:

  • Stores needing advanced targeting and segmentation
  • Brands wanting detailed conversion analytics
  • Merchants running multiple campaigns simultaneously

The Essential plan is $25/month, and the Justuno Plus plan starts at $399/month.

Best BigCommerce customer service and helpdesk apps

Customer service apps help you support shoppers across email, chat, social media, SMS, and more. According to data from Microsoft, 90% of Americans consider customer service an important factor when deciding which companies to do business with. The right helpdesk can turn support into a revenue channel by empowering agents to upsell and recommend products. Here are the top customer service apps for BigCommerce stores.

Gorgias

Gorgias is a powerful customer experience solution (also called a helpdesk) built specifically for ecommerce brands. Unlike generic helpdesks, Gorgias understands ecommerce workflows and integrates deeply with BigCommerce to pull in customer data, order history, and product catalogs. This means your support agents can see everything they need in one place without switching between tools.

Gorgias's AI Agent automates up to 60% of repetitive support inquiries, handling questions about order status, returns, and product information automatically. When complex issues require human attention, agents use Macros (templated responses with variables) to respond faster while maintaining personalization. The platform's Self-service capabilities let customers help themselves through a Help Center and automated flows.

Since Gorgias was purpose-built for ecommerce businesses, we're proud of how deeply it integrates with BigCommerce. You can see customer information pulled directly from BigCommerce, including past orders. You can also control order management from within Gorgias, processing refunds, cancellations, and much more without leaving Gorgias.

Gorgias also integrates with most of the tools on this list for a more unified customer experience hub. Check out our App Store to see if your favorite apps integrate.

Main features:

  • Unified helpdesk managing email, chat, social media, SMS, and voice
  • AI Agent automates up to 60% of support inquiries
  • Deep BigCommerce integration with order management and customer data
  • Macros and automation Rules for faster agent responses
  • Performance analytics and AutoQA for quality monitoring
  • Self-service Help Center with AI-powered article recommendations
  • Fast-loading Live Chat widgets that won't slow down your website

Ideal for:

  • Ecommerce brands wanting to automate repetitive support tasks
  • Stores needing omnichannel customer service
  • Merchants looking to turn support into a revenue channel
  • Brands using BigCommerce and Shopify together

Gorgias offers custom pricing based on ticket volume and includes a 7-day free trial.

To see for yourself how Gorgias can optimize your customer support process, be sure to book a demo today.

LiveChat

LiveChat is a real-time customer support platform that helps you engage shoppers at the moment they need help. The platform's chat widget loads quickly and doesn't slow down your site, making it ideal for high-traffic stores. LiveChat's mobile app lets your team manage conversations on the go, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to help a customer.

The platform includes canned responses and chat tags to help agents work more efficiently. You can route chats to the most qualified agent based on skills, availability, or customer history. Chat transcripts and archives make it easy to review past conversations and identify training opportunities.

Main features:

  • Live chat to offer real-time customer support
  • Canned responses and chat tags for efficiency
  • Chat routing and assignment to appropriate agents
  • Mobile app for managing chats remotely
  • Chat transcripts and archives for review
  • Visitor tracking to see who's on your site

Ideal for:

  • Stores wanting to add live chat quickly
  • Brands needing mobile support capabilities
  • Merchants prioritizing real-time customer engagement

Pricing starts at $16/month per agent.

Tidio

Tidio offers live chat and chatbot capabilities for your BigCommerce store. Its AI-powered chatbots automate support conversations and handle chat requests around the clock.

Tidio's visitor tracking shows you who's browsing your site in real time, letting you proactively reach out to high-intent shoppers. The platform integrates with email marketing tools to capture leads and nurture them through automated sequences. Live visitor lists help you prioritize the most valuable conversations.

Main features:

  • Live chat to offer real-time customer support
  • AI-powered chatbot for 24/7 assistance and lead collection
  • Drag-and-drop editor to create custom chatbots
  • Live visitor lists to engage high-intent shoppers
  • Integration with email marketing tools
  • Chatbot programming to showcase promotions and improve your conversion rate

Ideal for:

  • Small to medium stores wanting affordable chatbot automation
  • Brands needing 24/7 support without hiring more agents
  • Merchants looking for simple chatbot setup

Pricing:

  • Free plan available
  • Starter at $25/month
  • Communicator at $25/month
  • Chatbots at $29/month

Related reading: Our list of the best live chat apps for BigCommerce.

Best BigCommerce analytics apps

Analytics apps help you understand customer behavior and make data-driven decisions about your store. According to data from Intergrowth, 70% of online marketers say that good SEO is more effective at generating sales than PPC ads. Track everything from traffic sources to product profitability with these analytics tools. Here are the top analytics apps for BigCommerce stores.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is the industry-standard web analytics platform that every BigCommerce store should use. The platform tracks visitor behavior, traffic sources, and conversion paths at no cost. Google Analytics' ecommerce tracking shows which products drive the most revenue. It also reveals which campaigns generate the highest ROI and where customers drop off in the checkout process.

The platform integrates seamlessly with Google Ads and Search Console, giving you a complete view of your paid and organic traffic performance. Custom reporting lets you create dashboards focused on the metrics that matter most to your business. Enhanced ecommerce tracking provides detailed insights into product performance, shopping behavior, and checkout abandonment.

Main features:

  • Customized reporting for ecommerce metrics
  • Advertising ROI tracking
  • Ecommerce tracking for product and transaction data
  • Cross-channel and multimedia tracking
  • Integration with Google Ads and Search Console
  • Conversion funnel analysis

Ideal for:

  • All BigCommerce stores (essential baseline analytics)
  • Brands running paid advertising campaigns
  • Merchants wanting free, powerful analytics

Google Analytics is free.

Lucky Orange

Lucky Orange is a heatmap and session recording tool that shows you exactly how visitors interact with your store. Watch session recordings to see where customers get confused, stuck, or frustrated. Heatmaps reveal which elements get the most attention and which get ignored.

The platform's conversion funnels help you identify exactly where customers drop off during checkout. Form analytics show which fields cause friction in your checkout process. Lucky Orange's live chat feature lets you proactively engage visitors who show signs of confusion or hesitation.

Main features:

  • Heatmaps showing where visitors click and scroll
  • Session recordings to watch how shoppers use your site
  • Conversion funnels to identify drop-off points
  • Live chat to assist visitors before they leave
  • Form analytics to optimize checkout process
  • Visitor tracking by device type

Ideal for:

  • Stores wanting to understand why visitors don't convert
  • Brands optimizing product pages and checkout flows
  • Merchants needing visual behavior analytics

Pricing:

  • Starts at $10/month

OrderMetrics

OrderMetrics is a profit analytics platform built specifically for ecommerce sellers. Unlike Google Analytics which focuses on traffic, OrderMetrics shows actual profitability. It does this by factoring in product costs, shipping expenses, and marketing spend.

OrderMetrics' marketing ROI analysis shows which campaigns actually drive profitable sales, not just revenue. Cohort analysis reveals customer lifetime value and helps you optimize retention strategies. The platform's shipping cost optimization identifies opportunities to reduce fulfillment expenses.

Main features:

  • Profit tracking by product, order, and customer
  • Marketing spend and ROI analysis
  • Shipping cost optimization
  • Discount effectiveness tracking
  • Cohort analysis for customer lifetime value
  • Product profitability ranking

Ideal for:

  • Stores needing detailed profit analytics
  • Brands wanting to optimize product pricing
  • Merchants tracking marketing ROI closely

Pricing:

  • Starts at $59/month

Best BigCommerce review and UGC apps

Review apps help you collect and display customer feedback that builds trust and increases conversions. We've written about how ecommerce product reviews instill confidence in your site's visitors. They also nudge potential customers to make a purchase. Social proof is essential for ecommerce success. Here are the top review apps for BigCommerce stores.

Yotpo

Yotpo helps you generate and manage product and site reviews. It also handles other forms of social proof like testimonials and user-generated content (UGC). The platform's automated review collection sends perfectly timed email and SMS requests after purchase, maximizing response rates. AI-powered review prompts help customers write more detailed, helpful reviews.

Yotpo's schema markup ensures your star ratings appear in Google search results, improving click-through rates from organic search. The platform syndicates reviews to Google, Facebook, and other channels automatically. Photo and video reviews provide richer social proof than text alone. Yotpo is the best tool for managing that process, thanks to the automation features for collecting and displaying reviews on your site.

Main features:

  • Automated review collection via email and SMS
  • Photo and video review capabilities
  • Star ratings and schema markup for SEO
  • Review syndication to Google and social media
  • Loyalty and rewards program integration
  • Turn reviews into paid ads on Facebook
  • Collect and showcase customer photos and videos on product listings

Ideal for:

  • Brands wanting comprehensive review management
  • Stores needing loyalty program integration
  • Merchants prioritizing SEO with schema markup

Pricing:

  • Growth plan at $15/month
  • Prime plan at $119/month
  • Premium and Enterprise plans with custom pricing

Are you a Gorgias user? See how Yotpo integrates with Gorgias.

Fera

Fera is a review and social proof app that helps you consolidate reviews from multiple sources into one platform. Import existing reviews from Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other platforms to build social proof quickly. The platform's customizable widgets let you display reviews in ways that match your brand aesthetic.

Fera's social proof notifications show recent purchases, reviews, and other customer actions in real time, creating urgency and trust. Photo and video reviews give shoppers a realistic view of your products. Automated review requests are sent at optimal times to maximize response rates.

Main features:

  • Automated review requests post-purchase
  • Import reviews from Google, Facebook, and other platforms
  • Customizable review widgets for storefront
  • Photo and video review support
  • Social proof notifications showing recent purchases
  • Multi-language support

Ideal for:

  • Stores wanting to consolidate reviews from multiple sources
  • Brands needing affordable review management
  • Merchants wanting social proof notifications

Pricing:

  • Free plan available
  • Startup at $9/month
  • Small at $29/month
  • Medium at $99/month

Best BigCommerce subscription apps

Subscription apps help you build recurring revenue streams by offering products on a subscription basis. Subscription models improve customer lifetime value and create predictable cash flow. Here are the top subscription apps for BigCommerce stores.

Recharge

Recharge is an app that allows BigCommerce store owners to sell subscription-based products or services. The platform's self-serve customer portal lets subscribers manage their own subscriptions, reducing the burden on your support team. Customers can pause, skip, or modify subscriptions without contacting support.

Main features:

  • Recurring billing and subscription management
  • Self-serve customer portal for subscription changes
  • Dunning management to reduce churn and retry failed payments
  • Mixed cart support for one-time and subscription purchases
  • Integration with Klaviyo, Gorgias, and other tools
  • Analytics for subscription metrics and customer retention
  • Actionable insights to optimize your subscription offerings

Ideal for:

  • Brands launching subscription offerings
  • Stores needing flexible subscription options
  • Merchants wanting to reduce subscription churn

Recharge provides subscription payment options at checkout. It also makes it easy for customers to manage their subscriptions through SMS or a pre-built customer portal.

Pricing:

Recharge offers custom pricing based on subscription volume.

Are you a Gorgias user? See how Recharge integrates with Gorgias.

PayWhirl

PayWhirl is a subscription and recurring payment solution designed for BigCommerce merchants. The platform handles recurring billing, pre-orders, and payment plans with ease. PayWhirl's pre-designed customer portal gives subscribers control over their subscriptions without requiring custom development.

The platform's automated billing handles failed payments automatically, retrying with smart logic to maximize successful charges. Customizable subscription widgets match your store's design and brand. Reporting tools provide insights into subscription performance, churn rates, and revenue trends.

Main features:

  • Recurring billing management
  • Customizable subscription widgets
  • Customer portal for self-service
  • Automated billing and failed payment management
  • Reporting tools for subscription analytics
  • Support for payment plans and pre-orders

Ideal for:

  • Stores wanting simple subscription setup
  • Brands needing payment plan options
  • Merchants prioritizing customer self-service

Pricing:

  • Business Pro at $49/month
  • Business Plus at $149/month
  • Business Ultimate at $249/month

Best BigCommerce site tools and utilities

Site utility apps handle essential behind-the-scenes tasks like backups, translations, and mobile optimization. These tools protect your store and expand your capabilities. Here are the top site utilities for BigCommerce stores.

Rewind Backups

Rewind Backups is an automated backup solution that protects your BigCommerce store from data loss. The platform creates daily backups of your entire store, including products, images, inventory, settings, themes, and orders. Cloud storage keeps your backups secure and accessible from anywhere.

One-click recovery lets you restore your store quickly if something goes wrong. Version history tracks changes over time, making it easy to identify when problems started. Rewind's automatic backups run in the background without any manual effort, giving you peace of mind that your data is protected.

Main features:

  • Automatic daily backups of store data
  • One-click recovery for quick restoration
  • Secure cloud storage for backup data
  • Backs up products, images, inventory, settings, themes, orders
  • Version history for tracking changes
  • Restore individual items or entire store

Ideal for:

  • All BigCommerce stores (essential protection)
  • Stores making frequent catalog updates
  • Merchants wanting peace of mind against data loss

Pricing:

  • Free plan available
  • Paid plans start at $9/month
  • 7-day free trial

Weglot Translate

Weglot Translate is a website translation solution that helps you sell internationally without rebuilding your store for each language. The platform automatically translates your entire store, including product descriptions, checkout pages, and navigation. Machine translation provides a solid foundation that you can refine with manual edits.

Weglot's visual editor lets you customize translations to ensure they sound natural and on-brand. SEO-friendly translated URLs help you rank in international search results. The platform handles right-to-left languages and supports over 100 languages, making global expansion accessible for any store.

Main features:

  • Automatic translation for website content
  • Support for multiple languages (100+)
  • SEO-friendly translated URLs
  • Visual editor for translation customization
  • Seamless BigCommerce integration
  • Support for right-to-left languages

Ideal for:

  • Stores expanding to international markets
  • Brands needing multi-language support
  • Merchants wanting quick translation setup

Pricing:

  • Starts at $21/month

Unbound Commerce

Unbound Commerce helps you create custom mobile apps for your BigCommerce store. With mobile commerce growing every year, a dedicated app gives you direct access to customers through push notifications and app-based shopping. Unbound builds native iOS and Android apps that integrate with your BigCommerce store through APIs.

The platform's dashboard lets you manage app content, send push notifications, and track mobile commerce performance. Push messaging reaches customers directly on their phones, driving higher engagement than email. Mobile-optimized shopping experiences load faster and convert better than mobile web browsers.

Main features:

  • Custom iOS and Android app design and build
  • API integration with BigCommerce store
  • Push messaging for customer engagement
  • Dashboard control panel for monitoring
  • Mobile-optimized shopping experience
  • Native app performance

Ideal for:

  • Brands wanting dedicated mobile apps
  • Stores with high mobile traffic
  • Merchants needing push notification capabilities

Unbound Commerce offers custom pricing, which is not listed on its website.

How to choose the right BigCommerce apps for your store

Choosing the right BigCommerce apps starts with identifying your store's specific needs and pain points. Are you struggling with cart abandonment? Look for marketing and conversion optimization tools. Is customer support overwhelming your team? Focus on helpdesk and automation apps. Be honest about where you need the most help before browsing the BigCommerce App Store.

Check app reviews and ratings in the BigCommerce App Store to see what real users think. Pay attention to recent reviews, not just overall ratings, since apps change over time. Look for patterns in complaints or praise. Compare pricing carefully and ensure it fits your budget, factoring in any transaction fees or usage-based charges as you scale.

Most quality apps offer free trials, so test before committing. Install the app in your store and use it with real customer data to see how it performs. Finally, verify integration compatibility with your existing tools. The best app ecosystems work together seamlessly, so choose apps that connect with your email marketing platform, analytics tools, and other critical systems.

Here's a quick checklist for evaluating BigCommerce apps:

1) Identify your store's specific needs and pain points. 2) Check app reviews and ratings in the BigCommerce App Store. 3) Compare pricing and ensure it fits your budget. 4) Test apps with free trials before committing. 5) Verify integration compatibility with your existing tools.

Start optimizing your BigCommerce store with the right apps

The right BigCommerce apps transform your store from a basic online shop into a sophisticated ecommerce machine. Apps help you automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time to focus on growth and strategy. They improve the customer experience by adding features like live chat, personalized recommendations, and self-service portals. Most importantly, the best apps drive revenue by optimizing conversions, reducing churn, and turning support into sales opportunities.

Start with the essentials: analytics to understand your performance, customer service to support your shoppers, and marketing tools to drive growth. Add specialized apps as your needs evolve and your business scales. Don't try to implement everything at once — focus on solving your biggest problems first, then expand your app stack over time.

Ready to transform your BigCommerce customer service into a revenue channel? Book a demo to see how Gorgias can help. You can automate support, increase sales, and deliver a customer experience that builds loyalty.

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Apps and Integrations
BigCommerce
Hiring For Customer Service

Hiring for Customer Service: A 6-Step Framework to Recruit Top Agents

By Jon Tucker
24 min read.
0 min read . By Jon Tucker

When you say the word “growth,” most brand leaders think of customer acquisition, paid ads, or the newest marketing trend — probably something about TikTok influencers. And while acquiring customers is important, we know that truly sustainable growth comes from loyal customers, organic referrals, reviews, and repeat buyers — all of which stem from your customer experience. And at the core of that customer experience is your customer service team.

Your customer service agents spend more time interacting with customers than any other department, including marketing and sales. They manage VIP customers, repair at-risk relationships, and have the opportunity to chat with customers at make-or-break moments (like right before a sale). In other words, your brand’s growth hinges on the quality of your customer service team.

We can’t offer any algorithms or magical software to find and hire talented agents. Hiring takes time, experience, and a strategic approach. That last part — a strategic approach to hiring — is what I’m here to provide. 

At HelpFlow.com, we run 24/7 live chat and customer service teams for over 100 brands. We’ve hired hundreds of customer service agents successfully and built scalable, robust customer service operations that provide great customer experiences and drive growth for brands we work with. 

In this post, I’ll walk through the framework we use step-by-step. My goal is to help you or your hiring managers simplify your customer service hiring process, find high-impact customer service professionals, and transform your brand’s customer service from a frustrating cost center to a seamless and scalable revenue driver.

But first, what’s really at stake here? 

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Bad customer service will kill your brand

If you are like most ecommerce brands, you hire customer service reps when your team needs additional support to keep up with tickets. This purely reactive approach means your support team will always be buried in tickets or onboarding new team members. The constant scramble means they’ll never have the bandwidth to think strategically, improve processes, or work on higher-impact initiatives to help the business.

Here’s the snowball effect we often see. First, your agents become overworked with an ever-growing number of tickets to process each day. This endless sprint to keep up contributes to extremely high turnover in the customer service industry. According to Harvard Business Review, CS reps typically last a job for about a year. 

The snowball effect of bad customer service

As agents start to burn out and fall behind, customer service experience quality suffers. Customers feel frustrated with slow response times and often disappointed with incomplete or ineffective solutions from junior agents hired just a few months before. A downtrend in customer satisfaction is common with brands as they start to scale. 

Eventually, a poorly run customer service operation starts to have a direct effect on sales. First-time shoppers give low NPS scores and never develop brand loyalty. Customer complaints start to appear, scaring off potential customers, and referrals dry up. 

As the quality of service goes down, the cost of customer service goes up because you have to spend more time hiring and training customer service representatives that won’t be productive for weeks, if not months. Replacing an employee typically costs 1.5-2x their annual salary when you factor in all the costs, according to Gallup. 

The business sees these poor results and high costs, and refuses to invest in the department, which leaves them even more under-resourced. The cycle continues.

Great hiring processes can accelerate growth

A great customer service team (that’s not over-worked and under-resourced) will stop this vicious cycle. But beyond answering customer inquiries and managing ticket load, they’ll systematically improve your brand’s customer experience and, by extension, growth engine.

An excellent customer service team will create replace the vicious cycle with a positive one by:

  • Improving your shopping experience by collecting customer feedback, building self-service resources, and studying data for high-impact opportunities
  • Intercepting new visitors with proactive support to raise the conversion rate
  • Helping customers who have unsatisfactory experiences, winning some of them back
  • Encouraging happy customers to purchase more, leave reviews, refer new customers, and remain loyal to your brand
Customer service accelerates growth with repeat purchases, custoemr reviews and referrals, on-site conversions, and more.

Ready to learn how to fill your customer service positions with agents who will make an impact? Let’s get into it. Here’s our 6-step framework to hire the best customer service teams around.

1) Assess your customer service hiring needs

The first step to hiring great customer service reps is to shift from a reactive hiring process to a proactive one. When you hire reactively, you tend to rush hiring and training to get a body in a seat processing tickets as quickly as possible. Of course, this leads to low-quality interactions and dings to brand perception. By proactively forecasting customer service needs, you’ll have time to run a more thorough hiring process to find and hire the ideal candidate.

Here is a quick overview of how to forecast customer service volume:

  1. Identify the percentage of orders that typically turn into support tickets. For example, if you historically get about 20 tickets for every 100 orders then you can forecast that 20% of your future orders will turn into tickets. 
  2. Use the traction to ticket ratio to forecast how many tickets you expect to receive in the future, based on your sales forecast for the upcoming quarter or another time period. 
  3. Use the agent ticket capacity per day, accounting for PTO and sick leave, to determine how many agents you need to process that upcoming ticket volume. Account for ramp-up time for new team members.
Forecast hiring needs
Source: Gorgias

The three tips above are just a snapshot of a true forecasting process. Check out our framework for customer service forecasting for more detailed guidance.

Forecasting will help you predict your future needs and shift to a more proactive approach. Remember to give yourself enough time to conduct a thorough hiring process and onboarding program. If you anticipate needing two new agents in Q4, start collecting applications by early Q3.
Forecasting is just one strategy to understand when you should hire. Here are a few additional signals that could mean your team is understaffed: 

  1. Declining metrics: Each week, you should check on important metrics that measure your customer service management such as first response time, handle time, and customer satisfaction. If you start to see these metrics decline, it could mean your team can’t keep up with ticket volume and needs additional support.
  2. Team morale: As part of your customer service team meeting cadence, you should have regular team huddles, manager-led 1:1s, and anonymous climate surveys.  Managers should work to foster trust and open dialogue so agents can share their stress. Don’t be afraid to ask them directly about their workload. If agents start to report challenges, especially if the concern comes up across multiple agents, you may need to staff up. 

You may find that you need additional support, but you may not need to hire people full-time to solve the problem. You may be able to support your core team with other solutions such as:

  1. Efficiency improvements: If you’re like most brands, you’ve frankensteined together a customer service process, piece by piece. Consider doing a workflow audit to identify opportunities to improve the team’s workflow with process improvements, email templates, and customer self-service options. 
  2. Changes to coverage schedules: You may have the right amount of agents, but simply have a schedule that leads to ticket buildup. For example, if everyone is staffed M-F, response and resolution times will suffer over the weekend. Look into your hour-to-hour ticket volume, especially on conversational channels like live chat and phone, and schedule agents whenever you have peaks in incoming tickets.
  3. High-quality outsourced help: Hiring full-time employees is cumbersome and expensive, and sometimes more than you need. By working with a high-quality outsourced team, you can bridge the gap to have additional agents on a custom schedule or just for a season of high volume. 
  4. Overtime opportunities: If your agents are currently salaried, you could change them to an hourly model so they can earn overtime during busy weeks. Don’t make this decision without consulting the agents. They might be enthusiastic, but they might also dislike that your solution for being understaffed involves working more hours.

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That said, you may conclude that you need to hire new agents. Here’s how to do it well. 

2) Create a target hire persona for the role

Before you start your search, I recommend taking some time to understand your hiring needs and describe your ideal candidate.

First, take stock of:

  • Everything the customer support team does today
  • Everything the team wants to do but doesn’t have the bandwidth for
  • Everything the team currently does that could be phased out with process improvement or recalibration of ownership

Once that’s done, you’ll be better prepared to understand:

  • What existing roles need to be filled or staffed up
  • What new roles need to be developed
  • What type of skills would match each of those needs — this is where your target persona comes into play
Take stock of the first list of bullets to understand the second

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A target persona is a tool we developed to build clarity around your jobs to be done, the skills needed to accomplish those jobs, the type of person who would succeed in this role, and how you’ll measure that person’s success.

The value is similar to an ideal customer profile (ICP) for sales and marketing. By defining the core qualities you need ahead of time, you can create a sharper job description, distribute the job posting in more targeted channels, and decrease the time it takes to find the right person.

What to include in a target hire persona

Your target hire persona should include mission, outcomes, competencies, and culture fit

Below are the key sections to include in a target hire persona: 

Mission:

  • What is the purpose of this position in your organization?
  • Why does it exist?
  • What will the role focus on?
  • Why are you hiring this person now?

Outcomes:

  • How will you measure this person’s success?
  • How will you keep this person accountable to the mission described above?
  • Use specific, clear, and quantifiable outcomes to answer both questions above.

Competencies:

  • What experiences and qualifications should this person have?
  • What attributes and customer service skills will help this person succeed? (For example, is it more important to be organized or empathetic for your specific needs?

Culture fit: 

  • Separate from the role, what are the specific attributes that make someone a culture fit for your team? 
  • These will vary depending on the company, but it’s very important to define these so that you can screen otherwise qualified applicants if they aren’t a culture fit.

Customer service agent target hire persona example

We put together a full customer service agent target hire persona example that you can access and modify for your own needs. Consider revising the mission and outcomes slightly to match your needs, and adjust the target experience for your specific company.

Have questions? Feel free to reach out! 

3) Create a job posting that sells (and market it)

Once you have a target hire persona completed, it’s time to start marketing- yes, I said marketing, just like how you grow your business. 

Typically, when someone is hiring they simply put together a job description, post it on a few job boards, and work with the applicants that come in. This is especially true for customer service hires, which are unfortunately seen as low-value.

This approach leads to a small number of low-quality applicants. The kinds of A-players you’re looking for aren’t scouring job boards and responding to basic job postings — they’re likely crushing it at their current role.

Here’s how to create and distribute a job posting that reaches the right people and convinces them to apply:

Sell the role in the job posting

Remember, hiring is a two-way street. You have to impress the candidate just as much as they have to impress you. Don’t just publish a list of duties and requirements on a job posting website with an application link. Instead, sell the role (and the company) by using parts of the target hire persona above:

Checklist for an effective customer service job posting, listed below

Clearly explain the company’s current position, mission, and goals. Share a bit of the journey you’ve been on so far and the successes you’ve had. The right candidate will be excited about your particular growth stage and the opportunity to help you with the next leg of the journey.

Also, dedicate some space to selling your team and unique company culture. This doesn’t need to be all rainbows and unicorns: great candidates know building a great company takes hard work. But they should be able to get an understanding of your company’s unique values, priorities, and ways of working. Describe and share examples about how your teams collaborate, the level of autonomy, accountability, coaching, and support they can expect, and the general vibe of a day-in-the-life of your team. 

Finally, paint a very clear picture of what success looks like by sharing the outcomes and target metrics. This will ensure the applicants understand what you want to accomplish before your first conversation. Clear success metrics will also attract goal-driven people with an “I can do that” attitude. 

This may seem like a lot of work, but you’ll save time by getting higher-quality candidates quickly, and in the long run, having to rehire due to rushing into a bad hire.

How to drive a lot of quality applicants

An enticing job description gets you halfway to an inbox full of strong applications. Now, you have to get that job description seen by a lot of high-quality candidates.

Remember, great team members don’t typically spend their days scouring job boards to find a new job. You need to catch their attention in other ways to spark their interest in jumping ship and joining your brand.

Your job posting should be shared with your network, team, job boards, customers, and more

Here are multiple ways to drive a lot of great applicants for your role:

Publish on multiple job boards. For example, if you are working with a remote team, consider publishing on WeWorkRemotely or Remote.co. If you are hiring locally, leverage a few different job boards such as Indeed.com or ZipRecruiter.com to get the best coverage. LinkedIn is also a good option for both local and remote hires. If possible, make the extra investment to make a premium or boosted posting. And, especially if you are in a challenging niche, consider specialized job boards and communities. The Support Driven Slack community, for example, has a job board for ecommerce community service positions. 

Another best practice is to share the role with your network. Send a few messages to peers who may know someone fit for the role and publish the posting on your social media. Also, encourage your team to do the same — they’ll be working with this new hire, after all. Again, don’t just copy/paste the link. Sell the role to attract the best candidates. 

Finally, involve your customers in the recruitment process. One of your customers may want the job or know someone else who could be a good fit. Customers who love and use your products have a great head start: they’re familiar with your brand, your shopping experience, and the benefits of your products. And since customer service skills can be transferred from many other types of roles, your customer base may have more qualified candidates than you expect.

4) Screen applicants async to avoid wasting time

A great job description effectively shared means you’ll have a steady stream of applicants. You might feel overwhelmed with the workload of screening applicants to find the right hire. And rightfully so: Applicant screening can turn into a lot of work if you do it with typical in-depth reviews of each applicant and blocking out time for interviews. 

Interviews are important, and we’ll explain how to hold a customer service interview below (including interview questions to use). But first, here’s how to effectively screen the large number of applicants you’ll receive to find the best possible hires. 

Quiz them on the job posting

Screening starts by gauging how well applicants read through the details of the job posting. If they’re not willing to spend the time reading and following the instructions on the job posting, odds are they won’t be detail-oriented in the role. 

By asking a simple question or making a request deep within the content of the job posting, you can quickly screen whether applicants read it. For example, you can ask applicants to start their cover letter with, “ready to rock!’“ This way, you can skip over anyone that didn’t catch and follow the instruction. 

Optional: Assign a micro take-home assignment

At HelpFlow.com, we skip take-home assignments because our hiring process is so thorough. However, since customer support agents spend most of their days writing, you may choose to request a short writing sample at this stage.

If you opt to include this step, consider keeping the writing sample very short — something applicants can complete in 10-15 minutes. However, be aware that more up-front work from your candidates means:

  • You’ll spend more time reviewing applications
  • You may lose some qualified job seekers due to a too-strenuous application process — but they likely wouldn’t be the most committed hire

Send them a common customer question or one of your most common customer problems. Give them resources like a knowledge base article and your policies so they have all the necessary information. At this stage, you’re looking for their ability to communicate clearly and empathetically. 

Request a brief video questionnaire

Rather than jumping straight to an interview, send a brief questionnaire to the applicant so they can tell you more about their experience in a short video message. There are tools such as Spark Hire that make this easy. But a simple list of questions and instructions to send a response using a screencast tool like Loom is just as easy. 

For the questionnaire, you should ask open-ended questions to get a sense of how their experience and capabilities fit your needs. You might also choose to include a fun, get-to-know-you question to get a better sense of their personality. 

Asking why they think they are the best fit for the role is a good starting point, as it gives them the ability to provide more context than they typically would in a text response. Also, this gives you the ability to compare their experience to the target hire persona. The way someone answers this question typically makes clear if they’re a fit at a high level.

Consider asking questions like:

  • Why do you think you’re the best fit for this role?
  • What are you looking for in your next role?
  • How are you looking to grow and learn?
  • What’s a mistake you made and learned from?
  • How would your friends and family describe you? 
  • If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

In their video response, you’ll see their communication skills, confidence, and personality — without having to schedule dozens or hundreds of 30-minute meetings.

5) Conduct two interviews to assess fit and experience

Interviews can be time-consuming. They take time to schedule and conduct, especially if you put too many people through the entire interview process. Multiple rounds of screening ensure you only invest time in the most promising candidates.

Ideally, your job posting results in hundreds of applicants. Your first screening (described above) gets you down to about a dozen, max. The first interview we’re about to describe gets you down to the single digits — about four or five. Then, you’ll only have to deeply interview those four or five candidates to find your new hire(s).

1) A quick interview to assess skills and mindset

Your customer service interview screening should be 10-15 minutes

This first interview is a brief (20- or 30-minute) phone call to learn more about each applicant's skill set, goals, and mindset. Skills aren’t the only prerequisite for success: True rock stars have a growth mindset and will look at this opportunity as the next step in a passionate career.

At the beginning of this interview, we like to build up the candidate’s confidence by saying something like, “We had ### applicants and you’ve made it this far, so you’re definitely a strong person for this role. We’re confident you’ll be successful regardless of whether you work for us or get scooped up by someone else.”

Then, you’re ready to start asking questions.

Questions to understand their goals and mindset

  • What does success look like for you a year from now?
  • What do you want to accomplish in this role?
  • What specific achievements will make you feel the most successful?

These questions should feel familiar, and that’s because they should roughly align with the mission and outcomes you chose in the target hire persona. Of course, candidates didn’t read that document so it’s unfair to expect perfect alignment. But they will help you understand which applicants are the best fit for your needs.

For example,  if your target hire persona was a systems thinker who can help with problem-solving and organization across your team, you might look for answers about strong processes and great teamwork. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a brilliant customer-facing agent, you might seek answers related to empathy and customer advocacy. 

Also, a lack of clear, focused goals at this stage is a red flag. If someone answers vaguely or responds with a variation of “I just want a good customer service job and your company seems great,” then they’re not going to be a rock star on your team.

Questions to understand skillset

Skills are a difficult thing to discuss. If the candidate prepared well, they’ll likely know what skills you need for the role based on the job posting and find ways to weave those skills into their answers. They may also have completed courses or customer service certifications that indicate what they can do, but it's important to go beyond that and get a sense of real-world applications of these skills.We like to ask a series of questions that force candidates to reflect on their skills in a slightly different way. Here’s how we get there:

  • We’re going to talk to a few people you’ve worked with at the end of the application process, should you make it that far. What’s a role you succeeded in, and who was your boss in that role? If we talk to them later in the interview process, how do you think they’ll describe you? What parts of the job would they say you excelled at?

Again, you’re looking for clear answers and alignment with your target hire persona. 

Second, gauge which parts of the job they’re least skilled and excited about. Here’s how we might get at this answer:

  • Now I want to understand the opposite. What are some things that boss would say you’re not great at? Or maybe, what are some things you’re capable of doing but don’t love?

To make this question a bit less intimidating, we usually share an example. We’ve often used the example, “I’m able to whip up some graphic designs for our website and they look pretty good. But graphic design is something I just hate doing. It’s a tedious process and I would rather have a marketing person handle that if at all possible, so I can focus on my strengths.” 

This question allows the candidate to essentially complain about select aspects of the role. You’re not looking to trick someone into disqualifying themselves from the running. However, you are trying to avoid a situation in which you hire someone to spend all week doing something they’d rather avoid.

Once they answer, consider asking follow-up questions to get more examples and context.

Questions to understand teamwork and self-awareness

  • How would past supervisors rate you on a scale of 1-10?
  • How would your peers rate you on a scale of 1-10?

These questions are quick and help you understand whether their previous answers were honest and self-aware. 

Ask them for the name of two previous bosses and two previous colleagues. Explain that you won’t reach out to those people yet, but might if you extend an offer. 

Once they give you names, ask how each person would rate them on a scale of 1-10 — insist on a single number for each. You’re looking for lots of 8s and 9s. If you see a trend of 7 or lower, that could indicate this person has — and may have oversold themselves when discussing their skillset earlier in the interview. Also, 10s across the board show a lack of self-awareness and growth mindset. 

By the end of this interview, you’ll have a solid understanding of whether each candidate’s skills and mindset fit your needs. Move the best candidates onto the final interview, thank the rest for their time, and invite them to re-apply for future roles — after all, each role should have a specific target hire persona, and they might just fit your next opening a bit better. To thank them for their time, you can also refer them to anyone else in your network that’s hiring.  

2) A deep-dive interview to know you have a great hire

Your longer interview should be 2 hours.

Each candidate that makes it to this final interview should be a pretty great fit for the role. Some companies might go straight to a job offer at this stage, but the risk of bringing on the wrong new hire still exists.

The deep-dive interview will last two hours. Two hours might seem like a big investment. But two hours is nothing compared to investing two or three months into a candidate before realizing you need to start the hiring process over because they’re not a great fit.

A deep-dive interview gives you a crystal-clear understanding of each candidate’s entire career history, their ability to communicate clearly and effectively in a long-format meeting, and their personality. After this conversation, you’ll have zero doubts about which candidate is your rock star.

Here’s how the deep-dive interview works.

Set up a two-hour conversational interview with a small panel

When you invite the candidate to this meeting, be clear about:

  • The goal of the meeting
  • The format of the meeting
  • The list of attendees

If you give the candidate some context behind such a long meeting, they can approach the interview with more preparation and less anxious energy. 

As far as the list of attendees, you can make a decision based on your team’s makeup and availability. If possible, we recommend inviting the hiring manager, a senior manager, and a peer to introduce the interviewee to the team they’ll work with (and vice versa). However, you can also run the interview solo if that works better for your team. 

A remote panel interview

Once you assemble the panel and schedule the interview, the long-form interview itself is quite straightforward and formulaic. Here’s what it looks like:

Discuss every full-time position the candidate has had, in chronological order

Start from the beginning of the candidate’s resume and discuss each and every full-time role in their job history. For early parts of their career (or jobs that are not related to your open role) you can move quickly through these questions. But it is important to discuss each role.

By digging into every single part of the candidate’s career with a standard set of questions, you will get a clear overview of how they’ve performed and what makes them tick. 

Ask the same set of questions for each position

What makes this interview process effective and simple is that you ask the same questions for each role. This gives the interview a conversational flow that produces powerful insights. Here are the questions:

  • What were you hired to do? This gives you an idea of the mission and outcomes they were hired to accomplish
  • What accomplishments are you most proud of? This helps you understand whether they accomplished those goals and what they value in terms of achievement
  • What were the low points of the role? This helps show the candidate’s self-awareness and growth mindset, and gives you a chance to spot red-flag trends — that said, recognize every job naturally has high and low points
  • Who was your boss? What was it like working with them? This gives you context for your reference call later on and tells you how the candidate likes to be managed

Together, these answers give you a good idea of their specific experience in customer service roles, their experience with handling a helpdesk and the challenges of customer service, and some insight into their soft skills that a shorter interview could never provide.

Don’t bother with a take-home assignment for these qualified candidates

Many companies will assign a test assignment this late in the process to do a final check on the skillset and quality of candidates. We don’t recommend a test assignment — especially at this point — because assignments are too simple to game and sometimes give candidates a bad impression of your company because you asked them to do “free work.” 

If you want to use an assignment, keep it short and earlier in the process. But at this point in the process, the deep-dive interview will give you much richer information. Specifically, it helps you understand what the candidate will actually be like on your team before you invest in onboarding and two or three months of work.

6) Use reference checks to get more context and certainty

Most people treat reference checks as a way to make sure the candidate told the truth on their resume and during the hiring process. That can be part of the process, but the greater value of reference checks is to get even deeper context into the candidate’s skills and work style.

Checklist for reference calls, listed below

Here’s how to approach reference calls:

  • Use the deep-dive interview to decide who to contact. If the candidate mentioned a particularly important or interesting relationship, success, or challenge, make a note to call their boss in that position to get more information.
  • Chat with references for 5-10 minutes. These conversations should be informal and conversation — you want the major takeaways about what it’s like to work with this person.
  • Give the reference person context. Start on a positive note, explaining that you’re hiring for a customer support role and the candidate in question seems like a great fit. 
  • Ask high-level, open-ended questions. Questions like “Is what they said true?” limit the conversation. Instead, ask questions like “What was it like working with this person?” or “What kind of role would this person excel in?”
  • Ask about strengths. For example, ask “What’s a project this person absolutely crushed? What responsibilities did they nail every time?” Ideally, the answers align with the candidate’s self-reported skills and strengths.
  • Ask about challenges. For example, say, “They mentioned [the challenge] at your company. How did they handle that challenge?”. Then, open it up: “What are some other areas of improvement for them?” By framing this positively as improvements, you’ll get more direct feedback about the candidate's rough spots. 

Each call takes fewer than 10 minutes but gives you valuable insight into the highs and lows of working with this person. Again, similar to the deep-dive interview, you’re looking for patterns across reference calls more than any single answer. If the candidate’s answers line up with the answers you get during the reference checks, the candidate has high self-awareness and emotional intelligence — both important qualities in customer service. 

By the time you go through the entire process with multiple candidates, you’ll be certain about the best fit(s) for your open role(s). And once you’ve run this interview process a few times, it will become much more efficient and much less daunting. 

Bonus: How to choose a start date and win over unsure candidates

As we mentioned earlier in this guide, hiring is a two-way street. You have to win a candidate over just as much as they have to win you over. Once you choose a candidate, here’s how to give yourself the best chance for an accepted offer and a successful start.

An illustration of an offer letter: "You're hired!"

Tips for sending an offer letter they’ll want to sign

If all went well, the candidate should be thrilled that you offer them the job. However, they may be considering other offers and it never hurts to demonstrate that you’re a thoughtful employer that’s genuinely excited about working with them.
First, consider giving them a call before sending the offer letter. Most candidates will appreciate hearing the enthusiasm in your voice and getting the news directly from the hiring manager, who they spent the entire process getting to know. Plus, you have the opportunity to get a verbal yes.

When you send the letter, give them a sign-by date. This gives them some parameters, adds a bit of urgency to the decision, and helps you develop a contingency plan with other top candidates in case your top choice declines the offer.

Last, consider asking everyone involved in the interview process to send a personal note to the candidate, especially if the candidate is on the fence. The candidate will end up working with these people, so an authentic and personalized note expressing excitement could make the difference between an acceptance and a declined offer.

Choose a start date that works for candidates and your business

Throughout the interview process, you should clarify when the candidates hope to start. Once you make the offer, don’t be afraid to encourage them to take a week or two off before starting the new job — they’ll appreciate the time off, plus it’s a signal that your company takes preventative measures against employee burnout. And if you’ve moved away from reactive hiring, this shouldn’t be too big of a hassle for your team.

Last, if you’re hiring multiple agents, work to start them on the same day. This way, you can onboard in cohorts, giving each new hire a buddy for support and companionship. Plus, you’ll save time by giving each training session once instead of multiple times for each hire. 

Master Hiring Customer Service Agents with HelpFlow.com and Gorgias

The hiring process isn’t about filling seats, it’s about building a team that strengthens morale, tackles challenges, and ultimately drives your brand forward. While it’s definitely possible to hire agents more quickly, quicker isn’t always better. A single bad experience with a customer service agent can cost you customers and damage brand equity. A team of bad hires can kill the future of your entire company. 

If you rush the hiring process, problems during onboarding, new-hire retention plummets, and the top talent you had before these bad hires start to leave. It’s better to invest time upfront to ensure you only hire A-player team members. 

Want help scaling your customer support team with agents who can provide an amazing customer experience and work with larger company goals in mind? HelpFlow runs customer service teams for over 100 brands and can help you level up your customer service operation. Check out our Gorgias Premier Partner profile and contact us today to learn more.

And if you’re struggling to streamline the workflow of your team and turn customer service into a profit center, check out Gorgias — the customer service platform built for ecommerce. Sign up for a free trial today.

Customer Service Team Management
Shopify Social Media Integration

The 10 Best Social Media Apps for Shopify

By Ryan Baum
7 min read.
0 min read . By Ryan Baum

According to data from Kepios, there are a total of 4.62 billion social media users in the world as of January 2022 — accounting for well over half of the earth's population. In other words, if you want to go where your customers are as a Shopify store owner, social media platforms are mission-critical.

Social media may be a great opportunity but it isn't exactly low-hanging fruit. Social media is complex and time-consuming. Even seasoned digital marketing professionals can get bogged down by tedious tasks, low-return initiatives, and frustrating obstacles when it comes to marketing products to potential customers on social media.

The good news is that utilizing the right Shopify social media apps can go a long way toward making your social media marketing campaigns more efficient and effective. To help you choose the ideal apps for your social media marketing and social media customer service needs, let's take a look at the 10 most powerful social media apps currently available on the Shopify app store.

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1) Outfy - Automate Social Media by Outfy

With Outfy, store owners are able to automate much of the work that goes into managing social media profiles by curating, scheduling, and publishing posts automatically. In addition to its convenient automation features, Outfy also enables you to easily create high-quality collages, videos, and GIFs to promote your products and boost brand awareness on social media.

Shopify rating ⭐4.8 (1214)

Price: From $15/month

Key features

  • Provides a range of customizable promotional post templates
  • Auto-generates and publishes promotional posts based on a number of predefined settings
  • Makes it easy to turn your product pictures into collages, videos, and animated GIFs
  • Hashtag research for helping you select the most effective hashtags for your promotional posts to reach your target audience

What users think of this app

  • Exceptional for auto-generating social media posts 
  • Easy to set up and use 
  • Hashtag research tools make it easy to select the ideal hashtags for promotional posts

Related: Our guide to customer service automation — set repeatable, low-impact tasks to autopilot.

2) Chatdesk - Email & FB Support by Chatdesk

According to data from Microsoft, 90% of Americans use customer service as a factor in deciding whether or not to do business with a company. With Chatdesk, you are able to outsource your customer support responsibilities to a team of hand-chosen customer support agents who are already fans of your brand. In addition to providing 24/7 live chat and email support, Chatdesk customer support agents also respond to all social media comments, mentions, and direct messages in real-time.

Shopify rating ⭐5.0 (14)

Price: Free plan available

Key features

  • Customer support agents are hired and trained on your behalf, and Chatdesk makes an effort to hire agents who are already "superfans" of your brand
  • Social media integration for responding to comments, messages, and mentions across all major social media networks
  • Provides 24/7 support options to your customers

What users think of this app

  • Reliable U.S.-based customer support agents 
  • Social media integrations are ideal for turning social media platforms into additional customer support channels. 
  • Exceptional for driving conversions with pre-purchase chat conversations

For Gorgias customers, learn more about our Chatdesk integration here. 

3) Facebook Messenger Marketing by ShopMessage

Facebook Messenger Marketing is a Shopify app by ShopMessage that allows you to create automated Facebook Messenger marketing flows. These flows are triggered based on a wide range of customer actions, such as cart abandonment and first-time purchases from new customers. This app also offers customizable opt-in popups designed to help you grow your Facebook Messenger subscriber list and shareable links that will direct to a FB Messenger marketing flow when clicked.

Shopify rating ⭐4.3 (129)

Price: $9/month

Key features

  • Messenger Menu feature provides customers with a concierge-like experience by giving them on-demand access to targeted product recommendations, support links, or interactive FAQs
  • A guaranteed minimum ROI in your first paid month or you receive a full refund
  • Create Facebook ads that direct to FB Messenger marketing flows

What users think of this app

For Gorgias customers, learn more about our ShopMessage integration here. 

4) Octane AI: Quiz Growth Tools by Octane AI

According to data from DemandGen, interactive content elicits twice as much engagement as static content. Interactive content such as surveys and quizzes in particular can be especially useful for providing ecommerce store owners with zero-party data on their customers. 

With Octane AI, you can create customizable surveys for your Shopify store, which you can use to learn what your customers like and dislike about their experience with your brand and products. Octane AI also gives you the ability to create customizable quizzes that you can use to provide customers with targeted product information and recommend new products. Best of all, quizzes and surveys created using Octane AI are easily shareable across all social platforms.

Shopify rating ⭐4.8 (200)

Price: From $50/month

Key features

  • Octane AI popup gives personalized product recommendations, which users can access and add to their carts
  • Integrates with Klaviyo to target your SMS and email marketing campaigns based on data collected using Octane AI
  • Dynamic quiz functionality lets you display different questions and Octane AI popup styles based on the demographics of the customer viewing them

What users think of this app

  • Product recommendation quizzes lead to increased sales 
  • Quizzes are customizable and easy to create 
  • Collects valuable zero-party data 

For Gorgias customers, learn more about our Octane AI integration here. 

5) Recart: SMS & Messenger by Recart

Recart is an SMS, email, and FB Messenger marketing tool that lets you create popup opt-ins for growing your email list. It also offers a variety of automated flows and templates that you can use to make your FB Messenger marketing strategy more efficient. Additionally, Recart provides built-in SMS stats and a real-time dashboard for you to track your campaigns.

Source: Recart

Shopify rating ⭐4.8 (5506)

Price: Free plan available

Key features

  • Edit templates with a no-code, drag-and-drop editor
  • Personalize your campaigns with condition splits
  • Integrate the tool with others, such as Klaviyo, Gorgias, and Drip

What users think of this app

  • Excellent for growing subscriber lists 
  • Abandoned cart recovery flows are highly effective 
  • Lots of useful integrations 

For Gorgias customers, learn more about our Recart integration here. 

6) 20+ Promotional Sales Tools by Zotabox

Zotabox is a platform that offers over 20 different useful sales tools, including customizable banners, countdown timers, social sharing buttons, customizable forms, and push notifications. Whatever you might need to make your social media marketing efforts a success, there's a high likelihood that you'll find what you're looking for on Zotabox.

Shopify rating ⭐4.8 (469)

Price: From $12.99/month

Key features

  • Embed videos on your website
  • Add customizable forms and live chat windows to your site
  • Source and display Facebook and Google reviews on your site

What users think of this app

  • Excellent triggering options for popups 
  • Lots of useful solutions in one package 
  • All of the tools are highly customizable

Related: How to transform live chat into your a top sales tool.

7) Instafeed: Instagram Feed by Mintt Studio

Instafeed is an app that displays your Instagram feed on your website. Instafeed also enables you to tag products in your Instagram posts in order to create a shoppable Instagram feed.

Shopify rating ⭐4.9 (1183)

Price: Free plan available

Key features

  • Display Instagram content in an on-site widget for social proof through user-generated content (UGC) 
  • Expand the reach of your Instagram profile to your store visitors
  • Turn your Instagram profile into a social commerce channel via the option to tag products in Instagram posts

What users think of this app

  • Improves the visual appeal of a Shopify store 
  • Great for converting Instagram into an additional sales channel 
  • Easy to set up and customize 

Related: Our guide to Instagram for customer service.

8) Facebook Channel by Shopify

Facebook Channel is an app by Shopify that automatically syncs products from your store to your Facebook account, making it easy to sell and promote products on Facebook. Facebook Channel also allows you to easily create a variety of Facebook Ads campaigns, including audience-building campaigns and dynamic retargeting campaigns.

Shopify rating ⭐3.5 (3785)

Price: Free to install, additional charges apply

Key features

  • Tag products in Facebook or Instagram posts
  • Create a custom storefront for your Facebook Shop
  • Access a variety of templates for setting up Facebook advertising campaigns

What users think of this app

  • Seamless integration with Shopify  
  • One of the easiest ways to get a Facebook store up and running 
  • Makes it easier to set up effective Facebook advertising campaigns  

Related: Our guide to Facebook Messenger for customer service.

9) Minta Automated Social Videos by Minta Technology

With Minta Technology, Shopify store owners can construct professional social videos and design image posts using a variety of attractive pre-built templates. Minta Technology also gives you the option to schedule social media posts for automatic publishing.

Shopify rating ⭐4.8 (520)

Price: Free plan available

Key features

  • Embed videos on your product pages
  • Schedule posts up to two months in advance with the content scheduler
  • Create fully-branded images and videos for social posts with ease

What users think of this app

  • Saves a lot of time otherwise spent scheduling and publishing posts 
  • Makes bland social media posts much more unique and eye-catching 
  • An impressive variety of templates to choose from 

Related: Our guide to product photography to set customer expectations and boost sales.

10) Gorgias - Live Chat & Helpdesk

Gorgias is an all-in-one customer service helpdesk platform for Shopify stores. Gorgias offers a range of features designed to help you improve your online store’s quality of customer support, while simultaneously reducing your customer support team's workload. 

But what makes Gorgias such an excellent social media Shopify app is the fact that Gorgias integrates with Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This allows your customer support agents to respond to messages and mentions across all social media channels from a single, user-friendly dashboard.

Shopify rating ⭐4.4 (533)

Price: From $10/month

Using Shopify Inbox? Compare Gorgias vs. Shopify Inbox.

Key features

  • Connect your social logins with your helpdesk: Generate a customer support ticket anytime someone messages your brand, replies to a post, or creates a post mentioning your brand on WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram
  • Live chat windows that can be easily transitioned to an email 
  • Automated Rules and templated Macros to improve your customer service quality and speed

What users think of this app

  • One-click integrations with your social media accounts and other ecommerce tools (for marketing, shipping, customer reviews, referrals, and more)
  • Automate tedious customer support tasks to save time for your customer support staff and maximize their impact
  • Very helpful for prioritizing customer inquiries to ensure that the most important inquiries receive the fastest possible response
  • Excellent customer support to help you set up the tool and optimize your Rules, Views, and Macros
  • Convenient to have messages from all social channels (Facebook Messenger and comments, Instagram DMs and comments, and WhatsApp conversations) in one place

Related: The best customer service software on the market.

Gorgias lets you manage all of your Shopify social media apps, minus the headache

Choosing the right social media apps for your ecommerce tech stack can provide you with a number of powerful capabilities, from the ability to automatically publish posts across numerous social networks to the ability to turn your social media profiles into convenient customer support channels.

At Gorgias, we are committed to helping our clients make the most of their chosen social media apps by ensuring that Gorgias is capable of integrating with a variety of popular Shopify apps, including Recart, Octane AI, ShopMessage, ChatDesk, and beyond. To learn more about Gorgias's powerful integrations, be sure to check out our social media app integration page.

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Apps and Integrations
Social Media
Ecommerce Community Management

Ecommerce Community Management: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

By Ryan Baum
14 min read.
0 min read . By Ryan Baum

Some customers will arrive on your website, place an order, and move on with their lives. But ideally, given the outsize returns of returning customers, your shoppers also have the option of joining a strong community where they can: 

  • Provide feedback that guides product development
  • See how other customers use your products
  • Engage with relevant (non-sales) content 
  • Stay up to date with your brand’s promotions and releases
  • Become a fully-fledged brand advocates

Thanks to these customer engagement tactics, a community can lead to better word-of-mouth marketing, referrals, and repeat purchases. According to Gorgias research of over 10,000 ecommerce brands, community building can boost a brand’s revenue by an estimated 6%.

In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into all things customer community management: what it entails, the benefits of community marketing at your company, steps you can follow to create a community management strategy, and tips and tricks to use once you’re in the thick of community management. 

What is customer community management?

Customer community management is the ongoing process of building and maintaining an authentic social network among your customers, staff members, and partners. You can host communities in various places: your brand's social media channels, dedicated online forums, or in person at networking events or brand get-togethers. 

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Two examples of great community management from ecommerce brands include 310 Nutrition and Kitsch. 

310 Nutrition sells meal replacement shakes and has a significant member base through their private 310 Nutrition Community Facebook group. There are over 400,000 members that engage in discussions related to the brand but also discuss nutrition and weight loss. It’s a place for like-minded individuals who share a similar goal of becoming healthier:

310 Nutrition
310 Nutrition

Beauty accessory and hair care brand Kitsch utilizes a slightly different community management strategy through TikTok. Kitsch has over 45,000 followers on TikTok and focuses on educating about their products, debuting new products, and running giveaways for their loyal fans. The brand does a great job at keeping its TikTok videos authentic and educational, rather than feeling like a salesroom floor:

Kitsch
Kitsch

The many benefits of a sound customer community management strategy

In addition to boosting revenue, a community management strategy can increase customer engagement and happiness, serve as an additional channel for customer service, and provide a platform for your most loyal customers to share their thoughts. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

So, what other benefits can solid community management offer?

Increases customer engagement and customer satisfaction

If your brand can run an effective customer community management strategy, you’ll start to see an increase in customer engagement as well as customer satisfaction. The more your brand's presence overlaps with where your customers are — especially online — the more you can boost engagement. For example, if you provide valuable content on Instagram and engage with people in the comment section, your audience will see your brand as authentic and committed to customers. 

In turn, if customers engage with your brand, they will be more satisfied and will likely return as customers again and again. Even more, for 43% of customers, good customer service breeds more loyal repeat customers — and more brand champions ultimately means more revenue for your brand, thanks to the value of referrals, product reviews, and repeat purchases.

These benefits come at a much lower cost than paid customer acquisition strategies, which require huge investments for customers who might only place one order with your brand — if that.

First time shoppers have high-acquisition costs but low LTV per customers. Repeat shoppers and loyal customers cost less and generate more revenue.

 Related: Our guide to improving customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores, one of the most important metrics for long-term brand growth.

Becomes another convenient and efficient customer service channel

Online community management can also open additional customer service channels for your customers that are more convenient than contacting a call center, using your site’s live chat support, or sending an email. In the community management realm, this could be chatting with a service rep via direct message (DM) on Instagram or troubleshooting an issue on a public Facebook group forum. 

Related: Our guide on customer support in ecommerce.

Provides quality feedback about products or services from your most loyal customers

Feedback is vital to your brand’s success, so additional spaces for customers to share feedback can be extremely valuable. You can even encourage customer feedback about products if your community management strategy includes online forums or social media pages like LinkedIn and Facebook. 

However, there is some risk in asking for feedback in such a public setting. If you'd rather ease into it, you could create a survey that only shows the results to you and your team. Offer something to customers for their time — such as a gift card or entry to a raffle — to incentivize them to participate.

Collecting customer feedback doesn't need to have a complicated format. For example, furniture brand Sabai uses Instagram polls to gauge customer interest in new product designs:

Engage your community with interactive content like Instagram polls.
Sabai

This kind of customer research is a great way to stoke community engagement and mitigate future customer complaints.

Creates more opportunities for upselling and cross-selling

Community management strategies can be effective sales or upselling channels because they give you the chance to educate customers (and let customers educate one another) about how different or additional products can help their needs. 

On top of straightforward product recommendations, you can practice upselling by sharing influencer or user-generated content marketing about new or premium products. Again, the goal isn’t to plug your products directly but incorporate them into content your community might like to see. 

A great example of this is Glamnetic’s TikTok about the do’s and don’ts of eyebrow makeup, which features numerous Glamnetic products:

Related: Our guide to ecommerce upselling and cross-selling for higher average order values (AOVs).

Encourages customers to become your best brand ambassadors

Lastly, a benefit of community management is the ability to create brand ambassadors. You can do this organically by engaging with customers with large followings on social media, but you can also do it more strategically through brand ambassador programs. 

Brand ambassadors provide a type of advocacy that no paid ads could ever achieve. They convince their friends and followers to try your brand, then those friends and followers convince their friends and followers to try your brand, and the cycle continues. This is also a great way to create social proof, or reviews and testimonials you can attach to product pages and your website.

One ecommerce brand that uses this tactic effectively is athleisure company Fabletics. The brand prides itself on being an inclusive, quality, affordable alternative to other high-end athleisure brands like Lululemon. Thus, Fabletics reflects this in their brand ambassador program, where they encourage real people to apply as influencers regardless of their status. In addition, they also work with celebrity influencers who have a passion for health and fitness, such as Kevin Hart and Maddie Ziegler.

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Jaxxon, another brand that creates a community around a niche — chain jewelry for main — capitalizes on brand ambassadors who share content on their own social networks.

Jaxxon
Jaxxon

A step-by-step guide for creating a customer community management strategy

So, now you have a better understanding of why customer community management has the potential to increase your brand's revenue. But how can you create a community that gets results? Here are six steps to building a customer community management strategy that works for your unique brand.

1) Research social media community management platforms

The first step in developing a community management strategy is to do your research.. Think about where your current customers frequent most when online and where your target audience is. For most brands, the easiest place to gather a group of people will be whichever social media platform you already use the most, whether that’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or another platform. However, if you’re trying to launch a more :

  • Discord: A robust platform that lets you host channels, forums, private messages, multimedia sharing, and more
  • Reddit: A platform known for authenticity and impressive crowd moderation — be wary of Reddit’s anti-marketing guidelines, though
  • Slack: Mostly known for business teams, Slack can also host customer communities
  • Thinkific: A community platform that also offers great functionality for educational courses
  • Mighty Networks: The top-rated community marketing platform on G2
  • Tribe Platform: A community platform best known for its high degree of customization
  • A forum native to your website: If you want, you can also try and build community functionality directly on your website

2) Create goals regarding what kind of outcome you’re looking for with your brand community

Next, you’ll want to create goals that align with the outcomes you hope to see from the strategy. Your goals could be tied to revenue, customer service effectiveness, brand awareness, and public relations. Some example goals may include:

  • Higher customer retention
  • Lower contact rate for your customer service center due to customers finding answers themselves in your online communities
  • Increased interest in a new product or renewed interest in an old product
  • Better public perception of your brand

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3) Get to know your audience

Though you likely have a solid idea of who your audience is at this point, you’ll want to continue getting to know your audience on the platforms you identified in step 1. You may realize you need a slightly different approach when applying your community management plan to TikTok versus a Facebook forum, for example. Though your audience may be similar in both places, folks expect quick, educational, and entertaining videos on TikTok. In contrast, they may want longer-winded discussions with other customers about your brand’s products on a Facebook forum.

One way to stoke community engagement is to try and spark interactions. For National Baking Day, for example, chocolate brand Montezuma’s requested community members’ best recipes instead of just sharing recipes themselves:

An interactive and engaging Instagram post from Montezuma
Montezuma’s

Related: Learn how Montezuma’s saves five hours a week and answers customer questions faster with Gorgias.

4) Craft valuable and thought-provoking content

Building off step 3, you’ll want to set up a plan to create valuable and thought-provoking content to ensure your customers come back to the online communities you are building. The type of content you create for your community management strategy should align with your overall brand image, tone, and voice. 

For example, let's say you're an ecommerce brand that sells sustainable mid-century furniture. Your community-based digital marketing strategy should include educational content that gives insight into your brand's sustainability: Where your products are made, how you source your materials, what your labor practices are, etc. In addition, you also want to create beautiful imagery (photos and videos) that showcase your brand’s furniture in real peoples’ homes. 

For example, fashion brand Princess Polly (and their community members) create outfit inspiration videos that would be independently interesting, regardless of whether you bought the clothes through the brand. Of course, someone watching might also love a particular garment and head to the website:

Related: Learn how Princess Polly helps customers 95% faster with Gorgias.

5) Use tools to measure success and track customer insights

In addition to the actual content that makes up your customer community management strategy, you’ll want to identify ways to measure the success of your program and track insights from your customers. One way to streamline this step is to find a tool that does what you need automatically. We'll highlight a few awesome insight tools below. Keep in mind that a great tool may require more financial investment upfront, but it will save you tons of time in the long run and should eventually pay for itself. 

Powerful community management tools to explore

  • Gorgias: As an all-in-one customer support solution, Gorgias can be an excellent choice for your customer service team to keep up with both current customers and future customers alike through email, social media, and chat. 
  • Keyhole: Keeping an eye on what is being said about your brand at any given moment can be a whole job by itself. Using a social listening tool like Keyhole can simplify this process by aggregating all mentions of your brand on social media. You can even keep an eye on your competition this way, which can help keep your brand’s strategy fresh and engaging.
  • Tweetdeck: If your brand has a Twitter-heavy strategy, Tweetdeck could assist your team with keeping an eye on specific feeds, hashtags, lists, and even managing your own tweets and messages. The tool also allows for data-driven insights.  
  • Grytics: If part of your community management strategy relies on running a specific group or online community, such as a private Facebook group, Grytics could help organize your insights, engagement, and overall performance. 

6) Assign a community manager to help your community flourish

The last step in creating your customer community management strategy is assigning a community manager. A dedicated community manager on your team will help execute your strategy and ensure the communities you’re building are supported and continue to grow. 

A community manager is similar to a social media manager, but there is one major difference. A social media manager typically posts and supports a brand from the inside. This usually means posting from a brand’s social media accounts. On the other hand, a community manager posts as a brand ambassador under their own accounts, not the brand's. The community manager will develop the community as a part of the community. A community manager can also be seen as a brand advocate. 

A great community manager would manage your brand’s community with a seriousness that doesn’t jeopardize the brand but also a friendly and personable attitude to keep customers engaged. Specific tasks of a good community manager could include:

  • Ensuring customers' questions are answered
  • Moderating conflict within the community
  • Enforcing terms of service (TOS) policies
  • Keeping the community a positive place for customers to interact

Tips and tricks for community management

As you finalize your customer community management strategy and start executing it, here are some best practices to keep in mind to make it as successful as possible.

Always provide a link back to your website

A link to your brand’s website is never a bad idea because each link out there increases the chance of someone in the community going to your website, clicking around, and making a purchase. Even if your community manager can provide an answer with one sentence of text, try to find somewhere to link to on your website, such as an FAQ page. 

Check out how Branch’s Help Center links back to the US (and Canada) store at the top of the portal:

Branch
Branch

Stay consistent with the company branding tone while responding to customers

Customers and even to-be customers come to know certain brands based on their tone. And even if you are new to community management, you can quickly become known if you create a unique brand voice and tone in online spaces and stick to it. 

One great way to achieve this is with the help of template responses, which we at Gorgias call Macros. With Macros, you can create and maintain a library of templates for frequently asked questions. But unlike most templates, Macros include variables that automatically populate with information like [Customer name] or [Tracking number of last order]. These Macros accelerate your customer service representatives’s workflows without sacrificing personalization or quality:

Gorgias

Create community guidelines and enforce them

Nobody wants to be the Rule Police, but community guidelines in online spaces are vital for mature, inclusive, and productive discourse. Successful community guidelines will also protect your brand if someone on a forum, for example, starts to get out of hand. Additionally, share your brand’s privacy and data protection standards with community members. 52% of social media users rate their privacy and data protection as highly important, so be sure to let them know how you protect their data.

Ask questions, encourage users to share wins/questions, and find other ways to stoke engagement

Remember that the community isn’t just a place for you to make announcements and sell your own products. Find meaningful ways to get people to talk to one another, share insights, and participate in the discussion.

Always respond to community members in a reasonable time frame

As part of your strategy, be sure to decide on what you and the rest of your team believe to be a reasonable time frame to respond to community members. If a community manager doesn’t respond to a community member’s question for several days, the likelihood of that member using the forum again is unlikely. 

Keep content engaging

Even if you are on a forum that uses mostly blocks of text, think of ways to keep the content engaging, such as incorporating photos, videos, infographics, and even podcasts (if applicable). 

One company you can look to as a model for great content creation is Casper, an ecommerce brand specializing in mattresses and pillows. Beyond its diverse content on various social media platforms, the brand has the Sleep Channel on YouTube, which includes a 12-part series that features sleep meditations and bedtime stories.  

Give back to your community

Lastly, it’s vital to dedicate part of your brand’s community management strategy to give back to your community. This can ensure your brand keeps growing and supports brand loyalty among customers. Ways to give back could include things like hosting contests, giveaways, highlighting user-generated content, and providing other incentives to expand the community. 

3 great examples of customer communities

We’ve covered a few examples of great customer communities above, but here are three more that we see as the gold standard.

310 Nutrition’s Facebook Community focuses on education

Though we mentioned 310 Nutrition earlier, the brand is a perfect example of how to run a strong online community focused on education. The fitness and weight-loss brand provides tons of content in its private Facebook group from brand ambassadors who work for 310 nutrition and are experts in the industry, such as trainers and nutritionists. 

The brand shares high-quality videos and articles with tips and tricks to encourage community members to stay motivated on their health journey. 310 Nutrition’s Facebook community also provides members exclusive promotions. All of these strategies help 310 Nutrition’s Facebook group attract new members regularly.

Annmarie Skin Care encourages emotional connections

Skincare brand, Annmarie Skin Care, combines its loyalty program (called the Wild & Beautiful Collective) with an exclusive Facebook group only open to loyalty-program members. Connecting a loyalty program to a closed online community can be a great way to give an exclusive benefit to loyal customers without investing too much overhead. In the community, loyal customers get exclusive content, access to the Annmarie team, and promotions. 

AnneMarie Skin Care combines its community with a loyalty program.
Annmarie

Oracle offers multiple communities for its powerful software

Even outside of the ecommerce world, online customer communities can be extremely beneficial. Oracle, for example, has different communities to bring together peers who use Oracle products and experts to help navigate the brand’s complex offerings. 

Without this kind of interactive community, new and prospective Oracle customers might be confused about the company’s benefits and use cases. The community helps them learn those things without having to talk to a sales agent:

Oracle
Oracle

Build a smooth, profitable customer experience with Gorgias

Creating online communities for your customers can take your brand one step closer to improving the overall customer experience. Online community management gives customers a better shopping experience, more avenues to answer their questions, and boosts your company's revenue in the process.

Efficient, helpful customer service and self-service resources like those offered at Gorgias can help you further your community management goals. Sign up and see how our platform can help streamline customer service interactions, automate repetitive tasks so your team members can focus on connecting with customers, and provide customer data to keep you and your team on track. Book my demo.

Customer Experience
Ecommerce Shipping

Ecommerce Shipping Made Simple: Strategy, Tools & Tips

By Gorgias Team
20 min read.
0 min read . By Gorgias Team

TL;DR:

  • Audit your shipping process early — don’t wait for angry customers. 55% of shoppers expect delivery in under 48 hours, and delays lead to churn, bad reviews, and ticket spikes.
  • Map out your full shipping workflow before you scale. From order verification to tracking notifications, smooth logistics reduce errors and save you hours on support.
  • Offer the fastest shipping your margins allow and set clear expectations. Use standard, 2-day, or same-day delivery where it makes sense, and always communicate cutoff times at checkout.
  • Get strategic with your carriers and pricing. Negotiate rates, test USPS vs. UPS/FedEx vs. DHL, and experiment with free shipping thresholds to increase AOV without killing your margin.
  • Optimize packaging, tracking, and returns as part of your brand experience. Use right-sized boxes to cut costs, automate notifications to reduce WISMO tickets, and make returns painless to drive loyalty.

55% of consumers expect delivery within 48 hours, according to ShipStation's 2024 Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report. That's how critical shipping is to your ecommerce business. Get it right, and you'll build customer loyalty. Get it wrong, and you'll face abandoned carts, angry customers, and mounting support tickets.

Whether you're launching your first product or scaling to new markets, understanding shipping fundamentals is essential.

This guide walks you through carrier selection, costs, fulfillment, international shipping, and tracking — everything you need for excellent shipping from day one.

What is ecommerce shipping?

Ecommerce shipping is the process of getting products from your warehouse to your customer's address. It includes order fulfillment, carrier handoff, transit, and final delivery.

Shipping is a critical part of customer experience. While customers spend minutes on your site, they interact with your shipping for days. Delivery speed, tracking updates, and package condition all shape how customers perceive your brand. 

Good shipping builds trust and repeat purchases. Poor shipping leads to negative reviews and increased support requests.

The ecommerce shipping process

Here's how orders move from your site to your customer's door:

Order receiving and verification

When a customer checks out, your system validates their shipping address, checks inventory, and reserves the items. 

If you use warehouse management software, it assigns the order to the best fulfillment location based on stock and proximity to the customer. Automation tools can flag issues, like invalid addresses or out-of-stock items early, so your team can resolve them before packing begins.

Pick, pack, and label

Warehouse staff (or automation) locate the products, choose the right packaging, and secure items to prevent damage. Your shipping software then generates labels with barcodes, tracking numbers, and delivery addresses. Integrating label printing with your order management system reduces errors and prevents delivery delays.

Carrier handoff and notifications

Packed orders are staged for carrier pickup. Your system creates a manifest that lists all packages for the carrier to match against. Once scanned, tracking numbers activate and customers receive automated notifications with tracking info and delivery estimates. These updates reduce support inquiries since customers can monitor their orders independently.

Ecommerce shipping methods and delivery speeds

Your shipping options balance cost and speed. The right choice depends on your product margins, customer expectations, and what competitors offer. Here's what each speed means and how to offer it successfully.

Standard, expedited, 2-day, and overnight

Standard shipping uses ground transportation and is the most cost-effective option. Most carriers offer this as their base service level.

How to offer it: Work with major carriers like USPS, UPS, or FedEx for ground shipping rates. Negotiate volume discounts as you scale.

Setting expectations: Display the 5-7 day window clearly at checkout. Send tracking info immediately after the carrier picks up the order. Most customers accept standard shipping when delivery dates are communicated upfront.

Expedited and 2-day shipping (2-4 business days)

Expedited shipping (3-4 days) and 2-day shipping are premium options. Two-day shipping has become a competitive necessity in many categories thanks to Amazon Prime.

How to offer it: Upgrade to faster carrier services (UPS 2nd Day Air, FedEx 2Day). Consider fulfillment centers closer to major customer bases to reduce transit times. Pass costs to customers or absorb them for high-value orders.

Setting expectations: Clearly mark order cutoff times (e.g., “Order by 2pm for 2-day shipping”). Process and ship orders the same day to hit delivery promises.

Same-day and local delivery

Same-day delivery gets orders to customers within hours and works best in urban areas with local inventory. This shipping option is becoming increasingly popular, especially as large online sellers like Temu expand their fast delivery capabilities through partnerships with local and international carriers that handle last-mile logistics efficiently.

How to offer it: Partner with third-party courier services. If you have physical locations, you can also use your own delivery team. Start by limiting availability to specific zip codes where you have inventory nearby. Consider partnering with local warehouses to reduce transit distances.

Setting expectations: Set tight order cutoff times (usually before noon). Offer in-store pickup or curbside options as alternatives that give customers control without same-day delivery costs.

Overnight shipping

Overnight (next-day) is the fastest option with premium pricing. Most businesses pass these costs to customers.

How to offer it: Use overnight air services. Requires same-day order processing and later cutoff times than 2-day shipping.

Setting expectations: Make pricing transparent. Customers paying premium rates expect premium service. Communicate cutoff times clearly and confirm delivery dates before purchase.

Shipping carriers for ecommerce

The right carrier depends on where you're shipping and what speeds you need. Here's a breakdown by region.

US carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL)

USPS is the most affordable for lightweight packages and reaches every US address, including rural areas. Priority Mail offers 2-3 day delivery at competitive rates.

UPS and FedEx are best for speed and reliability, with services ranging from ground to overnight. Both offer tracking, integrations with ecommerce platforms, and small business discounts. Check out FedEx's Small Business program and UPS's ecommerce integrations for better rates.

DHL specializes in international shipping and is ideal if you're expanding globally or regularly serving international customers.

Canada carriers (Canada Post, Purolator, UPS, FedEx)

Canada Post is the go-to for domestic shipping in Canada with affordable rates and nationwide coverage. They offer services from standard ground to expedited delivery.

Purolator provides reliable express shipping across Canada with strong tracking and next-day options for major cities.

UPS and FedEx also operate in Canada and are good options for cross-border shipping between the US and Canada, with expertise in customs clearance.

South America carriers (Correios, Blue Express, Estafeta)

Correios is the national postal service covering all of Brazil, though delivery times can vary significantly in remote areas.

Blue Express offers reliable domestic shipping throughout Chile with tracking capabilities.

Estafeta is a leading private carrier in Mexico with faster delivery than the national postal service and strong ecommerce integrations.

UK and EU carriers (Royal Mail, DPD, DHL, Evri)

Royal Mail is essential for UK domestic shipping, offering 2-3 day standard delivery and next-day tracked services at competitive rates.

DPD is a leading European carrier with reliable service across the continent, precise delivery time windows, and safe place options.

DHL Paket, Evri (formerly Hermes), and Colissimo provide strong regional coverage in Germany, UK, and France respectively. When expanding to Europe, evaluate carriers based on rates, customs support, and integration with your shipping software.

Middle East carriers (Aramex, SMSA Express, Emirates Post)

Aramex is a major regional carrier covering the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and surrounding countries with strong ecommerce capabilities.

SMSA Express in Saudi Arabia offers reliable domestic and regional shipping with cash-on-delivery options popular in the region.

Emirates Post provides affordable shipping throughout the UAE and has partnerships for international delivery.

Africa carriers (The Courier Guy, Aramex, DHL)

Aramex operates across Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. 

DHL provides reliable international shipping throughout the region.

GIG Logistics is a common choice in Nigeria.

Posta Kenya serves Kenya and the surrounding countries.

The Courier Guy and Fastway Couriers are popular for domestic shipping in South Africa.

Asia carriers (Japan Post, SF Express, Kerry Express)

Japan Post provides comprehensive coverage throughout Japan. 

SF Express dominates in China and Hong Kong with fast delivery and strong logistics infrastructure. 

CJ Logistics in South Korea offers reliable domestic shipping with good ecommerce integrations.

Kerry Express operates across Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia with affordable rates and tracking.

J&T Express has rapidly expanded across Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam with competitive pricing.

Delhivery and Blue Dart are leading carriers for Indian ecommerce with extensive domestic networks. 

Daraz provides reliable shipping across Pakistan with cash-on-delivery options.

Oceania carriers (Australia Post, NZ Post, CouriersPlease)

Australia Post is the primary carrier for Australian domestic shipping with comprehensive coverage and multiple service levels from standard to express.

New Zealand Post (NZ Post) provides reliable nationwide coverage in New Zealand with affordable rates and tracking options.

CouriersPlease and Toll operate across Australia with strong ecommerce integrations and competitive express delivery options.

Shipping rates and pricing models

Your shipping pricing affects both sales and profits. Choose a model that fits your products, average order value, and what competitors offer.

Free shipping

Free shipping drives sales and customer satisfaction, but you need to cover the costs somehow. You can build shipping into your product prices, absorb costs from your margins, or offer free shipping above a minimum order value (like $50).

Pro Tip: Setting a minimum order value for free shipping (like “Free shipping over $50”) encourages larger purchases while protecting your margins on small orders. This taps into customers' desire to “earn” free shipping and can increase your average order value. 

Flat-rate shipping

Flat-rate shipping charges the same amount for all domestic orders regardless of location. This works well if your products are similar in size and weight (like clothing or coffee). Customers like knowing the cost upfront. However, this doesn't work well if you sell items with widely varying sizes or weights.

Real-time carrier rates

Real-time rates calculate actual shipping costs based on the customer's location and pass those costs along at checkout. This is the fairest method since you're only charging what carriers charge you, but unexpected high costs can lead to cart abandonment. 

Pro Tip: Consider adding a shipping calculator on product pages so customers can estimate costs before checkout.

Local delivery pricing

Offer flat-rate or free delivery to customers within a certain radius of your warehouse or store. This cuts carrier costs, provides faster delivery, and turns your location into a competitive advantage. Local delivery options are especially valuable if you have physical stores or regional warehouses.

How to calculate shipping costs

Understanding your shipping costs helps you price accurately and protect margins. Here are the key factors:

DIM weight, zones, and surcharges

Dimensional weight determines cost based on package size, not just actual weight. Carriers calculate it by dividing your package dimensions (length x width x height) by a DIM divisor. You're charged based on whichever is higher: DIM weight or actual weight.

Zone-based pricing means shipping costs increase with distance. Carriers divide regions into zones (typically 2-8 for domestic shipments), and rates go up as you ship farther from your warehouse.

Surcharges can include:

  • Residential delivery fees
  • Fuel surcharges
  • Peak season fees
  • Oversized package fees
  • Remote area delivery charges

Handling and labor costs

These include the time and labor to:

  • Locate products in your warehouse
  • Pick items from inventory
  • Pack orders securely

Labor costs vary by region and efficiency, but warehouse management systems can reduce handling time.

Packaging materials

Calculate costs for:

  • Boxes or poly mailers
  • Void fill (bubble wrap, air pillows, paper)
  • Tape and labels
  • Branded inserts

Pro Tip: Use the smallest box that safely fits your products to reduce both material costs and DIM weight charges.

Operational overhead

Don't forget these ongoing costs:

  • Warehouse or storage space
  • Shipping software subscriptions
  • Label printers and scales
  • Customer service time for shipping inquiries and tracking questions

Packaging for ecommerce

The right packaging protects products, controls costs, and reflects your brand.

Right-sizing and materials

Right-sizing means using boxes that match your product dimensions. Oversized boxes increase shipping costs through dimensional weight pricing, while undersized boxes risk damage and returns.

Common packaging materials:

  • Corrugated boxes: Durable and stackable, best for protection but more expensive
  • Poly mailers: Lightweight and cost-effective for soft goods like clothing
  • Padded envelopes: Good for small, semi-fragile items
  • Void fill options: Bubble wrap, air pillows, crinkle paper, or biodegradable alternatives

Pro Tip: Audit your most common orders and stock 3-5 box sizes that cover 80% of shipments.

Branded vs. plain packaging

Branded packaging creates a memorable unboxing experience with custom printed boxes, tissue paper, thank-you cards, and inserts. This builds loyalty and encourages social sharing, but costs more and requires minimum order quantities.

Plain packaging minimizes costs and works well for price-sensitive customers or commodity products.

Middle ground: Use plain outer packaging with branded elements inside (tissue paper, stickers, cards) to create a good experience without the full expense of custom printing.

Eco-friendly choices

Sustainable packaging appeals to environmentally conscious customers. Options include:

  • Recyclable corrugated boxes
  • Biodegradable poly mailers (made from cornstarch or plant materials)
  • Compostable void fill
  • FSC-certified paper products

Cost consideration: Eco-friendly materials typically cost 10-30% more than conventional options.

Carbon-neutral shipping: Some brands purchase carbon offsets to neutralize transportation emissions. This can differentiate your brand and appeal to customers willing to wait longer or pay more for sustainable options.

Labels, insurance, and shipping compliance

Accurate labels, proper insurance, and compliance with shipping regulations protect your business and ensure smooth deliveries.

Shipping labels

Shipping labels include your customer's address, return address, tracking barcodes, carrier routing codes, and handling instructions. Labels must meet carrier specifications exactly, or packages can be delayed, returned, or lost.

Common label errors to avoid:

  • Address typos or incorrect ZIP codes
  • Missing apartment or suite numbers
  • Improperly formatted barcodes

How to print labels efficiently

Shipping software: Use platforms like ShipStation, Shippo, or ShipBob that connect to your ecommerce store and carrier accounts. These tools automatically pull order data and generate carrier-compliant labels, eliminating manual entry errors.

Label printers: Invest in a thermal label printer (like Rollo or Zebra) that prints 4x6 labels without ink. These are faster and more cost-effective than standard printers for high-volume shipping.

Address validation: Most shipping software includes address validation that checks addresses against carrier databases before printing, catching errors early and preventing delivery issues.

Batch printing: If you're shipping multiple orders at once, use batch printing features to print all labels in one go rather than individually.

When to insure shipments

Shipping insurance reimburses you when items are lost, stolen, or damaged in transit. Carriers provide basic liability (typically $100 for domestic shipments), but this rarely covers high-value items. You can purchase additional carrier insurance, use third-party providers like Shipsurance, or self-insure by absorbing losses.

Important: Customers expect replacements whether you're insured or not — insurance protects your margins, not their experience.

Here’s a table to determine if insurance is a good idea:

Product Type

Recommended Action

Why

High-value items ($200+)

Purchase insurance

Protects margins if lost or damaged

Fragile products

Purchase insurance

Higher damage risk during transit

International shipments

Purchase insurance

Increased loss risk across borders

Low-value items (<$50)

Consider self-insuring

Insurance costs may exceed replacement costs

Standard products ($50–$200)

Evaluate loss rate

Insure if you experience frequent claims

Cost consideration: Insurance typically costs 1-3% of order value. Compare this against your actual loss rate to decide if it's worth it.

Special handling and dangerous goods

Some products require special handling due to safety regulations:

Lithium batteries (in electronics, vaping products, power tools):

  • Require special labels, packaging, and documentation
  • Face quantity restrictions on air transport
  • Subject to strict fire safety regulations

Hazmat products (flammable liquids, aerosols, certain cosmetics):

  • Require hazmat certification
  • Need specialized carriers
  • Include items like alcohol, certain cleaning products, and some beauty items

Restricted items vary by carrier and destination, but commonly include:

  • Alcohol and tobacco
  • CBD products
  • Certain health and beauty items

Next steps: Before launching products in these categories, check carrier resources on dangerous goods and restricted items. Non-compliance can result in shipment rejection, fines, or loss of carrier accounts.

Related: Learn how to deal with lost packages in ecommerce.

Tracking, notifications, and returns

Good tracking and easy returns reduce support requests and build customer trust.

Proactive order tracking

WISMO (Where Is My Order) inquiries are among the largest sources of customer support tickets. Customers want visibility into their orders, and when they don't have it, they contact you. Proactive tracking updates via email and SMS keep customers informed and dramatically reduce support volume.

Send these tracking notifications:

  • Order confirmation
  • Shipping confirmation with tracking number
  • Out for delivery alert
  • Delivery confirmation

Each message should include a direct tracking link and expected delivery window.

Advanced tracking options:

  • Use services like AfterShip or Route to create branded tracking pages that keep customers on your site instead of carrier sites
  • Add self-service order tracking to your website's chat widget so customers can check status instantly
  • Consider AI chatbots that pull real-time tracking data and answer questions 24/7

Returns and exchanges

Easy returns build customer trust and encourage future purchases. A complicated returns process drives customers to competitors.

Keep these returns best practices in mind:

  • Return policy: Display clearly on product pages and at checkout
  • Return window: Offer 30–60 days (industry standard)
  • Return process: Use automated RMA forms that collect info upfront
  • Return labels: Provide prepaid labels to reduce friction
  • Return portal: Give customers visibility into return status‍
  • Communication: Send updates at each step (received, inspected, refunded)

Common returns mistakes to avoid:

  • Hiding return policies in fine print
  • Manual return processing that slows response times
  • Offering free returns without accounting for costs in your pricing

Tool recommendation: Use a returns management tool such as Loop or Returnly to integrate with your store and customer service software to streamline the process.

Domestic vs. international shipping

Domestic shipping is straightforward: products move within one country under consistent rules. International shipping adds complexity with customs, duties, taxes, and documentation requirements. Here's what you need to know to expand globally.

Duties, taxes, and HS codes

Duties are import taxes charged when goods enter a country. Rates vary by product type and destination, typically ranging from 0-20% of product value.

Taxes (like VAT in Europe or GST elsewhere) are consumption taxes applied to products sold in those countries.

Who pays? You have two options:

  • DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): You pay all duties and taxes upfront. Customers receive packages with no additional charges.
  • DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid): Customers pay duties and taxes upon delivery. This can surprise customers and lead to refused shipments.

HS codes (Harmonized System codes) are standardized product classification codes that determine duty rates. Every international shipment needs an accurate HS code on customs documents. Incorrect codes cause delays, audits, or wrong charges.

Pro Tip: Most shipping software lets you store HS codes for products. Services like Zonos or Avalara automatically calculate duties based on HS codes and destinations.

International shipping documentation

All international shipments require a commercial invoice with:

  • Sender and recipient information
  • Product descriptions and quantities
  • Product values and HS codes
  • Country of origin

For small, low-value shipments, simplified forms (CN22 or CN23) may be enough depending on the destination.

De minimis thresholds

De minimis thresholds are value limits below which countries waive duties and simplify customs. These vary by country:

Country/Region

De Minimis Threshold

United States

$800

European Union

€150

United Kingdom

£135

Canada

CAD $20

Australia

AUD $1,000

Shipping below these thresholds simplifies customs and speeds up delivery. However, many countries are lowering thresholds to protect domestic businesses, so check current limits before shipping.

Fulfillment options (FBM, FBA, 3PLs)

You can handle order fulfillment yourself or outsource it to third-party providers. Your choice depends on order volume, budget, and how much control you need.

In-house fulfillment (FBM - Fulfilled by Merchant)

You handle warehousing, picking, packing, and shipping yourself.

Pros:

  • Complete control over packaging and customer experience
  • Can customize everything (branded inserts, gift wrapping)
  • Cost-effective at lower volumes

Cons:

  • Requires warehouse space, labor, and supplies
  • Time-intensive as you scale
  • You handle all operational challenges

Best for: New businesses with low order volumes or those wanting complete control over branding.

Third-party logistics (3PLs)

3PLs handle receiving, storage, picking, packing, and shipping for you.

Pros:

  • Easily scale during peak seasons (Black Friday, holidays)
  • Distributed inventory for faster delivery
  • Better carrier rates through volume discounts
  • Focus on growing your business instead of operations

Cons:

  • Less direct control over fulfillment
  • Per-unit fulfillment fees
  • Dependent on 3PL's service quality

Best for: Growing businesses shipping 100+ orders per month or those expanding to multiple regions.

Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA)

Send inventory to Amazon warehouses. They fulfill orders from Amazon.com and potentially your own website through Multi-Channel Fulfillment.

Pros:

  • Access to Amazon Prime badge and two-day shipping
  • Amazon's massive logistics network
  • Handles customer service for Amazon orders

Cons:

  • Storage fees (especially for slow-moving inventory)
  • Strict packaging requirements
  • Less control over customer experience
  • Can be expensive for non-Amazon orders

Best for: Businesses primarily selling on Amazon or wanting Prime eligibility.

How to choose a 3PL

When evaluating 3PL partners, look for:

Factor

What to Look For

Order accuracy

99%+ accuracy SLA guarantee

Shipping speed

Same-day or next-day order processing

Locations

Fulfillment centers near your customers (east and west coast for US)

Pricing transparency

Clear breakdown of receiving, storage, pick/pack, and shipping fees

Technology

Real-time inventory visibility and API integrations with your store

Returns handling

Clear process for processing and restocking returns

Product restrictions

Confirm they handle your product types (hazmat, oversized, etc.)

Questions to ask:

  • Does your system integrate with my ecommerce platform?
  • What are your storage fees per cubic foot?
  • How do you handle branded packaging?
  • Can you provide references from similar businesses?

Ecommerce shipping integrations and APIs

The right tools connect your store to carriers and automate shipping tasks. Here are the essentials:

Shipping software:

  • ShipStation: Multi-carrier platform with batch label printing and automation rules
  • Shippo: Simple API for rate comparison and label generation
  • AfterShip: Branded tracking pages and proactive shipping notifications
  • Easyship: Good for international shipping with duties calculation
  • ShipBob: 3PL with built-in shipping software

Ecommerce platform integrations:

  • Shopify: Native apps pull order data and sync tracking automatically (Advanced plans include real-time carrier rates at checkout)
  • BigCommerce: Native carrier integrations (USPS, UPS, FedEx) plus third-party apps
  • WooCommerce: Shipping plugins and carrier extensions via WordPress
  • Magento: Extension marketplace for shipping solutions (requires more technical setup)

Customer service integrations:

Connect shipping software to your help desk (Gorgias, Zendesk, Freshdesk) so support teams can view order status and tracking without switching systems

Shipping software checklist:

  • Automatic order import from your store
  • Multi-carrier rate comparison
  • Batch label printing
  • Address validation
  • Tracking number sync back to your store
  • Branded tracking pages

Streamline shipping support with conversational AI

Shipping inquiries — tracking questions, delivery issues, returns — make up a huge portion of customer support tickets. Gorgias automates these routine questions with AI while keeping responses personal and accurate.

Connect your store, carriers, and returns system to one platform so customers get instant answers to “Where is my order” without waiting for your team. Automate proactive notifications for delivery exceptions and let customers track orders or start returns through self-service flows.

Ready to reduce support volume and speed up response times? Book a demo.

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Fulfillment and Returns
Ecommerce Customer Delight

Customer Delight Is A Losing Strategy in Ecommerce: Here’s What’s Better

By Jordan Miller
13 min read.
0 min read . By Jordan Miller

Most ecommerce businesses understand that offering great products at a reasonable price isn’t enough. We know that customer experience is key to gaining long-term loyal customers, obtaining reviews and referrals, and growing in the long term. But too many brands believe that a great customer experience means surprising and delighting customers. 

Frankly, handwritten notes and freebies don’t make for a great customer experience or a winning strategy. That’s not why customers reach out to your brand, nor is it what drives customer retention. They reach out to support for quick, helpful, effortless experiences; this is what makes top-notch customer service so important. Then (and only then) should you put the cherry on top with surprising, delightful extras.

Why “surprise and delight” is not a viable customer service strategy

Top-notch customer support is like an ice cream sundae, and efforts to thrill customers are the sprinkles and cherries on top. Sprinkles and cherries are great, but they don’t make for a satisfying sundae on their own. 

Customers won’t be that amused if you make them wait on hold for 45 minutes and greet them with lighthearted jokes. Likewise, you’ll make a customer feel frustrated if you spend your budget on freebies but ignore implementing customer feedback about the product.

More than anything, customers who contact a brand's customer service team want their problems solved quickly and well. Fast, helpful, low-effort experiences are the base of your sundae, and any extra efforts to delight the customer are sure to fall flat if you can't do that. 

Customer service interactions tend to drive disloyalty, not loyalty

According to Emplifi, 49% of consumers have left a brand in the past year due to a poor customer experience. Also, according to The Effortless Experience, an influential customer service book by best-selling author Matthew Dixon, customer service interactions are 4x more likely to drive customer disloyalty than they are to drive customer loyalty.

Most customer service interactions make customers less loyal, not more loyal.
The Effortless Experience

If 20% of support interactions leave customers delighted and 80% leave customers frustrated, your greatest opportunity is to reduce frustration, not chase after hard-to-achieve delight. 

Ecommerce customer delight isn’t linked to loyalty (and it’s expensive)

The Effortless Experience also reveals that going “above and beyond” isn’t even what drives that 20% of loyalty-building interactions. While companies assume exceeding customer expectations generate superfans, customers are generally just as satisfied when companies simply meet their expectations.

And 80% of companies who use customer delight as a strategy say they spend heavily on providing this delight: More overhead from giveaways, VIP kickbacks, refunds, and policy exceptions. Given that these delightful experiences don’t correlate to customer loyalty, this is not money well spent.

Support’s biggest impact is to mitigate disloyalty by reducing customer effort

If we zoom into what drives customers away, the most common issue is a high degree of effort — not a lack of gifts or delightful conversations. Common reasons for high-effort experiences include:

  • Multiple contacts to resolve an issue
  • Repeating information
  • Getting transferred between channels

The negative impact of these high-effort experiences is staggering. According to The Effortless Experience, a whopping 96% of customers who had high-effort experiences feel disloyal to those companies afterward.

image

To put it simply, most companies are trying to go “above and beyond” before they effectively provide the baseline of customer service, which is a helpful and low-effort experience. 

How to minimize customer effort: The better version of surprise and delight

The key to customer retention is reducing customer effort. 94% of customers intend to purchase after a low-effort experience compared to a slim 4% after high-effort experiences, making it an essential part of a best-in-class customer experience. Lowering customer effort involves designing an intuitive user experience, decreasing the number of steps required to complete tasks, improving reply and response times (along with other key customer support metrics), and using forward resolution in support. 

Here are five more quick wins to reduce customer effort in ecommerce:

1) Offer self-service functionality on your website

88% of customers expect your online store to offer some kind of self-service. Self-service resources could be as simple as a frequently-asked questions (FAQ) page or more interactive functionality to manage orders without having to reach out to customer support. 

For merchants using Gorgias, you can set up a Help Center that does both in just a few clicks. Customers can read articles about your brand and shipping policy, and check their delivery status (which they do an average of 4.6 times for every order) instantaneously.

Here’s a great example of self-service order management on Steve Madden’s Help Center:

Steve Madden
Steve Madden

Learn more about self-service order management with Gorgias.

2) List answers to pre-sales questions in a help center

Once you have an FAQ page or customer knowledge base, one type of question to proactively answer is pre-sales questions. These are questions potential customers have while mulling over a purchase in their heads before hitting “Place order” at checkout:

  • Is it the right size for me?
  • Is it compatible with products I already own?
  • Can I return it if I’m dissatisfied?
  • Will it arrive before the holidays?

If customers have to reach out and wait for an answer, they might just abandon the purchase and look for another online retailer that better addresses their questions. At least, that’s the case for the 63% of customers who attempt to solve issues via self-service support before reaching out.

So, don’t delay in making clear sizing guides, shipping policies, returns policies, and other self-service information that your customers need to confidently make a purchase.

3) Use forward resolution in customer support to avoid unnecessary follow-ups

Forward resolution is the practice of solving anticipated issues for customers before the customer even thinks to ask.


Let’s look at a real-world example: A customer inquires about shipping times to their local region. The support agent can see they have items in their cart that are on pre-order and, while answering the customer’s question about shipping time, also tells them that pre-order items are sent separately and that they can track delivery status through self-service. The agent has answered the initial question and forward-resolved two potential issues — reducing effort for the customer.


If you can, audit multi-touch tickets from the past few months to understand which questions tend to have natural follow-ups you can proactively answer. Then, add that follow-up information to your templates, or Macros if you use Gorgias, to improve your customer experience.

Here’s a Macro that not only answer’s a customer question about the location of an order, but lets them know when that order will be shipped:

image

Learn more about resolution time from Gorgias’s Director of Customer Support.

4) Know more, ask les‍s

One of the most damaging mistakes is making customers repeat themselves. Agents need that information to do their jobs well, but asking a customer to repeat their story at every juncture is a surefire way to damage a valuable customer relationship.

Instead, give customer service representatives all the customer context they need from the jump. Gorgias’s customer sidebar gives agents valuable context like purchase and communication history (from Shopify or BigCommerce), reviews information, cart data, social media engagement, and much more so customers don’t need to constantly retell their story.

image

Learn more about Gorgias's customer sidebar (and how it helps you better understand and serve your customers).

5) Make your support more convenient with automation and omnichannel

90% of customers say an “immediate” response is important, and 78% of customers prefer a variety of support channels to get in contact with customer support. 

To answer questions faster, consider using a customer support platform with automation features to help your team move faster and automatically respond to repetitive customer questions. Gorgias’ automated system can help you prioritize customer service requests, tag the appropriate agent, and close no-response tickets so you spend less time on admin work. And, with the help of pre-written Macros, automated Rules, and chatbot-like self-service flows, you can send instant, personalized responses to questions like, “Where is my order?”

Gorgias

Additionally, explore expanding to an omnichannel or multichannel ecommerce customer service strategy, which gives customers more touchpoints for your brand. Customers value the convenience of texting your brand, calling your brand, and hearing from you on social media. If you’re only available via email, you will likely lose customers due to high effort.

Read our guide to omnichannel customer service or check out our unified helpdesk to learn more.

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6 ways to delight ecommerce customers (once they have a low-effort experience)

Don’t get us wrong, customers usually enjoy an extra bit of pizazz or a freebie. And those sprinkles can even boost your brand’s conversion rate in the short term and boost customer loyalty in the long term — as long as they’re not associated with a high-effort experience. 

Take a look at the following customer delight strategies and consider adopting them only once you’ve developed a low-effort customer experience as a foundation.

 1) Offer free shipping (the new normal for customer satisfaction)

According to a 2021 survey, 66% of customers expect free shipping with every online purchase. This means that free shipping is often more of an expectation than a bonus — thanks, Amazon. Nevertheless, offering free shipping to your customers can still be a great way to encourage customer delight in many cases.

Customers love the word "free," even if the money that they are saving is only a few dollars. In fact, many stores can raise their product pricing slightly to make up for shipping costs and still see a boost in conversion rate from offering free shipping. 

If you can’t offer free shipping to every customer, setting qualifying amounts is a good way to delight customers with free shipping while also driving higher average order values.

Woxer is one ecommerce brand that offers free shipping on all domestic orders and some international orders. Plus — another best practice — Woxer makes this information easily accessible as a Quick Response in their live chat widget.

Woxer delights customers by offering free shipping on qualifying orders.
Woxer

For more help on how to offer free shipping without losing too much money, check out our guide to offering free shipping.

2) Launch a customer referral program

Creating a customer referral portal or program offers dual benefits. For one, it helps your brand attract new customers by encouraging them to refer their friends, family, and colleagues through word-of-mouth advertising. Along with introducing your brand to new potential customers, referral programs can also be a great way to blow away your customers: Everyone loves the opportunity to earn discounts and rewards!

If your ecommerce company has a strong net promoter score (NPS), you’re positioned to launch a referral program, capitalize on that goodwill, and delight your customers. If you want to start a referral marketing program, check out tools like Extole which systematically reward customers who bring you business via word of mouth.

3) Post user-generated content on social media

Recognition is its own reward, and a shout-out on social media is something most customers enjoy. Highlighting customers who use your products, positive customer reviews, and other delightful interactions allow you to celebrate customers and add social proof to your social media profile. It also reduces the number of content marketing materials you need to produce on your own.

Marine Layer's Instagram is full of customer shout-outs and other user-generated content that your brand may be able to pull inspiration from:

Marine layer
Marine Layer

4) Use loyalty programs to reward VIP customers

Like a referral program, a loyalty program rewards customers for repeat purchases and continued brand loyalty. If your customer experience is already smooth enough to bring in repeat customers, delighting those superfans with rewards is a strong strategy.

If you already use Gorgias, you can integrate loyalty platforms like LoyaltyLion to make the customer experience even more seamless. For example, esmi Skin Minerals uses Gorgias and its integration with Loyalty Lion to bring loyalty data into Gorgias and provide even more personalized, automated service to shoppers. Thanks to this powerful integration, esmi achieved a 58% boost in brand loyalty program enrollment and a 2X increase in average loyalty program member spend. 

Learn more about how esmi uses Gorgias and Loyalty Lion to improve loyalty program enrollment rates and double the lifetime value of its loyal customers. 

5) Celebrate customer milestones for loyal customers

Even if you don’t have an official loyalty program, you can celebrate your VIP customers at key milestones like birthdays or the anniversary of their first purchase. On top of sharing some warm and fuzzies (and maybe free product), one benefit of this kind of celebration is to potentially get a shoutout from customers on social media for your surprise. 

Check out our CX Growth Playbook to learn how to implement this tip with Zapier, plus read about 18 other tactics to drive growth through customer experience.

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6) Optimize proactive customer service across the customer journey

One way to delight customers is to move beyond purely reactive customer service, which requires customers to reach out to get help. With proactive customer service, a combination of directly reaching out to customers and creating self-service resources, you can help more potential customers, reduce cart abandonment, and improve your brand’s customer experience.

Proactive customer support could include self-service resources, like those described above. It also includes non-intrusive chat campaigns, which let you automatically reach out to customers who display certain behaviors to offer support. For example, you could reach out to customers who linger on a product page to ask if they have questions about the product or need a recommendation on sizing.

Here’s what Ohh Deer, an online retailer that sells delightful stationery, says about chat campaigns:

 “With chat campaigns, the goal is to remove any customer equivocation and get the customer to the product they really want.”
– Alex Turner, Customer Experience Manager at Ohh Deer 

Learn how Ohh Deer drives $12,500 each quarter through Gorgias chat.

Delight and retain your ecommerce customers with low-effort support 

The key to great customer service isn’t some sparkly delight. It’s efficient, convenient, and helpful support that customers can access in a variety of ways. 

With Gorgias, ecommerce brands can access the tools and integrations they need to automate time-consuming tasks, provide instant answers, and reduce the number of times customers have to write in and wait for your customer support team’s answer. Through our platform, your customer support team becomes more than just a team to answer customer questions — it becomes a revenue-generating machine.

Book a demo to see how Gorgias can help your ecommerce brand.

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