A recent article in Chain Store Age highlights the findings of a study by the technology services company, Mindtree, whose “Shopper Survey 2016” addresses how “good old fashioned human sales associates” can drive consumers from thinking about making a purchase to actually making one.  Remember that traditional, low-tech customer service still can prompt shoppers to follow the path to purchase.  And while we love digital … hey kids, they say it’s the wave of the future — we also have to keep in mind all of the elements that make the experiential mix so magical.

The article further addresses how “results show that more than 70% of shoppers are interested in interacting with sales associates. And that interaction occurs throughout the customer journey. While only 2% of respondents said a conversation with a sales associate initially triggered a purchase journey, 34% sourced information from sales associates before making a purchase.

Another 21% finalized the brand and variant to be purchased after interacting with an associate. Twenty-eight percent asked sales associates for information on offers/discounts, billing and locating the product.

Another notable finding indicates that sales associates are the second-largest source of customer information after websites and online reviews.

For more on the study, visit Chain Store Age: Human Touch.