Klarna, the Swedish fintech company, unveiled the Klarna virtual shopping feature to personalize the e-commerce experience. This feature allows sales associates to work from home while connecting with online shoppers in a personal and effective way. Klarna found that the majority of consumers in the United States prefer in-person shopping due to the social aspects, the elevated service, and the clarity of the product being purchased. This new virtual shopping functionality seeks to bring these same experiences to the digital world.
Sales associates would work for a specific store from home, and would have a set of the most popular items from the store at their home. The associate would then be connected with online shoppers for the purpose of answering specific questions, suggesting products, and potentially sending pictures and examples of the products. This helps online shopping replicate the in-person shopping experience while creating more jobs.
Image Credit: Klarna
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Virtual Shopping
- Opportunity for businesses to personalize the e-commerce experience for consumers by integrating virtual sales associates who engage the customers online.
- Remote Customer Services
- Opportunity for businesses to leverage remote workers to provide personalized e-commerce experiences that connect with consumers on a personal and effective level.
- Social Shopping
- Opportunity for businesses to create a more social, engaging shopping experience through innovative virtual shopping solutions that replicate in-person store experiences.
Where This Applies
- E-commerce
- Opportunity for e-commerce companies to stand out in a crowded market by offering personalized virtual shopping experiences
- Retail
- Opportunity for retail companies to integrate virtual shopping solutions to offer customers a unique shopping experience.
- Remote Work
- Opportunity for businesses that employ remote workers to integrate a virtual shopping solution to expand the scope of their services and create more jobs.
