How a premium boot brand saw a staggering 62% rise in AOV with Live Commerce
Overview
The retail industry has always been very competitive and elastic. Downward trends in the economy are usually felt right away with consumers holding on to their disposable income.
And it was no different when the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise. Lockdowns meant job insecurity for a large number of people who were affected by them. They also led to retail stores being closed for months on end — and many eventually going out of business.
But there were some businesses that still came away strong despite everything the pandemic threw at them. Lucchese was one of those businesses that jumped on to the right solution.
About Lucchese
Lucchese is a premium, custom-made boot brand with nine locations in Texas. The company is also one of the leading cowboy boot manufacturers in the USA. Lucchese started out by making boots for the U.S. Cavalry based out of San Antonio — back in 1883.
"The personal connection that we deliver in our stores, and at all levels of our organization, is what differentiates us from any other bootmaker"
— Shannon McGimsey, Director of Retail
Lucchese boots are handcrafted in El Paso, Texas, and are also sold at retailers such as Boot Barn, Sheplers, and Cavender's. As a premier Western lifestyle brand, the company continues to follow the same handcrafted principles from 1883.
The Problem
Lucchese's customers are deeply loyal to the brand, but its boots are a significant investment, ranging from $500 to $13,000. For premium retail brands like Lucchese, it's difficult to expand and scale beyond the boundaries of physical stores.
Online sales for Lucchese were quite flat compared to in-store purchases due to the nature of the company's products and their higher price points.
Lucchese needed a way to virtually emulate the in-person buying experience customers received when shopping in their physical stores.
"People's preference to buy cowboy boots probably will always be in person. It's a very sensory-driven experience. Most people want to see, feel, and even smell the leather."
— David Berger, Director of Digital Commerce
The Solution
Immerss is a first-of-its-kind tool for merchants that allows them to connect directly with their online customers with live video and chat. The platform enables eCommerce stores to integrate 1-to-1 live commerce in three different ways:
- Shoppable chat
- Live video co-shopping
- Outbound clienteling
- One-to-many live streams
With 1-to-1 live commerce, Immerss offers an outbound module that enables sales associates to communicate with individuals directly from a widget on their website, with built-in messaging delivered to email or SMS.
"The challenge is to figure out how we can drive more traffic through Immerss because the conversion rate is so much higher. It's obviously a better experience for customers."
— David Berger, Director of Digital Commerce
The Outcome
Even after COVID-19 forced the closure of its brick-and-mortar stores, Lucchese was able to maintain its personalized service and increase revenues.
Even though only 1.9% of the brand's website visitors connect with a salesperson, those who do convert well. On average, 29.7% of those who connect with a salesperson online make a purchase.
Key Insights from Lucchese
"With Immerss, we can replicate the in-store environment for our digital customers, providing one-to-one assistance to shoppers in real-time. The Immerss platform is enhancing our online shopping experience and helping to bridge that gap for customers who may be hesitant to purchase online.
"The advice I would give to anyone considering a technology like Immerss is to be open to testing different business models as it relates to leveraging the technology. The tool itself is very powerful. Anything that can give you a closer, more personal, and more personalized interaction with your customer is a good thing."
— David Berger, Director of Digital Commerce, Lucchese