• Retail industries in Europe see a 336 per cent increase in live chat requests during Black Friday
• Transportation and logistics industries experience a knock on pressure with a 113% boost in site visits and 97 per cent boost in online chat requests on Black Friday as consumers track parcels
• 129 per cent increase in customer service chats in the telecommunications industry as customers take advantage of phone deals and enquire about contracts

Businesses need to bolster their online customer service channels ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to LivePerson, the leading provider of business messaging solutions. Retailers face a 128 per cent boost of website visits during Black Friday, whilst online chat requests could soar by 336 per cent as customers look for support, according to LivePerson’s customer insight data.

An inability to manage these surges will result in disgruntled customers and missed sales for businesses. To avoid frustrating customers and losing sales, businesses need to reinforce their online customer service in preparation, says the company.

The data, which is aggregated from a group of 169 UK and EU companies doing business online, also revealed that banking industries are under pressure during the shopping days, with Cyber Monday website visits increasing 110 per cent and chat requests by 95 per cent. The findings suggest that banks experience a knock-on effect as consumers seek information on funds and support around shopping day payments.

Similarly, transportation and logistics businesses are set to face a strain as they work to deliver UK consumers’ shopping day purchases. Last year the industry experienced a 113 per cent boost in site visits and 97 per cent boost in online chat requests on Black Friday as consumers tracked their deliveries in time for Christmas.

The research also highlights the increase in both site visits and online customer service conversations in the telecommunications industry, where there was a 129 per cent chat lift and a further 120 per cent visitor lift throughout the two peak retail events. This is from telcos offering attractive discounts and cheaper contracts and from customers using the day to enquire with customer services about cheaper deals.

Russell Johnson, Global Head of Analytics, Global Professional Services at LivePerson says: “Customers expect responsive and helpful customer service all year round and the data that we’ve gathered shows just how much all industries come under pressure on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This will not change, and so the businesses that stay ahead, will be those that acknowledge these seasonal spikes and plan accordingly.

“The colossal increase in website visits and customer chat that occurs during these peak retail periods means that if you can’t scale up your customer service provision to meet customer demand, it’s possible that visits won’t convert to sales.”

Russell continues: “People now dedicate Cyber Monday to online “admin”, as well as shopping, and this means businesses need to be prepared no matter what sector they’re in.”