Call volumes on Cyber Monday increased by 16 percent on average in
2016, but businesses were unprepared to handle volume, resulting in lost
sales and revenue opportunities
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 8, 2017--
Marchex
(NASDAQ: MCHX), a leading provider of call analytics that drive,
measure, and convert callers into customers, announced new research
today that suggests businesses should not only plan for an increase in
e-commerce sales this Cyber Monday, but also prepare for a spike in
inbound calls. While calls are not traditionally top-of-mind when
preparing for one of the busiest digital shopping days of the year,
phone calls play a significant role to help drive sales opportunities
and increase revenue.
Based on an analysis of more than a half million calls from consumers to
businesses in November 2016, the Marchex Institute found that businesses
experienced a 16 percent increase in inbound phone calls on Cyber Monday
compared to average Mondays in the same month. The data also revealed
that abandoned calls increased by 11 percent on average on Cyber Monday,
suggesting that companies did not adequately staff call centers. As a
result, they missed out on significant sales opportunities on one of the
biggest shopping days of the year.
The research also suggests that consumers aren’t just shopping for toys
or electronics on Cyber Monday – they’re also planning holiday travel
and time off in the New Year. Cruise lines and hotels experienced
significant spikes in call volumes on Cyber Monday, with increases of 30
percent and 27 percent respectively. Still, despite the potential
revenue opportunities, cruise lines and hotels seem unprepared to manage
the increase in calls. Abandon rates were 30 percent higher for both
cruise lines and hotels, compared to a typical Monday in November 2016.
An overall uptick in call duration for cruise lines suggests that
customers were placed on hold for too long and ultimately abandoned the
call.
“While businesses go through significant efforts to optimize their
websites for Cyber Monday and the holiday season in general, they are
neglecting a key channel that is incredibly important to consumers when
it comes to interacting with brands,” said Guy Weismantel, EVP of
marketing at Marchex. “The data is clear: customers prefer to buy on
their own terms, not the terms of the brand. It’s crucial for brands to
invest in their frontline phone teams, operations centers, and call
analytics technology to maintain the highest level of customer service,
and ultimately increase revenue.”
View
the Marchex infographic for more details.
About Marchex
Marchex understands the best customers are those who call your company -
they convert faster, buy more, and churn less. Marchex provides
solutions that help companies drive more calls, understand what happens
on those calls, and convert more of those callers into customers. Our
actionable intelligence strengthens the connection between companies and
their customers, bridging the physical and digital world, to help brands
maximize their marketing investments and operating efficiencies to
acquire the best customers.
Please visit https://www.marchex.com/blog,
https://www.marchex.com/blog
or @marchex on Twitter (Twitter.com/Marchex), where Marchex discloses
material information from time to time about the company, its financial
information, and its business.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171108005555/en/
Source: Marchex
Marchex, Inc.
Investor Relations
Trevor Caldwell, 206-331-3600
ir@marchex.com
or
Media
Inquiries:
March Communications
617-960-8896
Marchex@marchcomms.com
