Live chat can be quite helpful when visitors cannot find all the information they need.
Looking for a way to engage with visitors to your online store? Use "Live Chat." The web application designed for live chat is available in the form of a popup window positioned at the bottom right corner of the browser. Live chat allows real-time exchange of text messages between visitors and the support department of the online store. More advanced versions may also include video chat, audio communication, and more. More and more often an AI assistant answers in the chat. A good assistant answers only on the basis of your content (terms, product pages, FAQ) and tells the visitor clearly that it is not a human; from 2 August 2026 the EU AI Act also requires this (the duty lies with the system provider, but you can easily meet it with a clear label in the chat). When a question becomes complicated or the customer is angry, a person must take over. The assistant must also not give legal or medical advice. Remember that chats are personal data, so decide how long you keep them. More in AI in search and shopping.
The software system is typically implemented in the embedded code on the website, most commonly using JavaScript. Therefore, integrating a live chat system is usually quick and easy. The system itself usually consists of a text field and a control panel that allows the support team to respond to chats, send additional messages, and control the support system.
There are two types of live chat:
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Proactive chat, which includes the automatic appearance of a chat window with your notifications every time someone visits the site, and the visitor can choose to respond;
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Reactive chat, where the visitor starts the conversation; chat can also run through apps customers already use (for example WhatsApp or Messenger).
Additional Information about the Store's Offer
In real-time, visitors to your online store may not always find all the necessary information about the products, leading them to quickly give up on their purchase and leave your website. This is where live chat can be extremely helpful, as it can increase sales by providing immediate assistance and guidance to visitors with additional questions.
Live chat can be a competitive advantage if you really monitor it and reply quickly. You can gain a significant edge by connecting with visitors to your website who are interested in making a purchase. If they are satisfied with your responsiveness and the quality of your answers, they are more likely to make a purchase from you. They may even become loyal customers.
An Affordable and Effective Support Channel
Live chat can reduce support costs because employees handle several chats at once, but it takes time, content and management.
Moreover, live chat is a convenient application for visitors to your online store, as it provides them with immediate assistance and reduces the waiting time typically associated with phone-based customer support. During a chat, visitors can simultaneously browse your other offerings and make additional purchases.
In cases where a customer contacts you outside of your working hours, they can still leave a message through live chat, to which you can respond as soon as possible. In this case, you should appropriately set expectations regarding response times so that visitors are aware of the longer response time due to your absence.
All of this can help with additional promotion of your company and information about its offerings or services.
Online retailers gain additional insights into ways to improve their business through interactive communication. Entrepreneurs who have added "live chat" to their online store may achieve higher sales if they answer quickly and competently. During a chat, they can get to know their customers and their usage patterns better, and based on the information obtained, they can improve the user experience, especially the sales process or the store's offerings.
Frequently asked questions
It can - an immediate answer at a moment of doubt or question can prevent page abandonment, but the effect depends on the speed and quality of the answers. Measure it in your own analytics.
You can open chat automatically on a product page or the checkout page when the visitor shows signs of hesitation. Do not trigger it immediately on arrival - this is intrusive. On pages with high exit rates, proactive chat can be especially useful.
For a full experience yes - ideally an agent replies within minutes. Outside business hours, an AI assistant takes over the conversation and answers frequently asked questions or takes a message; it must tell the visitor clearly that it is not a human.
The choice depends on team size, budget and whether you want an AI assistant. Check that the solution allows a clear label for the assistant, handover of the conversation to a person, a set retention period for chats (chats are personal data) and loading after interaction so it does not slow the page down. Try several providers before you decide.
Properly implemented chat has minimal impact on speed. We recommend loading chat with a delay (lazy load) or after user interaction. It has no direct impact on SEO, but indirectly - it can reduce bounce rate.
My name is Anže, I am a certified Magento solution expert and the maker of several award-winning online stores. I am the architect of all Degriz projects.
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