The online shopping environment is the new retail battleground where businesses need to hone their skills, sharpen their tools, and look for competitive advantages to win sales, according to Deya Anevska, founder and CEO of new tech start-up, My Offer.
With this in mind, My Offer has been launched to provide online businesses with software that gives customers the opportunity to submit offers for items while shopping on their site. The software can easily be plugged into a retailer’s website and includes a chat function with scripting that can be modified and styled to meet brand requirements. Once an offer is accepted, the shopper is directed to the shopping cart checkout where the transaction is finalized.
In an exclusive interview with Retailbiz, Dee said the inspiration behind her tech start-up was a common emotion felt among consumers – frustration.
“As online shopping has evolved, so have my expectations and confidence as a shopper,” she said.
“If I couldn’t get what I wanted from a local business within budget and receive the items in a suitable timeframe then I would look to overseas retailers, which was often the case. So I began testing my hypothesis… If I was able to submit an offer on products, like I do with other platforms, would I be more inclined to buy – and the answer was yes.”
Dee then created a software solution that could easily be installed on a website, enabling customers to submit exclusive offers on products that met their individual needs. “If a customer has the ability to submit an offer they are less likely to abandon their cart and complete the sale,” she said.
Over the last 12 months, Covid-19 has driven huge growth in online shopping with Australia Post delivering a record 52 million parcels in December alone. “There has also been a surge in shoppers using third party platforms like eBay and Gumtree as customers can negotiate a good deal within an efficient timeframe without waiting for sale events.”
When asked about her expectations for the retail industry in 2021, she said retailers will be looking to maintain growth ideally through online sales wherever possible.
“It will be critical for businesses, whether they are providing an online service or product, to invest in their online presence and reach. Adopting new ways of working will be key to survival in our evolving Covid safe world.
“My Offer will assist businesses sell more on their websites by empowering customers to drive sales. The My Offer software extends the instore negotiation experience in a way that enables businesses to automatically accept or decline offers by setting simple parameters. It’s easy to install and simple to use. Importantly it doesn’t capture customer information, so it is safe for all to use.”