What about the 98% who don’t buy?
4 ways to turn browsers into happy buyers
Brands often celebrate their 2% conversion rate – but that means 98% leave. Choice overload is real, and it’s costing brands customers. So what can they do? The secret is – don’t just sell: make it easier to buy.
Today’s consumers expect brands to know them inside out – to anticipate their needs and deliver meaningful, seamless experiences anytime, anywhere. But doing that at scale, without overwhelming teams or customers, is a constant balancing act.
The fact is, in a world of information overload, more choice often means more confusion. It’s the paradox of choice: 42% of shoppers abandon purchases because there are too many options. And seven in 10 fill their basket only to walk away.
Brands are investing heavily to get people to click. But after all that effort, on average, just 2% of visitors buy. The rest drift away, taking their intent (and your potential revenue) with them.
So what should marketers do? Don’t let them disappear. Don’t settle for the 2%.
Here’s your four-step playbook to turn the 98% into loyal, happy, valuable customers.
Seven in 10 fill their basket only to walk away.
Pinpoint intent
Who’s browsing, what’s their intent, what’s the context, and who’s most likely to buy.
Leading brands combine human insight with real-time data and AI to reveal true customer intent. Behavioral data uncovers how people actually interact – what they click, what they skip, and what they return to. Customer surveys then explain the ‘why’ behind those actions, surfacing pain points, personal interests, and moments of friction. Together, these insights allow AI to quickly identify individual needs across thousands of visitors at once.
Dynamic, unified customer profiles sit at the heart of it all
These centralized data goldmines are constantly updated and enriched with behavioral, transactional and contextual data. It’s not about tracking people; it’s about listening to them, and anticipating their needs, their interests and their wants in real-time – from their searches, to their time spent on page to the products they’ve viewed.
When your tech quietly connects the dots across every touchpoint – web, email, call center – what emerges is a customer-centricity that feels effortless. It’s the kind that makes customers feel seen, understood, and ready to buy.
Ultimately, the better you understand your customers, the better you can help them. Which leads us neatly to step 2.
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Pinpoint intent IN ACTION
A telecom company identifies travelers comparing roaming plans but not purchasing. By using behavioral and survey data, AI then offers a tailored three-day roaming pass, converting interest into action.
Cut the noise
Identify then eliminate friction. Deliver only what’s relevant – at scale, powered by AI.
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Cut the noise IN ACTION
A retail bank skips the jargon and starts with a simple question: ‘What are you saving for?’ A quick, guided quiz then tailors a handful of plans to user goals, clearly showing returns, risks, and tax perks side by side.
Consumers don’t abandon you because they don’t care. They leave because it’s too hard to care.
Are they overwhelmed by options? Missing key information? Stuck in checkout limbo? Reducing complexity at those moments can change everything.
- Conversational interfaces Configurators, product finders or chatbots make navigation easier. They ask a few questions and present tailored offers or services that match what the customer actually needs without having to click through all options.
- Next best recommendations Keep hesitant visitors engaged by suggesting only relevant offers before they leave.
- Push notifications Can help by highlighting expert or user reviews to help overcome doubt, offering reassurance right when customers hesitate to move forward.
Use AI to spot patterns and red flags in real time that signal when someone needs a nudge or an intervention. Respect consent at every step. Collect only what you need, be transparent, and always give value in return. And test it: A/B and multivariate testing are your compass.
Case Study
Enterprise Ireland seamlessly embedded features like 24/7 chatbots and live chat across its channels, improving customer interaction and boosting conversion rates. This integration transformed how Enterprise Ireland engages with businesses, providing tailored support and insights in real-time.
Help them buy
Be proactive – intervene with human, engaging, contextual and connected support
Successful brands don’t wait for customers to ask for help: they anticipate when they need it. Offer support at just the right moment by inviting visitors to start a quick chat, call, or expert video consult — all at the click of a button.This is where you bring in human touchpoints to add what machines can’t: trust, empathy and reassurance. For example, if someone abandons a high-value cart, offer a free planning session. That combines automation with a human touch.
The more personalized the assistance, the deeper the engagement, the better the experience, and the greater the chance of customers finding the right product – creating stronger, more valuable relationships.
Lead scoring helps you focus where it matters most
By analyzing real-time behavior like pages visited, forms started, or items added to cart, you can focus your best efforts on the visitors most likely to convert.
CoreMedia’s Experience Platform uniquely combines content management with personalization, automation and customer engagement capabilities. Real-time analytics and brand-aware AI help global brands to bring engaging content to life fast, inside one workspace. So editors can see what’s working, spot hot leads, and act instantly on live insights, without ever leaving the platform.
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Help them buy IN ACTION
When an insurance provider sees customers stalling on a quote form, real-time analytics flag the issue instantly. A friendly prompt offers live help, connecting visitors with an agent who can answer questions and finish the quote on the spot.
Connect online behavior with call center data
Connecting digital and call center customer data eliminates blind spots in the customer journey, improves tracking, and optimizes ad spend, while giving sales agents the data they need to deliver personalized responses and feed insights back into campaigns.
Make sure call agents have real-time access to unified customer profiles so they can guide conversations seamlessly. AI can elevate these interactions – translating, transcribing, analyzing tone, and recommending next best actions.
“The real power lies in the balance between human and AI. Sometimes customers want fast, automated answers for simple purchases. Other times, they need human support for complex decisions like mortgages, utilities, or insurance. Give them what they prefer in the moment.”
Nurture them
Stay with your customer beyond the website or app – and keep it human.
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Nurture them IN ACTION
When a customer downloads an energy-saving guide but doesn’t book a consult, the system follows up with a friendly email: “Still interested in cutting your energy costs?” A week later, a quick SMS prompts a call where an advisor recommends tailored smart meter and renewable plans.
Go beyond clicks and web conversions to include call center insights and human feedback for better media optimization.
- Deploy short, sharp surveys triggered by real behavior: “What stopped you from completing your purchase?” at checkout or “Was anything unclear?” on a product page.
- Keep them timely, relevant and effortless.
- Then turn that insight into action. Track customer sentiment or NPS, and tailor offers based on their journey.
Use your data to meet customers where they prefer to engage with you, and help them pick up right where they left off. Omnichannel recovery workflows keep the conversation going through automated, personalized emails, texts, and calls, with recommendations and content tailored to each customer’s intent.
Use your data to meet customers where they prefer to engage with you, and help them pick up right where they left off. Omnichannel recovery workflows keep the conversation going through automated, personalized emails, texts, and calls, with recommendations and content tailored to each customer’s intent.
That’s hyper-personalization in action: scalable AI insights combined with human empathy to make customers feel understood, supported, and ready to buy.
Data-driven attribution can boost marketing performance by 25-50% – but only if you truly understand where and why customers drop off.
“In the race to convert, most brands focus on the 2%. The real opportunity lies in winning over the 98% who almost bought – and will buy, if you make it easy enough.”
Three steps to better hyper-personalization now
