Guided selling: what it is and why companies choose it

What is guided selling?

Guided selling helps indecisive website visitors by providing them with personalized online product advice. It brings the in-store advisory experience to your website. Acting as a digital assistant, it asks relevant questions to understand a customer’s needs and preferences, then recommends the best product accordingly. Guided selling offers customers a personalized shopping experience, only online. Just like in a physical store where you can ask for advice, guided selling helps you shop with confidence and without decision fatigue.

Imagine you're looking for a new laptop. You need one for work, but the options are overwhelming: different screen sizes, storage capacities, processors, brands, and price ranges. How do you know which laptop is the right fit for you?

Traditional product filters can help you narrow down options based on storage space or screen size, but they often fall short in guiding you to the perfect choice for your specific needs. In fact, product filters have several drawbacks. There’s a good chance you’ll still be stuck choosing between dozens of models, or worse, filtering out the one that would have been the best fit.

This is where guided selling comes in. Instead of only offering (often technical) filters, guided selling asks practical questions about your usage and preferences:

• Do you mainly work in an office or on the go?
• Do you prefer a larger screen or a more portable model for commuting?
• What type of tasks do you perform most often, such as word processing, graphic design, or programming?

Based on your answers, the guided selling tool selects the models that best match your needs and situation. This makes the selection more relevant and easier to navigate, allowing you to make a confident decision faster.
 

Guided selling on your category page

Indecisive visitors tend to drop off when faced with too many choices and no clear idea of which product suits them best. The lack of personalized advice makes it difficult to decide. Take our earlier example, should you go for an AMD A4 CPU or an AMD FX series? Is 8GB RAM enough, or would 16GB be a better choice?

You can’t make an informed decision if you don’t understand the differences. These are often just flat technical specifications. Instead, we first need to understand the visitor’s needs:

• What will you use it for?
• How do you want to use it?

Another example: imagine a customer looking for an electric bike. He wants to take long rides and needs to easily conquer hills during vacations. The bike should be low-maintenance and provide a smooth, comfortable ride.

He clicks on a text ad and lands on a category page filled with electric bikes. But which one should he choose?

• A chain-drive or a belt-drive e-bike?
• Is 50 Nm of motor power enough for hills?
• Should he go for a mid-drive motor?
• Is a Bafang M300 or Bafang M410 motor a good choice for him?
• What wheel size fits his height?

Product filters are just raw specifications, they don’t explain real-life applications. If visitors don’t understand the differences, they can’t properly use the filters. In fact, this can have the opposite effect, increasing uncertainty instead of helping them decide.

There are countless studies showing that uncertainty negatively impacts conversion rates. The real question is: how can you reduce that uncertainty for your visitors?

The answer is simple: first, we need to understand what the customer is looking for. What kind of product does he want to buy? How does he plan to use it? What problem is he trying to solve? Once we understand that, we can recommend the right product with confidence.

And that’s where guided selling comes in. A guided selling tool helps map out exactly what an indecisive visitor is looking for by asking the right questions, focusing on their needs rather than just technical specs.

Here are some key questions you can ask to help customers find the perfect product:

1. What type of rides will you be taking, and how long will they be?
   Daniel is looking for an e-bike for long rides—up to 5 hours—and for cycling on hilly terrain. This question helps the guided selling tool filter e-bikes that are built for endurance and challenging terrain. A guided selling tool (like Qonfi) would now suggest bikes with a larger battery capacity, such as 600Wh or more, and a motor powerful enough to handle steep climbs without Daniel having to worry about distance or assistance.
2. What type of terrain will you be riding on?
   Since Daniel will mostly ride on hilly terrain, he needs a motor that provides enough power for steep climbs. The guided selling tool can now recommend e-bikes with a 500W motor or higher, ensuring they deliver enough power for a smooth and effortless ride over hills.
3. How important are speed and assistance to you?
   Daniel wants enough support for long, hilly rides but doesn’t need the fastest bike. He prefers a smooth riding experience with seamless gear shifting. The guided selling tool will now suggest bikes with continuously variable transmission (CVT) systems and motors that provide the perfect balance between speed and assistance, offering a comfortable ride with minimal maintenance.
4. What is your budget for an e-bike?
   Daniel’s budget is €2,500, and he wants the best value for his investment. The guided selling tool will now filter out bikes that match his budget while meeting his needs for long rides, hilly terrain, and low maintenance. It will recommend models with powerful motors, high battery capacity, and smooth shifting systems, ensuring Daniel doesn’t overspend while still getting the right bike.

With these questions, the guided selling tool can automatically generate the best product recommendations based on the customer's exact needs, just like in our example below.

A Qonfi guided selling tool understands that Daniel is looking for an e-bike perfectly suited for hilly terrain, long rides of up to 5 hours, and minimal maintenance. Additionally, he wants seamless gear shifting and has a budget of €2,500. Instead of showing him a list of all available e-bikes, the guided selling tool instantly selects models that match Daniel’s preferences. The focus isn’t on technical details but on what truly matters to Daniel: enough power to conquer hills, worry-free long rides with minimal maintenance, and a smooth riding experience with continuously variable transmission.

It’s possible that no single bike in the range fully meets all his criteria while staying within his €2,500 budget. Normally, this would mean Daniel wouldn’t find a suitable option. However, with the ‘best-match’ recommendation strategy, the guided selling tool always suggests the closest match. These alternative bikes might slightly exceed his budget but perfectly align with his needs in terms of performance, durability, and riding experience.

Ultimately, a guided selling tool (like Qonfi) makes online shopping feel like having an expert by your side in a physical store. You don’t have to figure out all the details yourself or feel uncertain about your choice, as the best options are recommended based on your needs. This not only saves time and effort but also ensures you find exactly what you’re looking for—without frustration or missed opportunities.

There are multiple ways to place a guided selling tool on your category page. Check out this article for different examples (point 1: ‘at the top of the category page’).

 

2. Guided selling on your Product Detail Page (PDP)

You can also integrate a guided selling tool on your Product Detail Page (PDP). Many hesitant visitors land directly on your PDP via Google Shopping. For context: more than 75% of ad spend now goes to Google Shopping (growmyads.com), directing traffic straight to PDPs.

Take Lisa, for example. She wants to buy a treadmill but isn’t sure which one to choose. Like most shoppers, she starts her search with a broad query like ‘buy treadmill’ and clicks on a Google Shopping ad, landing directly on a PDP.

Since Lisa is still in the consideration phase, she wonders whether this treadmill truly fits her fitness goals and home setup. Instead of getting guidance, she’s only presented with technical specifications—no advice, no context on how well this treadmill meets her needs. Plus, a PDP is often designed for buying, while Lisa still needs help choosing the right treadmill.

Companies invest heavily in ads to drive visitors directly to PDPs. But if customers like Lisa don’t feel guided and leave the page quickly, it’s a missed opportunity. A lack of personalized support on product pages can lead to high bounce rates—even if the product could be the perfect fit. This wasted traffic is not just a loss in ad spend but also in potential conversions.

With Qonfi’s Product Check, visitors receive personalized guidance to remove any doubts. The guided selling tool asks targeted questions to understand Lisa’s situation better, her fitness goals (running or walking), available space, and desired usage intensity, ensuring she gets recommendations tailored to her needs.

The Qonfi guided selling tool can ask Lisa the following questions:

1. How intensively do you want to use the treadmill? If Lisa prefers intense training, the tool will suggest treadmills with higher speed capacity and advanced shock absorption. If she’s looking for light workouts, a simpler model might be more suitable.
2. How much space do you have available? Qonfi asks Lisa about her available space and recommends models accordingly. If she has limited room, she’ll see compact and foldable options right away, without needing to research the product dimensions herself.
3. What are your main fitness goals? If Lisa’s goal is weight loss and improving endurance, the tool will suggest treadmills with built-in training programs. If she needs a treadmill for long-distance training, it will recommend models with a wider running surface and a more powerful motor.

With the Product Check, the treadmill Lisa is currently viewing is compared to better alternatives based on her needs. This way, she doesn’t just get confirmation of her choice, she also discovers better-suited options.

For example, Lisa is looking at the Focus Fitness Jet 2 (€399). Instead of only validating her choice, Qonfi compares her option with alternatives and suggests a better match: the Senz Sports M7000. This treadmill better aligns with her fitness goals, offering higher speed capacity, an adjustable incline, and compatibility with fitness apps.

Thanks to a guided selling tool, Lisa can confidently make the right choice, ensuring she gets the best treadmill for her needs.

The benefits of a guided selling tool

The key benefits of Qonfi’s guided selling tool at a glance:

• Higher conversions
  With Qonfi’s guided selling, customers quickly find exactly what they need. By asking targeted questions and offering personalized recommendations, the tool helps eliminate doubts, increasing the likelihood of conversion. The result? An average conversion rate increase of +255%.

• Fewer returns: The #1 reason for product returns is ordering the wrong item. With a choice assistant, customers quickly find and order the product that suits their needs. This leads to happier customers and fewer returns.
• Less customer contact: Most customers reach out for confirmation that they’re choosing the right product. A choice assistant automatically shows them which products match their needs, providing instant reassurance that they’re making the right purchase.
• User interactions: Qonfi collects data on user behavior, interactions, and conversion rates, helping businesses identify bottlenecks in the customer journey and improve the overall experience.
• Zero-party data: Qonfi allows businesses to gain deeper insights into what their customers are looking for, enabling them to create relevant offers and identify gaps in their product range.
• Integration with other systems: Qonfi seamlessly integrates with a Customer Data Platform (CDP), allowing businesses to provide personalized experiences based on customer preferences and past interactions.

• Data-driven decision making: Businesses can make informed decisions based on concrete insights from Qonfi rather than assumptions. This enables a more strategic approach to optimizing product offerings and marketing strategies.

• Optimization of your product assortment: By analyzing which products are most searched for and purchased, businesses can better align their assortment with customer preferences, making them more competitive in the market.

Want to learn more about the 12 benefits of a guided selling tool? Read our article on this topic.

 

Implementing a guided selling tool on your website

Implementing a guided selling tool to your website can significantly boost your conversion rates. Qonfi’s guided selling software works on any ecommerce platform, making integration seamless. Follow these simple steps to implement and optimize your guided selling tool effectively.

1. Place your guided selling tool in strategic locations

Guided selling is only effective if customers can easily find and use it. Make sure to position the tool in visible places, such as your homepage, category pages, or product pages. This helps customers quickly find the right product. 

Want to know more about this topic? Check out our article on the 10 best locations for guided selling on your website.

2. Implementing a guided selling tool

Adding a guided selling tool is simple—just embed a JavaScript snippet on your webpage. The best part? You don’t need a developer for this step—it can easily be done yourself with this how-to guide.

3. Monitor and optimize

Once your guided selling tool is live, it’s crucial to track its performance regularly. Analyze how many customers use guided selling and how it influences their purchasing decisions. Identify customer preferences and use these insights to refine your product assortment. Optimize as needed based on the zero-party data you collect to ensure the tool delivers the best possible experience for your customers.
 

Ready to get started with Qonfi’s Guided Selling Tool?

Wondering if a guided selling tool is right for you? With Qonfi, we provide cutting-edge guided selling software. Sign up for a free trial or get in touch to see how easy and effective it is to help your customers make the right choice.