Customer Hesitation: Multiply Sales with Artificial Intelligence Driven Solutions

Tired of low sales even though youre seeing high traffic? Customer Hesitation could be the bottleneck. Superstar salespeople know how to identify what the customer needs, and ultimately close opportunities effectively. AI enhances this work, by accurately identifying Customer Hesitation even more than your best seller. By utilizing Generative AI, companies can directly address questions and doubts to help transform hesitant shoppers into confident buyers. This handbook will show you how AI helps all businesses gain insight into Customer Hesitation ultimately resulting in sales, and accelerating team performance.

Whats Customer Hesitation?

Customer Hesitation occurs when buyers are stalled prior to purchasing because of uncertainty. The Baymard Institute estimated that 67.75% of shopping carts are abandoned online, costing brands $18 billion annually. Shoppers engaged (read reviews, found options), followed by hesitation or incompletion- followed by thoughts: Is this worth it? or Can I trust this company? AI can identify Customer Hesitation, based on behavioral patterns identified (e.g., lingering on sizing charts, toggling pricing plans, etc) allowing companies to take action on questions and doubts, and address issues before the customer disengages.

How AI Detects Customer Hesitation

Generative AI, which generates insights from the data, changed the game for sales teams by interpreting user behaviors. The AI identifies Customer Hesitation based on user indicators such as traffic time on a page and fragmented abandon rates in the cart, so sales teams can gain actionable strategies to eliminate the doubts a prospect has before the purchase. To give you an idea of how leading brands effectively factor AI in conquering Customer Hesitation, here are some examples:

Retail: Crush the Sizing Doubts

One large retailer had an issue with shopping carts being abandoned after users spent time on the sizing chart. Clearly this is indicative of Customer Hesitation. They used AI to increase conversions with:

• Customer images verifying size, height and weight.

• Communicating directly with sizing specialists in minutes.

• 90-day follow-up reviews on compared to the product hits the standard of durability.

Results: Common returns were down by 22%, conversions increased by 37% showing the true impact of AI to solve Customer Hesitation.

Lululemon: Personalization, Persuading Conversions

Lululemon is weeding out Customer Hesitation from browsers and compared with AI techniques:

• Ads targeted at new versus returning customer segments

• Movement reported real-time for pages selected for fixed product aesthetics or price

• Adaptive ad tech (for example, Performance Max)

Results: New customer revenue was up from 6% to 15%, with ROAS compounding up by 8%. Lululemon won a Google award for innovation in AI earned through their in-store customers.

B2B: Reducing Hard Decisions

For B2B buyers, Customer Hesitation surfaces when they have to make a decision for teams, or for their budgets. AI can recognize Customer Hesitation signals such as changing pricing tiers or downloading specs without booking a demo, so businesses can:

• Provide customized ROI calculators based on company size.

• Share relevant use cases or success stories.

• Facilitate direct access to technical integrations specialists.

This diminishes friction and converts Customer Hesitation into a decisive choice.

Microsoft: Responsive Ads

Microsoft uses AI powered ads to respond to Customer Hesitation with relevant content at the right time:

• AI ads had a relevance rating 25% higher than traditional ads.

• Microsoft re-launched the Copilot ad campaign in the fall of 2024, achieving 1.3x more conversions.

• Approximately 50% of users claimed it was a better ad experience.

By answering the questions that are triggered at the right time, Microsoft is fundamentally changing Customer Hesitation into sales.

The Role of AI in Sales Evolution

Over 40% of sales individuals are using AI for lead scoring, big data analysis, and forecasting, where AI-enabled professionals perform even better, achieving 1.3x productivity compared with their peers. The integration of AI into your tech inventory will help you identify Customer Hesitation while providing you a means to provide strategic feedback to create successful outcomes.

Transforming Customer Hesitation Into Conversions

Unsure what to do about converting Customer Hesitation to sales? All you need is an effective strategy! The following instructions outline strategies for addressing doubt and turning it into a conversation:

Step 1: Identify Pause Points

Identify where Customer Hesitation occurs through various options that include:

• Heatmaps: Identify pauses on specification details or return policy.

• Session Recordings: Follow user journeys and exit points to identify how they leave page during pricing toggles.

• Behavior Tracking: Identify activities such as, return policy viewings done repeatedly.

• Sales Call Notes: Review all the common points of concern regarding product setup, or support involvement to plan for accordingly.

Step 2: Create The Content To Build Confidence

Create content that addresses Customer Hesitation, while building trust, through:

• Visual comparisons to address complex details.

• Genuine customer feedback/reviews to establish credibility.

• Being candid about limitations as a trust builder.

• Interactive tools: You vs. Them charts.

Step 3: Incorporate AI-Driven Nudges

Engaging customers while you are not present by using AI to get customer to take action, includes:

• Show success stories when users linger on pricing plans.

• Trigger Message: Need help picking a plan?

• Start recommending content based on patterns to get user to make a decision.

• Create incentives for return visitors to convert and purchase.

Step 4: Test and Optimize

Increase conversion with smaller experiments:

• Identify areas of low conversion, for example a sign up page.

• Experiment with different wording or layouts (e.g. "See How It Works" vs. "Get Started Now").

• Test messaging on speed, return on investment (ROI) or security.

• Roll out successful changes to the emails, ads, and social posts.

Conclusion: Convert Customer Hesitation To Sales

Most visitors want to buy. The stuck, or the original halt before purchasing is often Customer Hesitation. AI enables you to recognize these moments and provide a clear, confidence-building path forward. It's not about selling harder, but having signals that are smarter and answers that are timely. Start to attack Customer Hesitation now and watch your sales grow and customers delight.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Customer Hesitation?

Customer Hesitation is when a shopper slows down before they buy. They delay because of uncertainty or fear and eventually abandon the cart.

How does AI identify Customer Hesitation?

AI can track when behaviors have too much time on a page or go back and forth on price. AI is able to identify Customer Hesitation and provide a solution based on the identified concern.

Which industries will find value in addressing Customer Hesitation?

Retailers, B2B (business-to-business) companies and tech companies are all using AI to mitigate Customer Hesitation and improve conversions while increasing customer satisfaction.