Needle has launched a responsive version of its technology platform that enables brands to connect their best advocates to customers in real-time for sales conversations.

Needle recruits and certifies advocates who are category and product experts, then activates them on its sales chat platform to have conversations with customers that need help figuring out what to buy.

Engagements occur after a shopper accepts a targeted invitation served from the retailer’s site. With the launch of the responsive platform, Needle can enable these interactions on mobile devices as well as PCs. All engagements are measured in detail, and the results, says Needle, are immediate and material.

“The concept is simple but the results are game-changing,” said Needle CEO and founder, Morgan Lynch. “Connect a person considering a purchase with someone who is genuinely passionate about the product and the brand. Let them engage in authentic dialogue, then measure the results. The most valuable online shoppers are generally using mobile devices, and they want to engage with relevant advocates and experts on their timetable and device of choice. Brands and retailers that don’t provide this type of service will lose out to those that do.”

Norwegian Cruise Line, the cruise operator and a Needle client since 2012, has seen a 20 per cent increase in mobile traffic over the last 12 months. “It is the channel where many of our customers initiate their vacation research, and we know that influence will continue to grow over time,” said Rob Casas, Norwegian Cruise Line’s VP of eCommerce. “Our customers have loved the ability to interact with our brand advocates to help them choose and plan a cruise, so we are excited about extending the phenomenal results we’ve experienced with Needle to all of our digital channels.”

Needle says that conversion on its platform is 6-15 times higher than standard conversion rates, and that 65 – 90 per cent of the revenue it drives is net new.