The online retail workhorse

“That's not an infographic, that's a YouTube clip.” Protest all you like, but once you click play you'll discover why we decided to file this under the title infographic.

This clip is from online retailer Kogan, visualising in real time responses to online customer queries – you can just see the seconds ticking by on the left. Plus it's very pretty.

“In this video, the balls coming in are customer queries, things like – "show me the specifications of this product", or "what TVs do you have over 42", or "take me to check out now please". The paddle on the right is our server responding to all the queries, sort of like a supercharged customer service rep who just downed 5 cans of Red Bull! We thought this was a really cool way of showing how quickly customer queries are answered over the internet – no need to line up in stores or stand around waiting for a salesman – super-fast responses all from the convenience of your own home.” 

It should be said that Kogan's definition of “customer queries” is a little misleading. If you send in a specific query through the contact us section Kogan says they'll get back to you “within a few hours”. But the visualisation does represent very practical questions that occur in a retail store every day. Imagine trying to identify which of the TVs in JB Hi-Fi are LCDs for less than $3000 without a sales rep. Online that sorting is done for you instantly.

With an enhanced ability to compare prices online, the customer still has to decide between the subtle differences of each product to select which is ideal. Unless the traditional store has great customer service – a rarity – the customer is left to their own devices, which means they may as well be behind a keyboard instead of in a shopping centre.