The Changing State of Retail Customer Care

The Changing State of Retail Customer Care

The retail industry had undergone significant change in the past decade, witnessed by the shift from in-store to online shopping and digital engagement. Digital customer care rapidly expanded with new channels on the web, mobile apps, and social media, and older channels, such as chat and interactive voice response (IVR), embellished with new technologies.

Retail contact centers became early adopters of maturing technology under the umbrella of AI (speech technologies, machine learning (ML), and natural language understanding (NLU)) for use in IVR, virtual assistants (VA), intelligent virtual assistants (IVA)s, and other channels.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated changes in the retail space. To remain competitive, grocers and retailers alike are now looking for new ways to provide convenience and contactless delivery while attempting to rein in costs. Businesses are also piloting new ways to create experiential retail to draw customers back in-store, emotionally connect with them, and open up new markets.

This insight looks at the changing landscape on retail customer contact before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses growth opportunities in the retail customer care space.