Michelle Kelly, retail expert at 8×8, outlines a clear path for retailers that want to modernize customer experience and drive sales. Drawing on a career that began in mobile commerce and self service innovation, Kelly explains why email no longer meets modern expectations and how AI driven tools and voice communication can create faster, more personalized and profitable customer interactions.
from mobile beginnings to modern customer experience
Kelly began her career building mobile commerce solutions and self service apps in South Africa, and she carried that customer first mindset to 8×8. The company unifies communications, contact center and CPaaS capabilities on a single platform, helping retailers connect with customers across channels. Kelly focuses on retail vertical markets and works with brands to translate technical capability into clear business outcomes such as loyalty and sales growth.
why email is losing ground
Customer expectations have changed. Today shoppers want rapid responses and contextual interactions. Long email waits and automatic replies promising response in 48 hours are no longer acceptable. Kelly notes that slow response time reduces customer satisfaction scores and risks loyalty. To address this, retailers are adopting faster channels such as in app messaging and consumer messaging platforms like WhatsApp and RCS in markets where they are available. These channels enable real time, conversational and personalized brand experiences that younger shoppers especially prefer.
ai beyond chatbots personal ai shoppers and augmented reality
AI in retail has moved far beyond rule based chatbots. Modern solutions let customers upload photos and receive contextual assistance. Examples include:
- Customers uploading selfies to receive outfit recommendations from an AI that accounts for weather, local trends and event context
- Shoppers showing a photo of a living room and receiving automated styling suggestions with shoppable product links
- AI that personalizes product recommendations based on explicit preferences like sensitive skin or regional needs
These AI driven experiences make shopping more intuitive, increase conversion and reduce friction across the path to purchase.
voice remains essential for natural customer interactions
Kelly argues that voice will remain the gold standard for fluid, human like communication. Voice AI agents can handle complex queries conversationally and hand off to a human when needed. Voice also scales support for global retailers by offering multilingual interactions without the need to hire agents for every language. This combination of natural conversation and operational scalability creates a superior customer experience.
hyper personalization and strategic adoption of ai
Retailers must move beyond simple personal touches like inserting a name in an email. Customers expect hyper personalization that reflects real needs and context, such as local promotions based on location or product suggestions that respect skin type and style preferences. Kelly cautions retailers not to buy AI for technology alone. Instead she recommends:
- Define clear business goals and customer outcomes
- Select tools that directly support those goals
- Integrate AI across channels so recommendations and support are consistent
This strategic approach prevents wasted investment and ensures AI supports measurable improvements in conversion and loyalty.
turning customer support into a profit center
Customer experience has often been treated as a cost center. Kelly believes leading retailers should view support as a profit center by proactively engaging customers through conversational channels. Proactive in app messaging and messaging platform outreach can encourage repeat purchases, increase average order value and foster long term loyalty. When support becomes an opportunity to sell and retain, it contributes directly to revenue.
conclusion and call to action
The retail landscape is changing fast. Retailers that move away from slow email and adopt AI driven personalization, in app messaging and voice AI will create faster, more human and more profitable customer experiences. Start by defining strategic goals, choose tools that map to those outcomes and pilot conversational channels that meet customers where they are. To learn more about unified communication and intelligent contact center solutions, visit 8×8 and explore how these technologies can help you deliver exceptional customer experience and measurable business results.
