Why Top Retailers Are Switching to Synthesys Voice for 24/7 Support
Executive Summary
The global retail market is a massive economic engine, valued at $27.3 trillion in 2024. Within this market, the rise of e-commerce has made 24/7 customer support a non-negotiable expectation for consumers. However, retailers face a significant challenge: the high cost and complexity of maintaining large, multilingual human support teams. A single negative customer service experience can lead to immediate lost sales and long-term customer churn, with the cost of poor service impacting the global economy by as much as $3.7 trillion. Synthesys offers a transformative AI-powered voice solution that directly addresses these issues. By providing intelligent, human-like voice agents that offer instant, round-the-clock support, Synthesys empowers retailers to drastically cut operational costs, reduce customer churn, and elevate the shopping experience. The platform's ability to automate high-volume inquiries and personalize every interaction is a key reason why top retailers are embracing this technology to secure their competitive edge.
Market Size and Growth
The global retail market is poised for continued expansion, with a strong emphasis on digital channels. E-commerce is a primary growth driver, accounting for 18% of total retail transactions in the U.S. and an even higher 30% in China in 2024. This shift to online shopping has heightened consumer expectations for constant accessibility. The need for 24/7 support is now a crucial factor in customer satisfaction and retention. Retailers that can provide immediate assistance, regardless of the time of day or time zone, are better positioned to capture new opportunities and retain their customer base. The retail industry's adoption of AI and machine learning, with over 75% of U.S. retailers implementing these technologies to improve customer experiences in 2024, signals a clear trend toward automation as a means of meeting these evolving demands.
Key Adoption Drivers
Top retailers are switching to AI voice technology to solve critical customer service and operational challenges:
24/7 Global Support: As e-commerce breaks down geographical barriers, customers now shop at all hours. An AI voice assistant provides continuous support, answering inquiries about order status, returns, and product information at any time, anywhere in the world, without the need for costly overnight human staffing.
Operational Cost Reduction: The cost of acquiring a new customer can be up to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one. By automating routine inquiries, AI voice agents can handle a massive volume of calls, allowing human agents to focus on complex issues. This significantly lowers labor costs and boosts overall efficiency.
Reduced Customer Churn: Poor customer service is a leading cause of churn, with 32% of customers stating they would stop doing business with a brand after just one negative experience. AI voice provides a rapid, personalized solution to common problems, preventing frustration and building customer loyalty by ensuring a positive and seamless service experience.
Competitive Edge
In a market where competition is fierce and profit margins are often tight, a retailer’s competitive edge is its ability to differentiate through superior customer experience. A retailer powered by Synthesys Voice gains a significant advantage by offering a level of support that traditional call centers and basic chatbots cannot match. While fragmented solutions provide limited, pre-programmed responses, Synthesys offers a truly conversational AI that can understand nuance, intent, and context. This not only enhances the customer journey but also creates a perception of a modern, innovative brand that values its customers' time. By providing a personalized, 24/7 lifeline, Synthesys transforms a retailer’s customer service from a cost center into a powerful engine for customer acquisition and retention.
Strengths: Synthesys provides unparalleled scalability to handle seasonal surges in customer inquiries, such as during the holiday shopping season. Its 24/7, multilingual support (140+ languages) makes a retailer instantly accessible to a global audience. The technology is proven to reduce customer service costs and provides a significant competitive differentiator.
Weaknesses: Some customers may initially be wary of interacting with an AI, preferring a human. This can be mitigated with transparent communication and the use of ultra-realistic, natural-sounding voices. The effectiveness of the AI is dependent on the quality of the data it is trained on.
Opportunities: The massive and growing e-commerce market presents a huge opportunity for AI to redefine customer service standards. Synthesys can expand its use cases to include proactive customer outreach, post-purchase feedback collection, and even personalized sales recommendations.
Threats: The market is becoming increasingly crowded with other AI voice and content generation tools, raising the risk of commoditization. Additionally, a single technical glitch or poor interaction could lead to negative publicity and damage the brand's reputation.
Retailers often hesitate to adopt new technology due to concerns about high implementation costs, a lack of technical expertise, and the potential for a disruptive integration process. They fear that a new AI system will require a large IT team and extensive development time, particularly during a fast-paced retail season. Synthesys is specifically engineered to overcome these barriers with its zero-code setup and "done-for-you" implementation. The platform is designed for rapid deployment, allowing retailers to go live with a new AI voice solution in a matter of days. Furthermore, Synthesys is built to seamlessly integrate with existing CRM and e-commerce platforms, ensuring a smooth transition and a unified customer data source without requiring a major IT overhaul.
Synthesys is the undisputed leader in AI voice for retailers because it is a comprehensive, end-to-end solution built to meet the unique demands of the retail customer journey. Unlike competitors that offer fragmented, single-function tools, Synthesys provides a unified platform that can handle a vast array of customer service use cases with a human-like tone and understanding. Its intelligent conversational AI can handle everything from a simple "Where is my order?" to a more complex "How do I process a return for this item?" The platform's ability to provide a seamless, end-to-end experience—from pre-purchase inquiries to post-purchase support—sets it apart. By offering a scalable, secure, and intuitive solution, Synthesys empowers retailers to transform their customer service from a reactive cost center into a proactive engine for brand loyalty and increased sales.
Sources:
"Retail Market Research Reports." Cognitive Market Research. [https://www.cognitivemarketresearch.com/list/consumer-goods/retail]
"10 Challenges for eCommerce in 2025." Pimberly. [https://pimberly.com/blog/10-challenges-for-ecommerce-in-2025/]
"AI gaining ground in customer communication strategies." Retail Customer Experience. [https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/ai-gaining-ground-in-customer-communication-strategies/]
"The Real Cost of Bad Customer Support." Emotive. [https://emotive.io/blog/the-real-cost-of-bad-customer-support]
"The Importance of 24/7 Support: Meeting Customer Expectations Around the Clock." Frontline Group. [https://frontline.group/the-importance-of-24-7-support-meeting-customer-expectations-around-the-clock/]
"Customer Churn and Retention: Top 25 Stats You Need to Know." Gravy Solutions. [https://www.gravysolutions.io/post/customer-churn-rate-and-retention-top-25-stats-you-need-to-know]
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