Pioneering Platform Blends Wireless Headsets, Smart Call Points and AI to Revolutionize Retail Operational Efficiency and Customer Experience
Columbus, OH — April 23, 2024 — Exiting its beta phase, x‑hoppers, a pioneering provider of retail communication solutions, today announced the launch of its AI-fueled platform in the United Kingdom and the United States. The solution combines wireless headsets, smart call points and advanced AI capabilities, setting a new standard for retail operations and enhancing the customer experience.
Leading x‑hoppers as CEO is Ian Rowan, a telecommunications veteran with over 30 years of experience driving innovation and sales in UC&C, VoIP and retail communication systems. His strategic vision focuses on leveraging x‑hoppers’ unique value proposition to empower retailers and their employees to meet evolving industry demands. Newly appointed CTO Graham Dixon brings extensive expertise in implementing complex IT and telephony solutions, playing a vital role in advancing x‑hoppers’ core technology to boost operational efficiency and security for retailers.
We are thrilled to introduce x‑hoppers to the world — a groundbreaking platform that stands at the intersection of AI technology and human-centric retail solutions. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our AI, R&D, engineering and product design teams who have relentlessly innovated to bring this vision to life, x‑hoppers is spearheading a transformation in retail, enhancing customer interactions and empowering frontline workers by turning challenges into remarkable opportunities. Boasting unparalleled capabilities, our platform not only changes the game — it redefines it.
Ian Rowan
CEO, x‑hoppers
Key Capabilities of x‑hoppers include:
Unified Retail Communication Ecosystem
- Seamless Integration: Integrates wireless headsets and smart call points with AI functionalities.
- Advanced AI Features: Incorporates expert-driven AI technologies like ChatGPT integration, video and speech recognition.
Advanced Security and Personalization
- AI Theft Detection: Utilizes CCTV integration to proactively alert staff to suspicious behaviors, significantly reducing shrinkage and enhancing security measures.
- Voice Footprint Recognition: Provides real-time user identification, adding a crucial layer of security and personalization to customer interactions.
- Analytics and Reporting: Offers detailed insights into operations for actionable intelligence.
Employee Empowerment and Customer Engagement
- AI Assistant: Reduces training time by half, swiftly upskilling new employees with vital product knowledge.
- Enhanced Customer Experience: Delivers quick, personalized service, resulting in an average 35% increase in sales, as reported by retailers using x‑hoppers.
- Comprehensive Connectivity: Supports over 250 integrations and offers a dedicated mobile app with voice and text-to-speech communication, all fueled by AI-driven transcription for improved efficiency.
The launch addresses key retail challenges such as substantial shrinkage, high employee turnover rates and rising customer expectations. According to the National Retail Federation, the retail sector faced a shrink crisis totaling $112 billion in 2022, underscoring the need for solutions like x‑hoppers. Additionally, a 60–65% industry turnover rate highlights the importance of x‑hoppers’ innovative onboarding and retention strategies (source: Huler).
Since implementing x‑hoppers, we've witnessed a remarkable turnaround in our operations. Not only have our staff reported feeling significantly safer, but we've also detected and prevented a staggering number of theft attempts. Before x‑hoppers, we grappled with an alarming annual shrinkage of around £26,000, a crippling figure for a small enterprise like ours. However, x‑hoppers has dramatically curtailed these losses, offering us a lifeline and restoring our confidence in effective security measures.
Fiona Malone
Store Director, Tenby Stores & Post Office
Since implementing x‑hoppers, we’ve witnessed a remarkable turnaround in our operations. Not only have our staff reported feeling significantly safer, but we’ve also detected and prevented a staggering number of theft attempts. Before x‑hoppers, we grappled with an alarming annual shrinkage of around £26,000, a crippling figure for a small enterprise like ours. However, x‑hoppers has dramatically curtailed these losses, offering us a lifeline and restoring our confidence in effective security measures.
Following its debut at the prestigious NRF Big Show in NYC in January, the x‑hoppers team is set to further engage with the retail technology community at the Retail Technology Show in London, scheduled for April 24–25, at booth 5A25. These appearances reflect the company’s commitment to showcase its AI‑powered communication solutions and cultivate meaningful engagements within the retail technology communities in both markets.
x‑hoppers has received several prestigious accolades, including Frost & Sullivan’s “New Product Innovation” Award and Merit Awards for “AI-Services” and “Connecting the Unconnected”. The company has also earned widespread acclaim across major media outlets, including The Sun, Metro, Retail Week and Talk TV, highlighting its transformative impact on the retail ecosystem.
The company is poised to announce the launch of x‑hoppers in additional markets in the coming months, expanding its global footprint and further revolutionizing the retail communication landscape.
About x‑hoppers
x‑hoppers is a complete retail communication solution that combines wireless headsets, smart call points and AI‑powered features to improve customer experience. Powered by Wildix, a leading UCaaS vendor with 20 years of industry experience, x‑hoppers connects store associates to a secure broadcast where they can instantly collaborate and receive incoming calls and notifications, including AI theft-detection alerts, to streamline processes and reduce shrink. With over 250 integrations, including an AI Assistant, x‑hoppers cuts training time in half and equips shop assistants with all the tools they need to provide an outstanding in‑store experience.
Media Contact
- Deliah Mathieu, Communications Specialist
- deliah.mathieu@wildix.com
- +1 949-241-0260
