Hyderabad-based retail technology startup Zithara AI believes conversational commerce platforms such as WhatsApp and AI-powered agents are becoming increasingly important for offline retailers as businesses look to improve customer engagement, retention, and sales attribution.
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Key Highlights
Zithara AI says WhatsApp and AI agents are becoming key engagement channels for offline retailers.
The company believes customer data infrastructure should be prioritised before AI adoption.
Conversational commerce is increasingly influencing offline purchase journeys.
AI-powered agents can assist with lead qualification, customer engagement and intent scoring.
Zithara AI sees growing demand for retail automation and customer data platforms.
Speaking during a recent TelecomTalk Live discussion, Zithara AI founders Varun Kashyap and Sridevi Reddy said many offline retailers continue to face challenges around fragmented customer data, limited visibility into customer behavior, and the growing need for personalized engagement.
Customer Data Remains a Key Challenge
The founders noted that while artificial intelligence has become a major focus area across industries, many retailers are still dealing with a more fundamental problem—customer information scattered across multiple systems. Data generated through websites, social media platforms, messaging applications, billing systems, and physical stores often remains disconnected, making it difficult to build a complete view of the customer journey.
According to Zithara AI, customer data infrastructure should be the starting point for retailers looking to adopt AI-driven solutions. The company believes a unified customer profile enables businesses to better understand buying patterns, improve engagement strategies, and deliver more relevant communications to customers.
WhatsApp and Conversational Commerce Gain Importance
The company highlighted the growing importance of conversational commerce. Platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram Direct Messages, and Facebook Messenger are increasingly becoming the first point of interaction between businesses and consumers. Zithara AI said customers now frequently begin their purchase journeys through messaging platforms, making these channels a critical component of modern retail engagement strategies.
During the discussion, the founders explained that retailers often interact with the same customer across multiple channels but lack the ability to connect those interactions. By bringing together data from different communication platforms, businesses can gain a clearer understanding of customer interests, engagement history, and purchase intent.
Another key topic discussed was the role of AI-powered agents. According to the company, AI agents can help retailers engage customers outside normal business hours by answering queries, sharing product information, providing catalog details, and collecting lead information. This allows businesses to remain responsive even when sales teams are unavailable.
Zithara AI also spoke about its use of “intent scoring” to help retailers identify potential buyers. The company said factors such as customer engagement levels, response patterns, and conversation behavior can be used to estimate purchase intent and prioritize sales follow-ups. Such insights, it noted, can help retailers improve conversion rates and reduce lead leakage.
Data Privacy and Compliance in Focus
The startup further emphasized the importance of data privacy and compliance as AI adoption grows. It stated that businesses must pay close attention to consent management, customer privacy requirements, and evolving regulatory frameworks such as India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) provisions and international data protection standards.
The company added that retailers adopting AI solutions should ensure customer information is handled responsibly and in compliance with applicable regulations.
The Growing Role of AI in Offline Retail
Looking ahead, Zithara AI expects conversational commerce, AI-driven automation, and customer data platforms to play a larger role in helping offline retailers modernize operations and improve customer retention. The company also sees opportunities beyond India, citing growing interest in similar retail technology solutions across international markets.
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FAQs
How are WhatsApp and AI agents helping offline retailers?
According to Zithara AI, WhatsApp and AI-powered agents help retailers engage customers, answer queries, collect lead information, and provide personalized interactions across the customer journey.
Why does Zithara AI consider customer data important before AI adoption?
The company believes retailers must first consolidate customer information from various channels to create a unified customer view before deploying advanced AI solutions.
What is conversational commerce?
Conversational commerce refers to customer interactions and purchasing journeys that take place through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram Direct Messages, and Facebook Messenger.
What is intent scoring in retail?
Intent scoring uses customer engagement patterns, conversation behaviour, and interaction signals to estimate purchase likelihood and help businesses prioritize sales opportunities.
What role will AI play in the future of offline retail?
Zithara AI expects AI-driven automation, conversational commerce, and customer data platforms to play an increasingly important role in improving customer engagement, retention, and sales performance.
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