The Chatbot Hangover Is Over: The Future of Retail Customer Service

The Chatbot Hangover Is Over: The Future of Retail Customer Service

From RETHINK RETAIL by RETHINK Retail

June 3, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the transformation of retail customer service from basic chatbots to advanced AI solutions.

Are basic chatbots hurting your customer experience? In this episode of the RETHINK Retail Podcast, guest host Christine Russo sits down with Antanas Bakšys, CEO and Co-Founder of Ace Waves, to discuss the massive transformation happening in retail CX. Antanas shares insights from his 15 years in ecommerce, explaining how retail customer support is shifting from rigid software into an elite autonomous workforce. KEY TAKEAWAYS: - Beyond Chatbots: Why legacy retail automation fails and how to transition to true AI teammates. - Customer Service Debt: How to identify this hidden burden in your organization and clear it out. - Risk Management: How autonomous AI agents safely handle sensitive tasks like refunds and cancellations. - Future of Retail CX: A contrarian 12-month prediction on where retail automation is heading. Meet Ace Waves at Shoptalk Europe! > Heading to Barcelona this June 9th through 11th? Meet Antanas and the team in person at the Ace Waves booth.

People in this episode

Host: Christine Russo

Guest: Antanas Bakšys

Topics covered

  • retail customer service
  • chatbots
  • AI in retail
  • customer experience
  • ecommerce transformation

Keywords

  • customer experience
  • chatbots
  • AI
  • retail automation
  • ecommerce

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ace Waves

Places: Barcelona

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