67% of Retailers Haven’t Digitized Customer Service for Mobile Phone Era, New UJET Report Finds

New research shows retailers are failing to meet customer expectations for mobile features, putting revenue and loyalty at risk as demand grows

UJET, a leading provider of AI-powered cloud contact center solutions, today released new research that shows mobile-friendly customer experiences (CX) (46%) now rank higher than AI-driven support (36%), empathetic human agent interactions (32%), and even shorter wait times (20%) in shaping consumer buying behavior.

However, 67% of retailers still haven’t digitized customer service for the mobile phone era. UJET’s Digital Divide in Retail Customer Service report – which includes insights from 200 retail CX leaders across the U.S. and Europe – finds that although leaders communicate most with text, iMessage, and WhatsApp (97%) and least with email (66%) in their personal lives, their brands offer email communication the most (96%) and text the least (73%) to consumers.

"What this data shows is that the goalposts have moved. Today, you're not being compared to the retailer down the street, you're being compared to the ease of ordering a car from your phone,” said Baker Johnson, Chief Business Officer at UJET. “Every point of friction—repeating information, switching channels, waiting for an email—is a moment you lose to that higher standard. The immediate opportunity is to embrace the smartphone for what it is: the most direct, powerful, and data-rich option for minimizing and improving your customer experience."

Key findings from the report include:

• An Alarming Overconfidence Gap: 78% of retail executives say they’d be satisfied contacting their support team, yet 53% admit their customer service is fragmented and difficult to navigate. In addition, agents struggle to quickly solve the customer’s unique problem (44%), and customers must repeat their problem or re-identify themselves (43%).
• Investment Remains an Issue: Despite 26% of organizations investing significantly in modernization, 55% have only somewhat mature AI, and 10% remain in early stages. UJET’s earlier AI Maturity Benchmark Report found that just 10% of contact centers deploy high-maturity AI today.
• Failure to Modernize Hurts Agent Performance: Retail leaders admit they’d face significant challenges as agents within their own company. It’s reported that multimodal tools (90%), GenAI assistants (51%), and video call capabilities (34%) would empower agents the most. Leaders claim that if agents were equipped with the right tech, they’d improve first contact resolution (55%), reduce turnover (52%), and respond to customers’ needs with more empathy (39%).
• Revenue is on the Line: The number one factor reported to create lifelong, happy customers is offering text, video call, photo sharing, and other mobile features in customer service (69%). Other top revenue drivers include leveraging AI bots to understand customer preferences (53%), using metadata from mobile phone searches for personalization (45%), and more.

“There’s clearly a digital divide where retail leaders enjoy the same mobile features they’re not offering to customers. Brands that close this gap and equip agents with mobile-first, AI-supported tools will capitalize on the demand and reduce churn, boost loyalty, and drive spending in a competitive market,” added Johnson.

Download the full report here. For more information on UJET, visit www.ujet.cx.

About UJET

UJET leads the way in AI-powered contact center innovation, delivering a future-proof, cloud platform that redefines the customer experience with cutting-edge AI, true multimodality, and a mobile-first approach. We infuse AI across every aspect of your customer journey and contact center operations, to drive automation and efficiency. UJET's AI solutions empower agents, optimize customer journeys, and transform contact center operations for elevated experiences and actionable insights. Built on a cloud-native architecture with a unique CRM-first approach, UJET ensures unmatched security, scalability, and prioritized data insights (without storing PII). Designed for effortless use, UJET partners with businesses to deliver exceptional interactions, smarter decision-making, and accelerated growth in the AI-driven world. www.ujet.cx

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