Developing Voice AI Agents For E-commerce & Retail in 2025
Voice isn't the future—it's already here. From customer service to healthcare, more people are talking to tech instead of tapping on it. If your product still relies only on buttons and screens, you might be falling behind.
This blog is here to help you build voice AI agent features that actually make sense for your industry. Whether you're exploring voice as a new channel or looking to fully automate parts of your experience, this guide breaks it all down. You'll walk away with a clearer idea of how to add voice AI to your product in a way that's practical, scalable, and valuable.
Here's what we'll cover:
- Benefits of Voice AI Agents in E-commerce & Retail
- Real Use Cases of Voice AI in Action
- How to Build a Voice AI Agent From Scratch
- Examples or Trends Shaping Voice AI in 2025
- What to Keep in Mind When Integrating Voice AI
Who is this blog for?
You'll find this useful if you're a:
- Startup founder in E-commerce & Retail
- Entrepreneur exploring voice tech
- Lean product team shipping fast
- Product manager building digital experiences in E-commerce & Retail
Why read this blog?
We've been deeply involved in building AI enabled products for our startup client.
During this time, we've helped multiple clients build and integrate AI-driven features into their products. As we speak, our team is actively working on embedding voice AI into several client solutions—making this a timely and experience-driven resource.
In short, this guide will help you think clearly, build fast, and avoid mistakes when it comes to voice AI in E-commerce & Retail.
Voice AI is expected to grow into a $50B market by 2030, with real impact already visible across industries. This blog isn't theoretical. It's based on what we've built, shipped, and learned—so you can avoid the common traps and build something that works.
Let's get started.
Benefits of Voice AI in E-commerce & Retail
Building voice AI agents isn’t just about keeping up with tech trends—it’s about creating faster, smarter, and more human-like experiences for your customers.
In the e-commerce and retail world, where convenience and speed matter most, voice AI brings real, measurable advantages.
Here’s what we’ve seen work well for teams building in this space:
Enhanced customer experience
Voice AI makes shopping as simple as talking. Customers can browse products, place orders, track shipments, and get help, without lifting a finger. This kind of instant support builds trust and loyalty fast.
In fact, 80% of voice shoppers report being happy with the experience.
Personalization at scale
Voice AI agents can remember what your customer likes, suggest products based on past behavior, and tailor the shopping journey—all without making it feel robotic.
With 50% of consumers already using voice assistants to make purchases, this kind of personalization is becoming an expectation.
Operational efficiency & cost savings
These agents handle repetitive tasks like return policies or order updates. That means smaller support teams and shorter wait times.
Some companies have cut call handling time by 35% and seen a 20–30% drop in support costs.
24/7 support, globally
Voice AI doesn’t need breaks. Your customers get round-the-clock support, which is a huge plus if you're serving buyers across time zones.
More accessible experiences
Whether someone has a disability or just prefers voice over typing, voice agents make it easier to shop. It opens up your store to more people—and that’s good for business.
Smarter customer insights
Every voice query gives you new data. Over time, these insights help you understand what customers are asking for and where they’re dropping off, helping you improve both product and support strategy.
Lower cart abandonment
Voice AI can nudge users who are about to leave, answer last-minute questions, or even apply a discount to close the sale.
This quick, conversational help can recover revenue you might’ve lost otherwise.
Consistent omnichannel presence
Whether it’s your website, app, or store kiosk, voice AI gives a single brand voice across all touchpoints, keeping the customer experience unified.
Early mover advantage
With voice commerce expected to reach $75B globally by 2025, getting in early gives you an edge. More than 60% of smartphone users already use voice search for shopping.
A few numbers that say it all:
Companies using voice AI have seen a 30% jump in customer satisfaction. And with the market projected to hit nearly $148B by 2030, it’s clear this is more than a passing trend.
Use-Cases Of Voice-AI in E-commerce & Retail
Now that we’ve covered the key benefits, it’s time to look at how voice AI is actually being used across e-commerce and retail.
If you’re building tools in this space, these examples show what’s already working and where there’s room to create real value for your users.
Here are some high-impact use cases of Voice AI worth noting:
Voice-activated product search and ordering
Shoppers can search for products, check stock, or place orders without touching a screen—especially useful while multitasking or shopping on the go.
Example: Walmart’s Voice Order lets customers add items to their cart using Siri or Google Assistant.
Personalized shopping assistance
Voice AI agents can analyze shopping history and preferences to recommend items that match a user’s taste or needs. It’s faster and more contextual than generic filters or search.
Example: Verloop.io’s voicebots remember past behavior and suggest relevant products in real time.
24/7 automated support
Whether it’s checking an order status, handling returns, or answering FAQs, voicebots help users any time of day. That reduces friction and makes support feel effortless.
Example: E-commerce brands using voice AI now manage queries outside office hours without extra staff.
Cart abandonment recovery
When a user adds items but leaves without buying, voice AI can follow up with reminders, answer questions, or even offer quick-checkout options. It’s a small nudge that helps recover lost revenue.
Example: Many online stores now use voice triggers to re-engage users before they drop off completely.
Voice-based reordering and subscription management
Repeat customers can reorder essentials or manage their subscriptions by just speaking. No menus. No logins. Just fast, easy actions.
Example: Amazon lets users reorder using Alexa with a single command.
Each of these use cases is built around the same idea: make shopping faster, easier, and more personal without adding complexity.
Now that you’ve seen where voice AI fits into e-commerce and retail workflows, let’s walk through what it actually takes to build one.
Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to improve an existing tool, these five steps will help you shape a reliable voice AI agent that fits your specific goals.
Also read top voice ai agent development companies
How to Develop a Voice AI Agent in 5 Steps
- Plan and understand user requirements
Start by defining the purpose. What should your voice agent do? In E-commerce & Retail, this could be managing support calls, handling service requests, or assisting internal teams. Think about who's going to use it. Understand their habits, needs, and how they currently get things done. Set clear goals from the beginning—like improving response times, reducing manual work, or increasing satisfaction scores.
- Select the right AI and ML models
The models you choose need to fit the kind of conversations and tasks common in your E-commerce & Retail. Use NLP to understand questions, detect intent, and handle common phrases or commands. Combine that with speech recognition and text-to-speech tools for smooth interactions. Pick models that are proven to work well in your type of environment.
- Build speech recognition and NLP capabilities
Your agent needs to hear clearly and understand correctly. Train it with real inputs from your E-commerce & Retail so it recognizes jargon, customer behavior, or workflow-specific phrases. Make sure it can handle follow-ups, interruptions, and different accents. Add a dialogue system that knows when to pause, clarify, or escalate.
- Test for accuracy, performance, and reliability
Try it in real situations—on the field, in customer calls, or busy offices. Check how fast it responds, how accurate it is, and how well it handles stress or errors. Use that feedback to fine-tune before you scale it further.
- Keep learning and improving
Once it's live, monitor how people are using it. Look for common failures, gaps, or confusing moments. Retrain with better data from your E-commerce & Retail and update flows regularly. That's what keeps the experience sharp and useful over time.
With this kind of setup, teams in E-commerce & Retail can move quickly and build voice agents that are useful from day one—and more effective every week after.
Real-world Examples and Emerging Trends
Now that we’ve seen the core benefits, let’s look at how leading brands are applying voice AI in practice and the results speak for themselves.
These examples show how voice tech is already changing how people shop, reorder, and interact with products across platforms.
Amazon Alexa Voice Shopping
Amazon's Alexa lets users search, compare, buy products, set up subscriptions, and get personalized suggestions—all by voice.
What changed: In 2023, Amazon Echo users spent an estimated $5 billion using voice shopping. AI-driven recommendations alone contributed to 35% of Amazon’s revenue.
Why it matters: Personalized, hands-free shopping experiences increase both convenience and conversion.
Walmart Voice Shopping with Google Assistant
Customers can add items, check out, and reorder through voice, synced across devices like phones, smart speakers, and displays.
What changed: Walmart saw a 15% boost in repeat purchases from customers using voice-enabled devices.
Why it matters: Voice AI builds routine shopping habits and makes reordering frictionless.
Starbucks AI Voice Ordering
Voice-enabled ordering in the Starbucks app and via Alexa pulls from past orders to offer tailored suggestions.
What changed: Starbucks reported a 20% lift in mobile order sales, along with stronger customer retention.
Why it matters: Voice-driven personalization improves order speed and customer stickiness.
Ocado’s Voice-Enabled Grocery Reordering
UK’s Ocado lets users reorder groceries via Google Assistant, with smart predictions based on past baskets.
What changed: Frequent users saw a 25% rise in basket size when reordering by voice.
Why it matters: Voice AI simplifies repetitive tasks and increases average order value.
Check out AI Voicebot development services
Things to Consider When Integrating Voice Technology into Your Business
By now, you've seen what voice AI can do and how teams are putting it to use. But building the right solution for your E-commerce & Retail doesn't just depend on the tech—it depends on how well you plan, test, and scale. Here's what to keep in mind as you move from idea to execution.
Key Considerations for Voice AI Integration in E-commerce & Retail
Building a voice AI agent is one thing. Making it work well in the real world of E-commerce & Retail needs a few extra layers of planning. Here's what to keep in mind.
Start small and focus on one clear use case
- Pick one problem to solve. It could be reducing call wait times, improving daily workflows, or helping users get answers faster.
- Test it with an existing platform like Alexa for Business or a basic custom setup.
- Use real feedback to improve before you expand.
Design for real user behavior
- Keep responses short and easy to follow. Long voice replies frustrate users.
- Think about where and how people will use the voice agent. In E-commerce & Retail, that might be noisy environments or shared workspaces where privacy matters.
- Give users the option to switch channels if needed.
Choose tech that fits your goals
- Look for platforms that support natural, goal-focused conversations.
- Make sure the voice agent understands different accents, contexts, and commands common in your E-commerce & Retail.
- Decide whether to go with speaker-dependent systems (more secure) or speaker-independent (more flexible).
Build the right stack for your use case
- You'll need tools like speech-to-text, text-to-speech, noise handling, and maybe biometric ID if your use case calls for it.
- Decide how to deploy—cloud works well for scaling, embedded gives you speed, APIs help you build fast with ready tech from Google, Amazon, or others.
Put privacy and security first
- Voice data is sensitive, especially in sectors like E-commerce & Retail.
- Use encryption, access controls, and compliance checks to protect user info.
- Always make it clear how data is stored and used.
Think about how it connects and grows
- Voice AI shouldn't work in isolation.
- Make sure it connects with your existing tools —whether that's CRMs, internal databases, or helpdesk systems.
- Plan early for how the system will grow with new features or higher usage.
Test like it's live
- Test with real voices, different accents, and varied speech styles.
- Simulate both success and failure so your system handles errors smoothly and recovers quickly.
- Make sure it performs well across all user types and environments.
Work with partners who've done this before
- Partnering with the right voice tech team can save you months of learning.
- Look for teams who understand both the tech and the specific needs of your E-commerce & Retail.
- A good partner will also keep you updated on trends so your solution doesn't fall behind.
Keep improving after launch
- Start with an MVP. See what works. Drop what doesn't.
- Use user feedback and real-world usage data to improve how your agent sounds and performs.
- Voice AI isn't a one-time project. Keep refining as your users and your business evolve.
Starting small, designing around your users, and planning for growth are what set strong voice AI systems apart. When done right, your voice agent becomes more than just a feature—it becomes a trusted part of how you deliver value in E-commerce & Retail.
Conclusion
Voice AI is steadily moving from concept to real-world utility, especially in E-commerce & Retail. What once sounded like a future feature is now solving real problems—faster service, lower admin load, more accurate communication, and round-the-clock support. These are no longer just nice-to-haves. In 2025, they're becoming the baseline for great experiences.
Building a voice AI agent doesn't mean you need a big team or a complex setup. What it does require is clarity—on where it fits, who it helps, and how it grows over time. That's where thoughtful planning makes the difference. When built well, a voice AI agent works quietly in the background, easing pressure on your team and making life a bit easier for your users.
At RaftLabs, we've been working on this space closely—designing and integrating voice-driven tools across sectors. If you're exploring how to apply it in your business, we'd be happy to chat. We offer a free consultation to help you assess if voice AI is the right fit, and how to get started without overbuilding.
Whether you're aiming to reduce response time, automate repetitive tasks, or make your service more accessible, there's a good chance a voice AI agent can help you do it more effectively.
Let's see what that could look like for your E-commerce & Retail setup.
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