WHSmith will roll out a connected comms solution from x-hoppers, the smart, AI-powered retail communication platform from Wildix, across 300+ of its UK stores.

x-hoppers will support WHSmith’s store teams, offering a complete communication platform of wireless headsets, a web app for head office and an AI-powered assistant. This will help deliver faster customer support at the till and on the shopfloor for shoppers, while colleagues remain connected to improve operations and productivity.

The platform will also connect with WHSmith’s other in-store alert systems, so colleagues get the right information quickly without disrupting other communication flows, while scheduled messaging and multi-site broadcasts deliver updates to each team exactly when they need them.

Additionally, the x-hoppers solution will also feature a QR code alert function, which allows customers to request help from colleagues at the point of need, accelerating speed of service in busy travel hub environments to boost conversions.

The move follows a pilot in WHSmith’s Manchester Piccadilly station store, one of its busiest travel locations, which saw more than 43,000 smart notifications delivered to colleagues’ headsets across store alerts, scheduled team updates and customer QR code notifications.

Over the course of the pilot, customers made almost 1,000 requests for help via the QR code feature, which helped delivered a sales uplift of up to +22% in key categories compared with before x-hoppers went live.

“Our colleagues need to be able to help customers quickly, especially when stores are busy,” commented Karl Stakes, Director of Operations at WHSmith. “x-hoppers keeps our teams connected, so customers get help faster and colleagues are never on their own. The pilot showed what it can do, and we’re pleased to be rolling it out.”

The deployment will start with 32 priority locations, with the first of these already live in WHSmith’s flagship location in Heathrow Terminal 5, with colleagues in the retailer’s smaller satellite stores now sharing the same airside broadcast as the wider team to stay connected.

“x-hoppers was built to make retail teams more connected and effective,” said Graham Dixon, CTO at x-hoppers. “Seeing WHSmith achieve up to +22% sales uplift in the pilot and move to a rollout across more than 300 stores shows the real, measurable value of uniting people, systems and AI on one platform.”