[Voice AI Market Forecast Report] Domestic EC/Mail Order Voice AI Market Size to Reach Approximately 19 Billion Yen by 2030

株式会社Verbex, a developer and provider of voice dialogue AI platforms, has announced its independent estimates for the voice AI market in the domestic EC and mail order sectors.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "FY2024 Project for the Development of Digital Transaction Environments (Market Research on Electronic Commerce)," the domestic B2C-EC market size in 2024 is projected to be 26.1 trillion yen, an expansion of 5.1% year-on-year. On the other hand, for areas such as TV shopping, catalog sales, subscription services, and products targeting seniors, phone-based order reception and inquiry support remain important customer touchpoints.

Our company estimates the market for order reception and customer support accompanying EC and mail order to be approximately 300 billion yen, with the voice support domain, including phone orders and inquiries, accounting for about 150 billion yen of that. By 2030, we predict that voice AI utilization will advance in 17% of this domain, expanding the total addressable market (TAM) for voice AI in the EC and mail order sectors to approximately 19.1 billion yen.

Three Adoption Steps for Voice AI in the EC/Mail Order Domain

In the phone contact points of the EC and mail order domain, not all対応 will be replaced by AI at once. Initially, adoption will progress from routine initial reception and FAQ support, then expand to order reception with organized conditions and reorders from existing customers, and finally, AI and humans will share roles to support more advanced customer support.

1. Early Adoption Phase: Initial Reception, Callback Requests, FAQ Support

Operations with clear conversation goals and easily standardized confirmation items are areas where voice AI can demonstrate significant value.

For example, by collecting information such as desired product, name, phone number, preferred callback time, delivery status, payment method, and campaign details, and transferring to human support when necessary, it is possible to reduce lost opportunities due to unreached phone lines while also alleviating operator workload.

2. Expansion Phase: Order Reception with Organized Conditions, Reorder Support

In cases like TV shopping where the products introduced in a program are limited, or when set contents, quantities, and delivery conditions are clearly defined, it is an area where voice AI can easily handle order completion.

Furthermore, for reorders from existing customers, by linking with customer information and order history, it may be possible to reduce confirmation items and provide a smoother ordering experience.

3. Hybrid Operation Phase: Advancement through Role Sharing Between AI and Humans

However, there will still be situations requiring human intervention for aspects such as subscription conditions, bulk purchase discounts, cancellation terms, complaint handling, and final decisions for high-value items.

Voice AI is not intended to replace all phone support. It is crucial to appropriately divide tasks between AI and humans to avoid missing order opportunities and enhance the quality of the customer experience.

Especially in TV shopping, a phased design that first creates a "connected state," acquires necessary information, accepts orders with clear conditions, and then transfers to a human for exceptions, is more realistic than aiming for complete automation from the outset.

Voice AI Reduces Lost Opportunities in the EC/Mail Order Domain

"Connected" Channels Even During Peak Times

During broadcasts or campaigns, incoming calls can concentrate in a short period, leading to situations where phones cannot be reached. There are also cases where order opportunities are missed due to inability to respond to inquiries or orders outside of business hours.

By having voice AI handle initial reception in such situations, it may be possible to reduce waiting times and missed opportunities outside of business hours. Going forward, important KPIs for voice AI utilization are expected to include not only order completion rates but also peak call reception rates, reduction in abandoned calls, number of callback requests received, and order information acquisition rates.

Order Support Beyond Mere Administrative Processing

Collecting, repeating, correcting, and finally confirming names, addresses, and phone numbers directly impacts customer experience and delivery quality. Therefore, voice AI is required not only to engage in natural conversations but also to accurately confirm important information and to appropriately transfer to a human when uncertain. Order support is not just administrative processing; it is a critical touchpoint that influences the customer experience.

Comment from Masanori Morishita, Representative Director and CEO of Verbex Inc.

In the EC and mail order domain, while online and app purchasing experiences are expanding, customer touchpoints such as phone orders, confirmations, consultations, and changes still play a crucial role. Particularly for customers who want to hear product descriptions before ordering, those who are hesitant about inputting information, and those who wish to confirm subscription or delivery conditions, the phone serves as an important channel for proceeding with purchases with peace of mind.

On the other hand, phone support faces challenges such as difficulty in reaching agents due to concentrated incoming calls, missed opportunities outside business hours, and operator shortages. These are not merely issues of operational efficiency; for companies, they represent lost sales opportunities, and for customers, they lead to a diminished purchasing experience.

The value of voice AI lies not in simply replacing humans. By assigning tasks that AI is suited for, such as initial reception, FAQ support, collecting order information, and accepting callback requests, humans can concentrate on tasks requiring judgment, proposals, and emotional engagement.

Verbex will provide a voice AI foundation that balances customer experience and operational efficiency at companies' voice touchpoints, including EC and mail order, thereby supporting the reduction of lost opportunities in phone support and the realization of a more natural purchasing experience.

Overview of Verbex Inc.

Verbex is an AI startup that researches and develops proprietary voice dialogue technology with the mission of "Connecting the world with voice."

We provide a voice AI platform that achieves extremely natural and low-latency dialogue by independently researching and developing essential functions for voice dialogue, such as STT (Speech to Text), TTS (Text to Speech), and Speech Engine, along with data training methods.

Our management team is a collaboration of serial entrepreneurs from Bangladesh and Japan, and as an international hybrid startup, we are promoting the practical application of voice AI originating from Asia and Japan.

We have already secured 56 patents in 25 countries, including Japan, and have been working with a global business expansion in mind while advancing research and development of our proprietary technology.

Website: https://jp.verbex.ai/