The telecom retail industry is being urged to embrace a holistic, phygital approach as AI reshapes how customers shop for devices and plans. In an interview with Broadband Communities, Christopher Krywulak, founder and CEO of iQmetrix, highlights a long-delayed transformation driven by rising customer expectations and rapid AI development that could redefine the retail model across channels.
Fragmented experiences persist across channels
Despite heavy investments in mobile apps and online tools, customers often navigate online and physical stores as separate, disjointed journeys. Krywulak contends that the core retail experience has remained transactional and siloed, with telcos too focused on networks to lead a cohesive journey across touchpoints. He notes that journeys starting online can stumble in-store, undermining loyalty and satisfaction.
“Telcos have treated the channel as an afterthought,” he says, calling for a unified flow where online and in-store interactions share the same data and customer identity to deliver a seamless experience that builds trust and repeat business.
Phygital is the future—if you can align the plumbing
Phygital, according to Krywulak, is more than multi- or omnichannel talk. It requires architectural alignment so that the same systems and data underpin both digital and physical environments. He explains that core actions—checking upgrade eligibility, trade-in values, and inventory—must be consistent across channels, enabling effortless handoffs while preserving customer identity.
iQmetrix positions itself as a partner in this shift, focusing on the orchestration layer that unifies physical and digital service platforms. The goal is to deliver a single customer experience, regardless of where the journey begins, by ensuring continuity of identity and access across channels.
Culture is the real barrier, not just legacy tech
While legacy systems and data silos are often cited, Krywulak argues that organizational culture and structure are equally stubborn obstacles. Telcos tend to operate in silos—sales, marketing, and IT pursue separate agendas with limited ownership of the end-to-end journey. This bottom-up approach to change creates gaps in customer experience and slows holistic redesign of journeys.
He calls for a top-down, experience-led strategy that starts with the desired customer experience and then expands through the organization, rather than allowing technology to dictate the path. He points to Apple as a benchmark, where visits to a store are designed to feel like a cohesive, personal journey rather than a transaction.
Agentic AI and the reshaping of stores
Looking ahead, the next wave of disruption is agentic AI, where digital agents help customers compare options and assemble personalized packages. This evolution may route more buying activity through new channels and bring APIs to the fore, potentially threatening traditional retail routes for telcos while also enhancing store operations and logistics.
As AI agents orchestrate more of the journey—from answering questions to tailoring offers—stores could shift away from routine transactions toward complex problem-solving, support, and rapid fulfillment. Krywulak envisions large flagship stores that fuse product expertise with unique hybrid retail experiences, while physical locations also function as logistics hubs to speed online order fulfillment.
He emphasises that telcos should not abandon stores but reimagine them as problem-solving centers that complement digital channels, enabling faster repairs, upgrades, and experiential guidance for customers. Learn more about iQmetrix’s Interconnected Commerce platform at www.iqmetrix.com.
Christopher Krywulak is the CEO and founder of iQmetrix. The company provides AI-native telecom commerce software that connects telcos, retailers, and OEMs into a unified flow across channels.
Related topics: AI, Apple-like retail, eSIM, phygital, telco retail
