Conversational Commerce Unlocked: Turning Conversations Into Revenue with AiChat
Singapore, April 29, 2026 – Retail leaders, tech innovators, and e-commerce giants gathered at the AWS Singapore Office for an immersive journey into the future of retail: Conversational Commerce Unlocked.
The atmosphere was electric as AiChat, in partnership with Kemana Technology, AWS, and Ingram Micro, unveiled a new blueprint for turning e-commerce conversations into measurable revenue.
Why Conversation is Mission-Critical
The day opened with Valerie Cheng, SVP Sales & Marketing of AiChat, addressing a critical pain point for modern retailers, the 70% cart abandonment rate. Citing data from the Baymard Institute and Statista, Valerie highlighted that while digital traffic is rising, conversion is not, primarily because customers are not being guided at the critical moment of decision.
The session emphasized a massive behavioral shift. Today’s customers no longer want to click through multiple pages, search endlessly, or wait hours for a reply. Instead, they demand speed and relevance, expecting to ask a question and receive an instant answer so they can move forward immediately.
The Keynote: A Ten-Year Bet on Conversation
Kester Poh, Founder & CEO of AiChat, took the stage for the opening keynote, "The Conversational Revolution". He showcased how the journey has evolved from the 2016 "AskVoila" personal shopper assistant to today’s Agentic AI, reminding everyone that while AiChat has been betting on conversation for a decade, the tools have fundamentally evolved from simple rules to the AVA Vantage AI platform we see today.
"In business, relationships are everything. And every relationship starts with a conversation." – Kester Poh.
Product Launch: The New AVA 360 CX Commerce Stack
Dave Chuang, Chief Product Officer of AiChat, led the first deep-dive, launching the AiChat's AVA 360 CX Commerce Stack. He demonstrated native integrations with Shopify and Magento, showing how customers can now find products, check real-time inventory, and go to checkout without leaving the chat.
Following the chat reveal, Vijay Rathna, CTO of reAlpha Tech Corp, the parent company of AiChat, brought AiChat's Voice AI to life. He demonstrated how AVA Voice AI creates lifelike, hands-free shopping experiences, enabling customers to interact with brands effortlessly using natural language.
Building High-Converting Experiences
Chris Benz, Founder & CEO of Kemana Technology, shared a strategic framework for the era of AI, focusing on how to build high-converting commerce experiences. He emphasized that the "New Commerce" is defined by chat assistants and guided buying rather than search bars and filters.
The Fireside: Making AI in Conversational Commerce Pay Off
The centerpiece of the afternoon was a high-stakes Fireside discussion moderated by Valerie Cheng, featuring Kester Poh, Chris Benz, and Vijay Rathna. The panel moved beyond the hype to discuss how to turn automation into a Revenue Centre.
The panel moved beyond the hype to discuss what actually delivers value in eCommerce today.
- What Actually Works: The experts debated the biggest gaps between company expectations and AI reality, identifying where brands often make mistakes, such as treating AI as a simple cost-saving tool rather than a revenue driver.
- From Automation to Revenue: The discussion shifted to where AI hits the hardest in the eCommerce journey. The panel argued that the biggest revenue impact comes from guiding customers at the "moment of decision" through personalized recommendations and objection handling.
- Measuring ROI: A critical takeaway was the need to track metrics that companies often overlook. Success in conversational commerce should be measured by the AI's ability to convert intent into sales and recover abandoned carts at scale.
- What’s Next: Looking ahead 12 months, the panel predicted the next phase of CX will be defined by Agentic AI and Voice Commerce, where autonomous agents handle entire workflows and customers ask ChatGPT or Gemini to research and purchase for them.
As a final takeaway, the panel was asked for one piece of advice for retail leaders. Their consensus: Move your AI strategy from "Support-Only" to "Revenue-First" immediately. Whoever makes it easier, faster, and more convenient to buy, wins.
Securing the Conversation: AI Safety for Modern Commerce
The event concluded with Sayne Deniega, Partner Solutions Architect, at AWS, who discussed AI Security for Modern Commerce. She highlighted that 94% of executives believe securing AI solutions is critical before deployment.
Sayne explained that as AI agents gain autonomy, security must be implemented "outside the model" through deterministic controls, defense-in-depth architectures, and the automatic masking of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to protect customer privacy.
Make It Easier to Buy
The day ended on a high note with a Lucky Draw for attendees before a final networking session. The ultimate takeaway was a new rule for business: Whoever makes it easier, faster, and more convenient to buy, wins.
As the retail landscape evolves toward an AI-first future, the winners will be the leaders who stop treating chat as a support channel and start treating it as their most powerful sales tool. Don't let your revenue sit behind a friction-filled checkout; join the revolution and make it easier for your customers to say "yes".
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