Batteries Plus Unveils Proprietary Artificial Intelligence Platform to Support Franchise Growth, Amplify Store Experience

HARTLAND, Wis., Aug. 31, 2026. Batteries Plus, the nation's leading battery and power solutions service center, is proud to unveil its latest technology innovation: a platform of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools designed to strengthen the brand's franchise development pipeline while enhancing the store experience for associates and customers alike. Built through a combination of vendor partners, consultants, and its own in-house research, Batteries Plus has added three new tech tools to the system:

• Savannah: An SMS AI voice agent
• Edison: An AI voice assistant that ensures no call goes unanswered
• Wattson: An AI-powered search tool that helps store associates and customers navigate products

Deployment is underway across all Batteries Plus locations, with full system rollout expected to be completed by the end of September.

"As a brand deeply rooted in the technology space, Batteries Plus is proud to be leading the charge in the age of AI," said Scott Williams, CEO of Batteries Plus. "This is not creating AI for the sake of breaking into the world of AI. This is creating tools that genuinely assist our entire proprietary business model, so that everyone from the corporate level to our store associates can work efficiently and confidently as the Experts in Charge dedicated to serving our customers."

Savannah

Savannah was developed to respond to questions about Batteries Plus and its franchising opportunity. The system can answer common questions from prospective franchise owners.

After each call, the prospective owner may receive information about Batteries Plus history and business model, a franchise application, and a scheduled discovery call. Savannah has outbound prospecting capabilities and SMS functions and operates in compliance with applicable regulations.

"Savannah is changing the game in our franchise growth strategy," said Joe Malmuth, Chief Development Officer of Batteries Plus. "We built Savannah in-house because nobody understands what a prospective Batteries Plus franchise owner needs to hear better than the people who talk to them every day. By the time we get on a discovery call now, we're speaking with someone who genuinely understands the Batteries Plus franchise opportunity, changing what our team spends its time on and who ultimately ends up in our system. The result has been a dramatic increase in overall engagement and franchise development activity – a true win-win."

Edison: Answering Calls

Edison serves as a customer-facing tool that handles calls to Batteries Plus stores, answering common questions such as hours, directions, battery advice, product and service inquiries. It aims to provide consistent messaging on every call.

"Each of our stores receives an average of 30 calls a day. While we know the importance behind answering every call, we also understand the reality that some may fall through the cracks," said Jon Sica, President of Batteries Plus. "That's not indifference; it's an associate mid-way through a device repair who can't walk away from the customer standing in front of them. By reversing that course, we're capturing business we were previously leaving on the table, and we're giving our store teams the ability to devote their undivided attention to the people who walk through our doors. We see this as a multi-million dollar move."

Edison offers conversations in both English and Spanish. Developed in partnership with SynthFlow AI, Edison was built on the foundation of years of research from the Batteries Plus team.

"We've all experienced the frustration of a poorly designed voice agent that doesn't understand what you're saying or can't answer some of the most basic questions," said Angela Geib-Boland, Vice President of Technology and Strategy at Batteries Plus. "It was essential we kept those challenges in mind as Edison was created, so that the level of service our customers have grown accustomed to in our stores carries over to the phone."

Wattson: An AI-powered search tool

Wattson, connected to the Batteries Plus point-of-sale (POS) system, assists store associates by providing efficient, relevant information about products. The search tool has been simplified to surface product specifications when they influence the battery recommendation. Wattson began with the automotive category and is in use system-wide.

That same logic also extends to customers directly. The search tool at BatteriesPlus.com has been simplified in tandem, surfacing additional vehicle specifications only when those details are genuinely the deciding factor in which battery a customer needs. Wattson launched with the automotive category and is live system-wide. Additional product categories will roll out through the end of the year, prioritized by sales volume.

As Batteries Plus continues to evolve its technology strategy, the company remains focused on leveraging innovation to better serve customers and support franchisees across its more than 800 locations open and in development throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, further strengthening its position as a leader in essential retail.

SOURCE Batteries Plus

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