Eboost Taps Generative AI To Chat With Digital Twin Consumers
Energy supplement and drink company Eboost is seeing results in using generative AI tools to improve both its marketing and product innovation efforts.
The company, which prides itself on providing healthier alternatives in the energy category, sought to improve its understanding of its consumers — a particular challenge for the small, early-stage company. It teamed last year with Native, a market intelligence provider that’s leaning into generative AI, to research and create digital twins of its target consumers, with the ultimate goal of deriving insights to refine marketing personalization capabilities and the development of new products.
Upon creating a digital twin of a shopper, Eboost employees can conversationally chat with them to learn more about their preferences and purchase habits. For example, Eboost can ask the twin (clone) which flavor they’re most likely to purchase next or where they might want the product improved.
The benefits of gaining insights through conversation align with other investments made by such companies as Nestle and General Mills’ Cereal Partners Worldwide in business intelligence. In that use case, employees were expected to benefit by having the ability to ask intuitive questions and receive easily digestible answers.
As a result of its investment, Eboost has improved both operational efficiency and customer experience, Thomas Ortis, Eboost chief marketing officer, tells CGT. This includes analyzing larger amounts of consumer data, such as behavior and preferences by channel or retailer, further increasing their ability to provide customized product and service recommendations.
“This helps our business create a more personalized experience for our customers, driving customer loyalty and repeat purchases,” he notes.
In addition to having a better understanding of its consumers’ pain points and being able to predict future preferences, Eboost’s marketing campaigns are increasingly driving engagement and sales. The company is also optimizing its product offerings by identifying gaps and white spaces discovered through this deeper understanding.
While Ortis admittedly had doubts about the impact of generative AI — and he’s not alone — he says they’re already seeing the potential of having the ability to create a digital clone of a consumer. Learning curve aside, he expects the technology will become a significant competitive advantage for those leveraging the tech. Key to their success thus far has been working with Native and their “prompt engineers” to guide the Eboost team on asking the right questions to receive the right outputs.
“The future of generative AI as it pertains to consumer businesses and retail is enormous,” notes Ortis. “If the accuracy and user experience are only poised to improve, then this technology is going to be a game changer for the industry. I think it has already proven that in our daily functions.”
